This site provides information for project applicants about the different federal agencies' rights-of-way processes and contacts. Our goal is to improve access to information about obtaining rights-of-way for projects over federal land or property otherwise controlled by the federal government.

On March 26, 2004, President Bush established a bold new vision for broadband in America, establishing a national goal for universal and affordable access to broadband by 2007. On April 26, 2004, the President confirmed this goal by signing an executive memorandum directing federal agencies to implement the recommendations of a Federal Rights-of-Way Working Group to improve rights-of-way management across federal lands to promote the deployment of broadband.

The Federal Rights-of-Way Working Group was formed in June 2002, by the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and includes representatives from most of the major federal agencies with land management responsibilities. The Working Group focused on the development of rights-of-way policies to encourage broadband deployment throughout all the regions of the nation. To promote and encourage the build-out of broadband networks, NTIA has been working with the communications industry, federal agencies, and other stakeholders in an effort to streamline and simplify rights-of-way processes and procedures at the federal, state, and local level.

The Working Group recommended, among other things, the creation of a website as a central information source that directs visitors to all the primary federal agencies with authority to grant rights-of-way on federal land. While the website focuses on rights-of-way for telecommunications projects, in the future it could be integrated into a comprehensive resource for projects of all types requiring access to federal lands.

Federal Rights of Way Application Guide will help you in identifing relevant agency(ies) according to project type or location, contacting relevant agency(ies) to set up a pre-application meeting, and completing the SF-299 application form with any additional requested information and applicable fees, to relevant agency(ies).