Broadband Permitting Paper Published for
ISPs and Governments

With permitting requirements on the minds of many service providers and state and local governments
embarking on BEAD-funded projects, some in the industry have felt the need for more collaboration,
planning, and guidance.

A collaborative telecom industry partnership resulted in a newly released paper titled “Permitting Success:
Closing the Digital Divide Through Local Broadband Permitting.” The paper is intended to “help local
governments and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) navigate broadband network construction challenges
and maximize investments in broadband connectivity for all Americans,” according to a press release
provided by Brightspeed, one of the partners on the project.

The project is a result from a national summit on local permitting processes convened by Georgetown
Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy, and the paper was written and published by the Benton
Institute for Broadband & Society, in partnership with the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology
Law & Policy, the American Association for Public Broadband, Fiber Broadband Association, 
Brightspeed, and GFiber.

What it includes

The guide includes case studies; strategic checklists for ISPs, local governments, and state and federal
agencies, with three categories in mind: fostering partnerships between the permit seeker and the
permitting authority, maximizing resources available to the permitting authority, and ensuring
transparency and consistency in the permitting process.

Below is a summary of some of the findings:

Fostering Partnership Between the Permit Seeker and
the Permitting Authority

To achieve the goal of strong permitting partnerships, the paper stresses the importance of meeting
“early and often” to ensure alignment and keep lines of communication open, and establish trust early on.

Secondly, they authors recommend the ISPs and governments communicate openly about the “realities”
that exist in rural permitting, e.g. permitting offices in small areas staffed by only one person, or
minimizing disruption to residents.

Additionally, they recommend that ISPs be forthright about the timelines, methods, etc. of the build, and
that municipalities are equally forthright about capacity for permitting and inspection.

Maximizing Resources Available to the Permitting Authority

The paper outlines what the group believes could and should be done to maximize resources in the
permitting process.

It stresses the importance of acquiring additional resources from a variety of sources to increase staff,
finding, etc. wherever possible.

It also suggests ensuring resources are being used appropriately, streamlining and coordinating to
reduce resource inefficiency, and to maximize the “return on investment” by acquiring data insights
from the permitting process.

Ensuring Transparency and Consistency in the Permitting Processes

For the third “finding,” the paper encourages modernizing and digitizing the application process, if possible.
“To the extent possible, local governments should accept electronic submissions, utilize e-permitting portals,
and provide regular updates about the status of applications.”

The full paper

The paper also includes a conclusion of the findings and several case studies that highlight real-world examples.
These are covered in detail within the report, for example, Leawood, Kansas’ permitting department is highlighted
in a case study that shows what they’ve done to modernize the permitting process, among other things.

Use this link to access the full paper. https://www.benton.org/sites/default/files/permitting-success.pdf

These links summarize the paper:
https://www.isemag.com/industry-trends-and-research/news/55139438/permitting-paper-published-for-isps-and-governments
or https://www.benton.org/publications/permitting-success