Over the course of many years, CTC has developed and executed a comprehensive set of best practices designed to facilitate and streamline broadband infrastructure permitting processes while maintaining appropriate protections for public assets, rights-of-way, and the public interest. These practices represent a balanced approach that serves the interests of all stakeholders—enabling the rapid deployment of broadband infrastructure that benefits communities and ISPs while ensuring that local and Tribal governments retain appropriate oversight of their public spaces and infrastructure.
The current environment presents both significant opportunities and challenges for permitting authorities. Federal broadband funding programs, including the BEAD Program, are driving unprecedented levels of infrastructure investment. This investment surge has created a corresponding increase in permit application volumes that many local and Tribal governments are not equipped to handle with existing staff and processes.
In CTC’s experience, a significant portion of permitting delays stem from resource constraints facing local and Tribal governments that are unaccustomed to processing high volumes of broadband permit requests. These delays are often compounded by insufficient communication between ISPs and local government staff, which prevents permitting authorities from adequately preparing or adjusting staffing levels.
In many cases, local officials do not know that permit applications are forthcoming, do not have the resources to process them efficiently, or face both challenges simultaneously.
The availability of federal funding to support permitting activities represents an important opportunity to address these challenges. In some states, broadband offices have provided to Departments of Transportation the necessary additional resources to reduce permitting backlogs as broadband grant funds are deployed.
CTC is positioned to help both state governments and local and Tribal permitting authorities take full advantage of these opportunities through a range of proven strategies and support services.
Supporting state governments in developing permitting strategies
State governments play an important role in ensuring that broadband infrastructure deployment proceeds efficiently across their jurisdictions. CTC assists state broadband offices and related agencies in developing comprehensive strategies that support local and Tribal governments in managing increased permitting workloads. This assistance includes helping states identify opportunities to leverage available funding sources to provide permitting support to localities, developing frameworks for coordinating permitting activities across multiple jurisdictions, and creating resources and guidance documents that local and Tribal governments can use to improve their own processes.
CTC also helps state governments establish effective communication channels between service providers and local permitting authorities. By facilitating information sharing about planned deployment activities, states can help ensure that local governments have advance notice of anticipated permit volumes and can plan accordingly. This coordination reduces surprises and allows permitting authorities to make informed decisions about resource allocation and process improvements.
Assisting local and Tribal governments with permitting operations
At the local and Tribal government level, CTC provides direct support to permitting authorities seeking to manage increased application volumes. This support encompasses a range of activities tailored to each client’s specific circumstances and needs.
CTC assists local and Tribal governments in evaluating their existing permitting processes to identify opportunities for improvement. This evaluation examines current workflows, staffing levels, technology systems, and coordination mechanisms to develop a clear picture of existing capabilities and constraints. Based on this assessment, CTC works with clients to develop practical recommendations for process enhancements that can reduce review times while maintaining appropriate oversight.
CTC also provides support for the development of clear, consistent permitting standards and application requirements. Well-defined standards help reduce back-and-forth communication between applicants and reviewers, decrease the number of incomplete applications, and enable more efficient processing. These standards can address common issues such as application completeness requirements, technical specifications for infrastructure installations, and documentation expectations.
For local and Tribal governments experiencing significant backlogs or sustained high volumes of applications, CTC can provide supplemental review capacity. This may include assisting with preliminary application review, coordinating with applicants to resolve deficiencies, or supporting the overall management of the permitting workflow. This type of support can be particularly valuable during peak deployment periods when internal staff resources are stretched.
CTC further assists local and Tribal governments in developing strategies for ongoing communication with service providers operating in their jurisdictions. Establishing regular communication channels allows permitting authorities to gain visibility into planned deployment activities and anticipated permit volumes. This advance information enables more effective resource planning and can help prevent the accumulation of application backlogs.
Enabling effective collaboration
Throughout all of these activities, CTC emphasizes collaborative approaches that recognize the interests of all parties involved in broadband infrastructure deployment. Permitting processes work best when they are designed to efficiently achieve their public interest objectives, without creating unnecessary delays or administrative burdens.
CTC brings experience working with both public sector clients and the service providers that seek permits from them, providing perspective on how to design and implement processes that work effectively for everyone involved. This balanced perspective helps ensure that the strategies and improvements CTC develops with its clients will be sustainable and will facilitate the successful deployment of broadband infrastructure to underserved communities.