FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 22, 2024

News Media Contact

NTIA, Office of Public Affairs

WASHINGTON– Today the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) launched a new mapping tool, the NTIA Permitting and Environmental Information Application, 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 application is designed to help federal broadband grant recipients and subgrantees identify and understand the types of permits they will need and plan routes for their broadband deployments. Identifying permit requirements early, initiating pre-application coordination with permitting agencies, and avoiding environmental impacts help drive successful infrastructure projects.

NTIA’s public release of the application supports government wide efforts to improve permitting and explore how online and digital technologies can promote efficient environmental reviews. 

Highlights of the National Broadband Availability Map

• Combines public federal maps from 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, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and other federal sources
• Includes State lands data and Tribal lands boundaries
• Shows various “rights of way” 
• Users can print maps to pdf or ingest data into their GIS systems
• Available on Broadband USA with other permitting resources

A tutorial on how to use the map is available on the NTIA YouTube channel.

In the coming weeks, NTIA will announce additional permitting initiatives to support federal broadband deployment projects.