Improving Rights-of-Way Management Across Federal Lands: A Roadmap for Greater Broadband Deployment

摘要

Broadband, also known as high-speed Internet access, has the potential to bring new services and products to American consumers and businesses, fostering innovation, investment, and job-producing economic growth. The President has recognized the economic vitality that can result from broadband deployment and has called on our Nation to be aggressive about the expansion of broadband. On March 26, 2004, the President called for a national goal of universal, affordable access to broadband by 2007. A key to widespread broadband deployment is ensuring that broadband providers have timely and cost-effective access to rights-of-way-the legal right to pass through property controlled by another-so that they can build out their networks across the Nation. In the broadband context, rights-of-way include access to the conduits, corridors, trenches, tower sites, undersea routes and other locations that broadband networks occupy. These passageways often cross large areas of land owned or controlled by the Federal Government. Thus, effective and efficient federal rights-of-way policies and practices are critical for promoting broadband deployment.