Last week, the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA), which operates under the Department of
Commerce, launched a new mapping tool called the
NTIA Permitting and Environmental Information Application.
The tool can be used to help grant recipients and others
deploying infrastructure identify permit requirements and avoid
potential environmental impacts when connecting a particular
location to high-speed internet service.
The tool is designed to help federal broadband grant recipients
and subgrantees to identify and understand the types of permits
they will need and plan routes for their broadband deployments.
Successful infrastructure projects can be achieved by identifying
permit requirements early on, initiating pre-application
coordination with permitting agencies, and avoiding environmental
impacts.
The National Broadband Availability Map is a part of the NTIA
Permitting and Environmental Information Application. It combines
public federal maps from various sources, such as the Federal
Emergency Management Administration, Environmental Protection
Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
National Park Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Indian
Affairs. It also includes state lands data and Tribal lands
boundaries and shows various “rights of way.” Users can print
maps to PDF or ingest data into their GIS systems. The National
Broadband Availability Map and other
permitting resources are available on Broadband USA.
NTIA’s
YouTube channel has a tutorial on using the map. In the
coming weeks, NTIA will announce additional permitting
initiatives to support federal broadband deployment projects.
Separately, here are key upcoming dates from the
California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC):
