Scott Casey: Construction Hurdles Threatening Broadband's Future

Expanding broadband access has become a cornerstone of federal and state infrastructure efforts. As the digital economy becomes increasingly central to daily life and business operations, high-speed internet is essential. It enables businesses to operate efficiently, tap into global markets, and drive innovation.

Although all three national wireless carriers, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, are expanding their fiber investments in various ways, construction remains a bottleneck threatening progress. For telecom companies, construction is no longer a routine step in the process. It has emerged as an obstacle, often creating complications. Slow-moving permitting processes, procurement delays, material shortages, and complex regulatory requirements are no longer isolated hiccups, they’re systemic impediments. These logistical challenges are often compounded by legal disputes, poor communication, and even community opposition, threatening the ability to make meaningful progress in expanding broadband infrastructure.

Better planning and documentation can streamline deployment

The average broadband project in the U.S. ranges from six months to six years, depending on the project size and location. Despite BEAD’s lofty goals, permitting and construction remain the most significant hurdles for effective broadband deployment. Without addressing persistent construction challenges, both technical and social, broadband projects will continue to face unnecessary delays. Combatting this challenge starts with increasing productivity around fiber network engineering and deployment. This includes generating more effective construction documentation, from permitting applications to accurate bills of materials (BOMs).

Efficient project execution begins with streamlining planning and design processes. Permitting requirements for broadband infrastructure are complex and cumbersome. In some cases, organizations must collaborate with up to 20 different agencies to obtain the necessary approvals to commence work. One error on a permit application, multiplied by several applications, can equate to months of delays. Streamlining this process can be the difference between months of costly delays and swift project deployment.

Construction documentation is another source of delays that can be avoided through better planning and improved communication between engineering, procurement, and construction teams. Well-organized and precise documents not only enhance clarity for field crews but also ensure that project specifications are understood and implemented accurately from the outset. Fiber network builds require thousands of parts, spanning a variety of materials. Producing an accurate BOM, which outlines the exact equipment, parts, and quantities required for a given project, is critical to avoiding delays from procurement to breaking ground. This helps reduce material shortages, avoid procurement delays, and minimize unnecessary trips to the field, all of which contribute to faster deployment and reduced costs. Additionally, it can significantly cut down on rework during construction, a major source of inefficiency and expense.

Community engagement and clear communication Are Critical to Success

Poor communication between stakeholders and insufficient engagement with residents can stall projects that are otherwise well-funded and precisely planned. Across the country, broadband deployment projects have been stopped due to a lack of communication and overall community coordination. This single legal action delays internet access for thousands of people who have long awaited a connection to the digital world.

These construction-related delays have serious implications, especially for rural and underserved urban areas. While expanding broadband promises to unlock economic opportunity and social inclusion, every setback pushes digital equity further out of reach.

Such disruptions highlight the need to view broadband expansion as more than an engineering challenge. It is also a communication problem. Simply being "shovel-ready" is not enough. If policymakers, local leaders, and telecom companies fail to build public trust and streamline issues, the broader mission of digital inclusion will remain unfulfilled.

Moving forward, a shift in approach is essential. Policymakers must collaborate with private sector stakeholders to develop more transparent permitting processes, eliminate redundant regulations, and ensure that materials and equipment can be sourced efficiently. Proactive community engagement is also important. Residents need to understand the benefits of broadband, and companies must listen to local concerns before breaking ground.

Bridging the digital divide means removing the roadblocks in the construction process. Policymakers and industry leaders must reframe construction as not just a technical hurdle but a communications and governance challenge. It requires recognizing that every permit, piece of material and conversation matters. Only then can the promise of a connected nation become a reality.

Scott Casey has over two decades of experience developing and implementing geospatial solutions for the telecommunications industry. As Vice President of Telecom for SBS, he oversees customer engagements and market strategies focusing on fixed and wireless broadband. Scott held leadership roles at Smallworld, GE, IQGeo, and Cyclomedia.

Broadband Breakfast accepts commentary from informed observers of the broadband scene. Please send pieces to commentary@breakfast.media. The views expressed in Expert Opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of Broadband Breakfast and Breakfast Media LLC.