Leading Cable TV Providers Fear Broadband Deployment Barriers
Comcast, Charter, Cox discuss their concerns with FCC staff
WASHINGTON, August 28, 2025 – As federal regulators continue to streamline their rules, local control in terms of permitting remains a flashpoint in broadband policy debates.
Cable television industry leaders, joining their trade group NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, met with FCC officials Friday to express their concerns about ongoing broadband deployment challenges.
Present for this discussion was Stephanie Power of Comcast Corporation, Christine Sanquist and Jason Koslofsky of Charter Communications, and Barry Ohlson of Cox Enterprises, meeting with staff from the FCC’s Competition Policy Division.
In light of “the cable industry’s substantial investment in broadband infrastructure in recent years, including deployment in rural areas,” NCTA urged the FCC to simplify and streamline its permitting process “to remove obstacles to deployment.”
To make the permitting process faster and less complicated, the NCTA team gave the FCC a number of recommendations. Specifically, they requested “shot clocks” – strict deadlines for governments to approve or deny rights-of-way permits – and a prohibition on moratoriums that some localities impose to temporarily freeze new construction.
More broadly, NCTA requested that the FCC adopt measures “eliminating excessive or burdensome requirements tied to permit approval.”
Member discussion