NTIA

Roth: New Permitting Tool Will Fast-Track Nearly All BEAD Projects

NTIA administrator projects up to 95 percent of projects will bypass environmental reviews.

Naomi Jindra

Sep 29, 2025 — 1 min read

Photo of NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth speaking with Mike O'Rielly, Principal at MPORielly Consulting, at the SCTE TechExpo25 on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2025 — Federal officials are betting that a new permitting tool will fast-track 95 percent of projects funded through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program.

“We introduced a new permanent tool called the Environmental Screening and Permitting Tracking Tool,” Arielle Roth, the administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, said during remarks Monday at the 2025 SCTE TechExpo in Washington.

“The idea was to create a one-stop shop – an automated process for companies to answer a series of questions, with the tool then able to issue a categorical exclusion, to reduce delays in processing,” Roth said. “We anticipate that 95 percent of BEAD projects will qualify for an exclusion under this tool.”

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NTIA Arielle Roth Mike O'Rielly FCC SCTE

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