On Permitting, Delaware's Democratic Governor Gets Praise from Conservative Analyst
Governor is trying to reduce state's permitting backlog.
WASHINGTON, April 21, 2026 — A conservative analyst is praising Delaware’s Democratic governor for backing permitting reform.
Satya Marar, a Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, supported Delaware’s Democratic Gov. Matt Meyer’s new executive order speeding up broadband permits in an April 16 blog post for the Daily Economy.
Marar argued that reducing unnecessary regulation was essential to closing the digital divide and supporting data‑intensive technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles and telemedicine.
“Cutting-edge broadband is vital for the rapid and secure movement of high volumes of data necessary to develop and execute life-changing AI models and applications,” Marar said.
Meyer’s order will clear permit backlogs, establish expedited review for energy projects, and will require state agencies to submit public reports on their progress.
“Governor Meyer’s Permitting Accelerator outlines a bold strategy for expediting some of the most critical projects that will put roofs over heads, lower energy costs, and improve quality of life for communities across our state — which is something that the Senate Democrats would welcome wholeheartedly,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Dave Sokola.
A coalition of broadband trade groups recently pushed for the passage of the American Broadband Deployment Act on April 14, 2026. The bill was first introduced in 2020 and has been re-introduced multiple times. It could come up for a House floor vote this week, according to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.
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