Department of Transportation: encroachment permits: broadband facilities.

Assembly Member Hoover's proposal to streamline broadband infrastructure permitting would establish new requirements for how the Department of Transportation processes encroachment permits for broadband facilities on state highways. The legislation mandates a standardized, statewide application process with specific timelines for department responses.

Under the bill, the department must notify applicants within 30 days whether their broadband facility permit application is complete. For incomplete applications, the department must provide detailed explanations citing specific unmet criteria, identify required supplemental information, and meet with applicants within 14 days of request to discuss outstanding items. Applicants then have 30 days to provide the additional information, after which the department has 30 days to make a final determination. Applications deemed complete receive automatic approval.

The measure prohibits the department from denying permits for essential broadband equipment like access points, cabinets, conduits and fiber facilities in state rights-of-way. For projects receiving state or federal broadband funding to serve unserved or underserved communities, the department must process permits expeditiously without imposing additional requirements such as undergrounding fiber lines. The bill also requires the department to develop standardized procedures by 2027 for reviewing complete streets facilities proposed by local jurisdictions or transit agencies, with dedicated permit managers in each district overseeing these applications.