- USTelecom asked operators what broadband policy changes they want to see, and permitting was on top of the list
- Even if a provider does get their permits in a timely manner, they’re not guaranteed to have faster deployments
- Operators are also fed up about regulations that require them to maintain copper networks
With a new presidential administration soon upon us, a panel of broadband operators was asked what policy changes they’d most like to see. Leigh Fox, CEO at altafiber, gave a point-blank answer: “Permitting needs to be addressed.”
(Screenshot by Masha Abarinova)
From his perspective, it’s the one thing slowing down broadband deployments, and municipal permitting is “getting tougher and tougher,” he said at USTelecom’s Broadband Investment Forum.
Five to ten years ago, a joint use agreement would take around 6-8 months to set up, said Fox. Now, that process can take “18-24 plus months.”
“It’s not money. It’s not resources,” Fox said. “We can’t put those two together fast enough and act fast enough because of the permitting aspect.”
Fox wasn’t the only one with permitting gripes. Harold Zeitz, CEO at Ziply Fiber, said in some of the towns Ziply operates in, they only let the company have one permit open at a time. Not only does that elongate the build process, but it makes it more expensive for both Ziply and the municipality.
Plus, the build ends up being more disruptive for the town.
“You get construction teams who need to go to one town and get it done in three months and then move on to another town,” Zeitz said. “It’s very difficult to get people to be able to support and build that in a long duration time.”
And even if a provider does get their permits approved, there’s no guarantee they can get their build done any faster. The cost of the permit has nothing to do with that, said Zeitz. It’s purely a process issue.
“I have a town right now where I have all the permits I need approved, and I’m building bit-by-bit because of the way they rolled it out,” he said.
There have been some moves to try and streamline permitting on the federal front. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in March introduced an amendment to help agencies “efficiently” permit and approve wired and wireless infrastructure deployments. And a federal council has allocated $155 million to also give agencies an extra hand in the process. The Federal Communications Commission has also been working to streamline the permitting process for pole attachments.
But operators are still hungry for more help. Brightspeed CEO Tom Maguire said if he had to think of one word in terms of what policy changes he’s looking for, it’s “simplification.” Just a less complicated process for things like going after permits, getting reimbursed from grants and monetizing the network.
“We spend a lot of time turning our wheels trying to come up with ways to figure out how to work within the guidelines we have in place today,” Maguire said. “We’ve got to get rid of these guidelines and come up with a better way to do things.”
Incoming FCC Chairman Brendan Carr seems to be all for cutting down regulatory red tape from broadband program. As he wrote in his Project 2025 chapter, federal technology and telecommunications programs “would benefit from stronger oversight and a fresh look at eliminating outdated regulations that are doing more harm than good.”
Copper – a thorn in the side
Aside from permitting pains, broadband execs talked about the challenges of juggling new fiber deployments with maintaining old copper networks.
“We have to be focused on upgrades and modernization of our networks,” said Bob Udell, CEO at Consolidated Communications. “Being in the network business, you can’t efficiently operate two networks.”
Even with the influx of BEAD and other broadband funding that supports fiber and other technologies, he said Consolidated is still required to keep a copper network in place in case the technology that’s being built out can’t reach customers in a “very rural location.”
“That’s nuts,” Udell said. “It just doesn’t seem balanced for infrastructure.”
Zeitz said if you talk to customers who still have a copper landline, they’ll often say it’s used as “a backup.” “Think about all the money that could be re-deployed elsewhere if it weren’t for that,” he said, noting those customers are probably “already covered” with a wireless service.
For Brightspeed’s part, a big problem it has with copper is people keep stealing it. Maguire said in one state alone he’s recalled over 450 instances of copper theft in the last 18 months.
“I’m not in a position where I could roll fiber out in those particular locations, so I’m forced to put copper out there,” he said. A lot of that has to do with the regulations on retiring copper. While Brightspeed can upgrade copper service if it receives the customer’s consent, the process to get that consent can be time-consuming.
In Maguire’s opinion, he feels other service providers, including utilities like power and water companies, “are not bound by the same rules we are.”
“Other people come in and they cherry pick the customers they can make the most money of and they leave us with the rest of the people that we’re now responsible to serve,” he said.
“I’m more than happy to serve those people, but I need some additional freedom to be able to use whatever technology I think is best to serve those individuals,” Maguire said. “I don’t have that freedom today.”
