Significant Permitting Reform Seen as a Must for BEAD

Because of the expected deluge of permitting applications, broadband needs a streamlined process federally, said Craig Litteken, the Permitting Council's acting director-infrastructure portfolio and project management.

Pointing to the shot clocks that the FCC adopted for wireless deployment, Altice USA Vice President-Federal Affairs Cristina Chou said there have been conversations and advocacy with the agency about similar measures for wireline deployment. “It’s a little tricky,” since the FCC now lacks authority over broadband as a Title I service, she noted.

Fiber Broadband Association Vice President-Public Policy Marissa Mitrovich said there are indications that new BEAD guidance could come from the Commerce Department by the end of the week. For Chou, BEAD streamlining "would be great" if it reduces post-build compliance matters and makes the program more akin to the Capital Projects Fund. She said there’s also a need for consistent rules across various federal broadband programs. Carsi Mitzner, Brightspeed's government affairs and public policy director, said that given the millions the company has spent on BEAD preparation, "we don't want to see that all go down the drain" due to major changes.

The longer the BEAD pause continues, the greater the odds that providers will pivot away from their planned BEAD projects and use money set aside for matches for other projects, said James King, a Millennium solutions engineer. Velox President Jimmy Hall said AI-related work is fortunately driving a lot of business at the same time. BEAD and AI happening simultaneously “is a good problem to have,” he said, adding that smaller providers don't have the same diversification options. BEAD uncertainty has been a constant refrain at the fiber industry event this week (see 2506020047).

Lumen Senior Vice President-Product James Feger said the planned sale of its consumer fiber business to AT&T (see 2505210078) reflects Lumen's “razor-sharp focus” on network architecture for AI. “The AI economy is the future.” Latency and capacity needs between data centers are “astounding; it’s a number you can't fathom," he said. But "the AI future doesn't happen" without fiber.

Hall said that if BEAD is scrapped or greatly rolled back, providers might still deploy parts of those plans themselves, though the unserved or underserved locations on the outskirts might remain so. King said he hopes that, sans BEAD, alternative funding streams would be found to fund the deployments. While fiber in those rural environments is inevitable, it could take years or decades longer without government support, he said.

Asked about mergers, acquisitions and competitive concerns, Justin Suhr, Great Plains Communications' senior director-construction and engineering, said deals like T-Mobile/Metronet don't worry him. Larger operators move slower, “and we can deploy fast,” he said. “The only thing that holds us up is permits." Corning Director-Market Development Joe Jensen said the company's overbuilder customers often are deliberately challenging large incumbents, with the competitive niche being better-quality service.

BEAD’s delays carry a “cost of missed opportunity,” said Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition Executive Director Joey Wender. Further holdups are “unacceptable.” With 100,000 K-12 schools in the U.S. participating in the USF’s E-rate program, threats to USF -- such as questions about its constitutionality currently before the U.S. Supreme Court -- could have a profound effect on students, he said. Calls by some in Congress to fund USF with annual appropriations are “an effort to starve the program," since "there’s nothing predictable or sustainable” about congressional appropriations. The AI and quantum future necessitate fast internet and fiber at anchor institutions, he added.