- Procurement and supply chain snarls can slow down BEAD deployments
- Broadband builders should also look out for hidden fees that can rapidly add up
- But strong local relationships can smooth speed bumps
BROADBAND NATION EXPO, WASHINGTON, DC – Procurement, permitting and people. Those are the three Ps to remember if you want to ensure a smooth broadband build, a pair of panelists told attendees at Broadband Nation Expo this week.
Steven Greene, Technical Program Manager at the Utah Broadband Center, said broadband builders often assume they can readily get the supplies they need for their projects. But without a solid procurement plan in place, shortages can quickly become problematic. That’s especially true of upcoming BEAD projects.
“When BEAD comes out and we have thousands of projects all at once, procurement and supply chain are going to be a big deal,” he said.
Greene offered up an anecdote about a Department of Defense project he worked on that encountered a shortage of the fiber that was being installed in the building. The project was delayed several months. In the end, the project turned to Chinese-made fiber, because meeting the deadline was more important than Build America, Buy America regulations. If the team had had a better procurement plan it could have avoided that scenario, Greene noted.
Steve Kristan, Lumos Fiber’s Director of Market Development for the state of Ohio, pointed to permitting as another key hurdle. But according to Kristan, it’s not just the slowness of that process that’s an issue.
“Not only are the costs going up but a lot of times the requirements are somewhat unrealistic,” Kristan said. For example, one city he’s working with currently is looking to charge an extra $6 per foot for inspections on top of their standard permitting fees.
“If you only do 1,000 feet, it’s not a big deal. But if you’re doing a million feet of fiber that adds up,” he explained. He encouraged builders to go out to prospective markets early to discover added costs and factor them into market analysis.
Kristan also said builders should use lidar technology to assess the lay of the land underground rather than relying on municipal records, which are often inaccurate.
And when builders inevitably hit a buried gas or power line, that’s when relationships with the people in local markets will really matter.
“It comes down to human relationships,” he said. “What you want to do is build that relationship with those communities so when you do strike that gas line or electric line…they’ll give you some grace.”
Kristan, who himself serves on a municipal planning and zoning commission, added one of the best ways to build relationships with local officials is to keep them in the loop about broadband projects from the beginning.
“One of the things we really dislike is finding out about a project from someone in the community rather than from the company doing the project. What you want to do is you want to overcommunicate,” he said.
“As a city official, I want to know what’s going on in my community. And that’s critical because if I don’t know, I feel silly or dumb, and we don’t want to make the leaders of the community feel that way.” If they’re in the know, however, “it becomes their project as much as mine,” he concluded.
Stay tuned to Fierce Network for more coverage live from Broadband Nation Expo in Washington DC this week! Catch all our stories from the conference here.