The Last Mile Is a Paper Trail: Why Broadband Gets Stuck
Everyone wants faster broadband—no one wants to wait for the permits.
Modern communications infrastructure doesn’t stand still. Providers must keep investing in upgrades and expansion to meet consumer demand. Next-generation applications—artificial intelligence (AI), artificial reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR)—will require robust infrastructure to support them. That infrastructure depends on sustained investment from a wide range of firms, including broadband providers.
Those providers invest only when they can expect a return. Policymakers who want to unlock the benefits of next-generation infrastructure should focus on reducing the transaction costs tied to broadband deployment. Lower those costs, and more projects will pencil out.
Permitting stands out as one of the most significant of those costs. Before breaking ground or attaching wireless facilities to buildings and towers, providers must secure approvals from multiple local and federal authorities. These costs include not just permit fees, but also the uncertainty of denial and the delays that can stall projects.
H.R. 2289, the American Broadband Deployment Act (ABDA), offers one path forward. Sponsored by Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-Ga.), the bill would impose shot clocks on local permitting authorities to accelerate approvals and franchising, and require fees to remain cost-based and reasonable. More notably, it would streamline federal environmental and historic-preservation review, significantly reducing the burden on providers. The House Energy and Commerce Committee has cleared the measure, and the full House is expected to take it up in the coming weeks.
If the United States wants to lead in next-generation applications, it needs the infrastructure to match. Broadband deployment represents just one piece of that puzzle, but it’s a critical one. Reducing transaction costs will do more than ease deployment—it will encourage the investment needed to build the networks of the future.