Johnny Kampis: Shot Clock Reforms Will Help Close Digital Divide
Reducing regulatory burdens will be key to ensuring the speedy and efficient growth of broadband.
Johnny Kampis

Broadband advocates are proposing reforms on regulatory “shot clocks” that could help speed up high-speed internet infrastructure deployment.
The Wireless Infrastructure Association, in a roadmap for the incoming Trump administration, urges Congress to pass the American Broadband Deployment Act, a bill that would codify several major permitting reforms enacted by the Federal Communications Commission. This includes reforming shot clocks, or the time a government body must act on permit applications into “deemed granted” relief. That means if the government doesn’t act in time, the permit is automatically approved.
“This maintains a role for municipalities but gives them a deadline and provides industry with certainty, resulting in quicker connectivity for communities,” WIA wrote.
The act, introduced by Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., in May 2023, was placed on the Union Calendar that October but there has been no further movement. Despite that legislation remaining at a standstill, advocates are pushing for similar reforms around the country.
The Mountain States Policy Center, a free market think tank that examines issues in the Pacific Northwest, suggests the same shot clock process for terrestrial broadband in a recent op-ed. This would prevent the local bureaucracy from delaying broadband projects.
“By ensuring that applications are either approved or denied within a defined time
frame, it fosters an environment where the private sector can move quickly to deploy the necessary infrastructure to provide high-speed internet to underserved areas,” writes MSPC, which covers Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. “Additionally, by providing a clear and enforceable timeline, telecommunications companies will have the confidence to invest in broadband expansion projects without fear of prolonged delays or shifting local regulations.”
In their current forms, most shot clock rules (such as the FCC’s Wireless Infrastructure Siting Regulations), do not default to approval if action is not taken in time. Instead, the matter could end up in courts to hash out the issue.
MSPC said success in such a shot clock approach in its region could serves as a
blueprint for other parts of the U.S.
“With substantial federal funds allocated for broadband expansion, policymakers have the opportunity to implement solutions that are both efficient and market-friendly,” MSPC wrote. “In the long term, the private sector, armed with clear rules and less regulatory interference, will be able to deliver the connectivity that the region needs to compete in the modern economy.”
Reducing regulatory burdens will be key to ensuring the speedy and efficient growth of broadband under the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. In a sign that reducing red tape is a bipartisan issue, the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society recently published a paper calling for greater efficiency in government permitting processes as the National Telecommunications and Information Administration begins handing out BEAD money to the states.
“Such extensive broadband construction will require extensive construction permitting, and construction permitting often happens at the local level. Thus, the historic effort to close the digital divide will ultimately flow through the permitting offices of our local governments,” Drew Garner, policy engagement director at Benton, said in a press release.
Benton recommended in its paper that local governments could prepare for the plethora of upcoming broadband projects by fostering proactive communications between internet providers and permitting authorities and monitoring the permitting processes to ensure consistency and transparency.
Smart regulatory reforms will better enable BEAD to connect all Americans with high-speed internet. Better shot clock practices will keep broadband growth in the fast lane.
Johnny Kampis is director of telecom policy for the Taxpayers Protection Alliance. This piece is exclusive to Broadband Breakfast.
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