The Broadband Inventory is a centralized source for published Federal broadband applications, forms, lease agreements, policies and procedures, and process documents from the 14 Federal departments, agencies, and offices that belong to the Broadband Executive Order Working Group, established by the June 14, 2012 Executive Order (E.O.) No. 13616, “Accelerating Broadband Infrastructure Deployment.” The E.O. specifically calls for increased accessibility and usability of Federal broadband documentation to help to promote and facilitate wired and wireless broadband infrastructure deployment on Federal lands, buildings, and rights of way; federally assisted highways; and tribal and individual Indian trust lands, particularly in underserved communities. Although the majority of this documentation is also housed on agency-specific websites, this central document inventory is provided to make these resources easily accessible to wireless providers, public safety, and others who undergo Federal reviews prior to broadband deployment.
The Broadband Inventory below may be filtered by responsible agency, function, and/or resource type to help users find what they are looking for more quickly and efficiently. Below is a general explanation of each “function,” or category of Federal action, for which resources are provided:
- Licensing: Relates to an owner giving permission to an individual or an entity to use real property (e.g., Federal asset) for a specific purpose, such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licensing of telecommunications towers.
- Leasing: Relates to a temporary agreement in which a Federal landlord grants a tenant the right to occupy real property (e.g., Federal land or building) for a specific timeframe, and the tenant agrees to terms and conditions set forth by the landlord.
- Permitting: Relates to Federal authorization or consent to perform certain activities (e.g., construction, maintenance, and/or installation) on Federal property or rights of way,
- Funding: Relates to the issuance of Federal funds to non-Federal recipients for broadband-related projects and the corresponding regulations and compliance requirements attached to those funds.
The “Resource types” category allows you to sort by tools and templates (e.g., checklists, online and software resources, and databases), policies and procedures (e.g., guidance or strategy documents, forms, and processes), or case studies/successes (e.g., best practices).
| Title |
Description |
Function | Resource Type | Responsible Agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section 106 Assistance for Users |
Document repository with guidance and background materials about the Section 106 review. |
Multiple | Tools and Templates | Advisory Council on Historic Preservation |
| Rights of way/Utilities Federal Highway Administration Policy |
Explanation of utility programs, highway rights of way, laws and regulations and additional publications and links on these subjects. |
Permitting | Policies and Procedures | Department of Transportation |
| Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Rural Interstate Corridor Communications Study |
Federal agencies can utilize this Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration report to identify best practices and lessons learned from three different rural communications projects that may help coordinate the broadband deployment process. |
Permitting | Case Studies | Department of Transportation |
| Federal Communications Commission Universal Licensing System |
Federal Communications Commission database of licenses provided to date. This can ensure that applicants verify whether or not their specific license has been applied for previously. |
Licensing | Tools and Templates | Federal Communications Commission |
| Tower Construction Notification System |
Federal Communications Commission notification system for tribal consultations when siting on tribal lands. This systems allows applicants to coordinate with the different stakeholders when deploying assets on tribal lands. It creates a more efficient tribal review process. |
Multiple | Tools and Templates | Federal Communications Commission |
| Federal Communications Commission TOWAIR System (Determines whether registration with the Federal Communications Commission is needed) |
Federal Communications Commission system that alerts the user whether Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issues exist with their attempted placement of a tower near an airport. Assists users in planning the location of broadband assets. |
Licensing | Tools and Templates | Federal Communications Commission |
| Nationwide Programmatic Agreement (Collocation Submission Packet) |
Federal Communications Commission's collocation packet for applicants seeking to erect a new tower. |
Licensing | Policies and Procedures | Federal Communications Commission |
| Federal Communications Commission Environmental Checklist |
Federal Communications Commission's environmental checklist to assist applicants through the steps of completing an environmental review before siting a tower or installing fiber. |
Multiple | Tools and Templates | Federal Communications Commission |
| Nationwide Programmatic Agreements (New Tower Submission Packet) |
Federal Communications Commission's new tower packet for applicants looking to erect a new tower or add an antenna to an existing one. |
Multiple | Policies and Procedures | Federal Communications Commission |
| Bureau of Land Management's Regulations found at 43 CFR 2800 |
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) regulations for Bureau of Land Management lands. |
Permitting | Policies and Procedures | Bureau of Land Management |