Benton: Local Governments Crucial in Preventing BEAD Bottlenecks

WASHINGTON, September 5, 2024 – With billions of federal dollars earmarked to expand high-speed internet access across the country, local officials could get inundated with permitting requests, perhaps causing a bottleneck that slows the deployment of broadband infrastructure.

Before laying fiber or erecting new wireless towers, broadband Internet providers first need to navigate a maze of local, state, and federal permitting processes that threaten to slow progress.

With broadband infrastructure funding at an all-time high, a new strategic paper from the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society released Wednesday highlighted the vital role local governments play in managing this surge of broadband infrastructure projects.