President Trump Signs Orders on Permitting, Regulatory Freeze
NTIA has already been working to streamline permits for programs under the broadband infrastructure law.
Jake Neenan
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2025 – One his first day back in office as president, Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders, including ones directing executive agencies to attempt to streamline federal permitting and pause new policies until appointees are in place.
The permitting order was largely focused on energy projects, but directed a White House council to issue within 30 days new guidance on implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, which governs environmental permitting for federal projects. It applies to the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program.
The heads of several agencies, including the Commerce Department, were directed to “undertake all available efforts to eliminate all delays within their respective permitting processes, including through, but not limited to, the use of general permitting and permit by rule.”
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Commerce agency handling BEAD, has already been working for the last year to streamline federal permitting for the program. The agency adopted categorical exclusions that exempt many projects from the typical NEPA review process and streamlined historical reviews.
The agency has also been working with the Fish and Wildlife Service on slashing timelines for endangered species reviews and is building a screening tool for states—the entities selecting projects under BEAD—and the NTIA to evaluate NEPA compliance.
BEAD projects, aimed at connecting each home and business in the country to adequate broadband, are getting closer to breaking ground after yearslong mapping and planning efforts. Three states have had their final plans approved by the NTIA, with Louisiana expecting shovels to hit the first within the next 100 days. Nearly half of all states have begun fielding grant applications.
Regulatory freeze
Trump also directed that executive agencies not issue new rules or guidance — or send one to the Federal Register—before a Trump-appointee could review it. That doesn’t apply to the Federal Communications Commission, which is an independent agency.
Commerce is an executive agency, and NTIA issues guidance documents covered by the order for BEAD.
The agency has already put out extensive guidance on administering the program, including its provisions for funding satellite and wireless broadband where fiber would be too expensive to ensure universal coverage.
Alan Davidson, the NTIA administrator under Biden, stepped down Monday, and his successor hasn’t been officially named, although it’s reportedly coming soon. The person to fill that position would have to be confirmed by the Senate.
Trump nominated investment firm CEO Howard Lutnick to head the Commerce Department. He has not yet had a confirmation hearing before the Senate.
