The White House is working to remove barriers to the installation of broadband infrastructure on federal properties and US highways to speed deployment to underserved areas of the United States.
The federal government owns about 30 percent of all land in the nation, including 10,000 buildings nationwide that can be used to house broadband infrastructure,and the White House argues expanding it could help drive economic growth.
Last year President Obama signed an executive order to make broadband construction projects along federal roadways and properties cheaper and more efficient, and the White House recently announced new tools and resources to help make it easier for companies to build out high-speed Internet, particularly in underserved communities, as well as the release of a progress report on implementation of the EO.
Tools include an interactive map – built with publicly available raw data provided by agencies, or "open data" – that allows carriers and communities to view and identify opportunities to leverage federal properties for the deployment of high-speed Internet networks, such as federal rooftops where commercial antennas can be placed.
A "dig once" guide includes best practices and policies to help carriers time their broadband deployment activities, and a broadband inventory toolkit can serve as a one-stop shop for companies to access permitting forms, lease agreements, and other federal broadband application documents from various agencies, the White House said.
