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For today’s city and county managers, the digital divide is no longer a theoretical issue—it’s a daily operational one. High-speed broadband and reliable wireless networks are critical to our education, healthcare, economic growth, and civic engagement systems. Yet, in many neighborhoods across the country, too many residents and small businesses still struggle with limited or unaffordable internet access.

San Antonio’s 2023 Digital Inclusion Survey and Assessment (DISA), conducted in partnership with UTSA and Bexar County, provided a detailed view of local broadband inequities. The study found that approximately 82% of households reported home broadband access—up slightly from 80% in 2019—but disparities remain stark.

As city manager of the seventh-largest city in the United States, I see how this “digital divide” can hold people back—and how local government can help bridge it through smart, collaborative policy, especially around permitting processes.

Why Permitting Matters 

San Antonio has embraced the digital revolution and is working diligently with broadband providers to transform our city and become a community where all residents are connected with access to reliable, high-speed broadband. The momentum the Alamo City has established toward digital advancement has encouraged existing and emerging tech companies to invest in San Antonio through job creation and educational opportunities, inspiring the city’s next generation of innovators.

One of the most important tools we’ve found for improving digital connectivity is our city’s permitting process. Permitting may seem like a technical or bureaucratic step, but in my experience, it’s the foundation on which new broadband, wireless networks, and other infrastructure investments are built.

Municipalities have the power to shape broadband access by setting the tone, structure, and pace of their permitting regimes. Three key insights from San Antonio’s experience:

• Treat permitting as a policy instrument, not just an approval checkpoint.
• Build ongoing relationships with providers; co-design standards and timelines.
• Use data to identify inequities, encourage competition, and direct deployment where it’s needed most.

In broadband deployment, the alignment between permitting, inspection, and restoration standards directly affects the pace of investment. The decisions we make regarding permitting fees, micro trenching, departmental review timelines, and street restoration standards have a direct and significant impact on how quickly San Antonio residents gain access to reliable connectivity and the wide range of resources available online.

A streamlined and transparent permitting system allows providers to invest confidently and deliver projects faster. On the other hand, slow or unclear processes can lead to delays, increased construction costs, and limited healthy competition for connectivity options in neighborhoods. For city leaders, the challenge is to balance speed and flexibility with accountability and infrastructure protection.

Collaborating with Broadband Providers

The most effective permitting systems are not created in isolation—they’re built through collaboration and designed to adapt to changing technologies and construction practices. The San Antonio Public Works Department, in collaboration with the Information and Technology Services Department, assembled a Fiber Deployment Management Team that works closely with broadband providers to ensure that deployment is well managed with the least impact to the community. 

The city recently completed a fiber internet expansion project in collaboration with AT&T, bringing high-speed connectivity to more than 20,000 new residential and business locations across the San Antonio community. This work, valued at $24.6 million from AT&T and nearly $9 million from the city of San Antonio, will help more families connect to education, jobs, and essential services that enhance quality of life.

The city also ensures that residents affected by broadband construction receive ample notice.  In 2015, the city requested that door hangers be used to alert residents and ensure they had a clear way to contact providers should any construction issues arise. Providers in our city responded quickly and, to this day, still follow that notification process.

In addition, our team works diligently to reduce project delays, provide timely updates on permit applications, and identify clear escalation paths for any emergency repairs. These reforms may seem small but have resulted in important steps toward a more connected city.

Balancing Connectivity and City Stewardship

San Antonio’s infrastructure—its roads, sidewalks, and rights-of-way—represents a major public investment. Every fiber trench and construction permit touches those shared assets. While our goal is to enable faster broadband deployment, we must also ensure that installation methods don’t lead to long-term road degradation or excessive repair costs. Permitting is a large part of how we enforce those standards and maintain a balance between progress and preservation.

For example, micro trenching is one of the least disruptive approaches to expanding fiber infrastructure—bringing faster, more reliable internet to the community with minimal impact. Micro trenching can result in:

• Minimized traffic and other construction disruptions.
• Faster and more streamlined deployment.
• Preserved pavement integrity.

That’s why San Antonio continually reviews its micro trenching standards to ensure that any projects are done responsibly and that restoration meets the city’s long-term maintenance needs. This is one way that we can streamline broadband deployment with minimal excavation.

Our team works closely with broadband providers and their contractors from start to finish on projects. This includes pre-construction meetings, ongoing coordination, city inspections to verify compliance with requirements, and, in some cases, accountability measures such as fines to enforce permitting requirements that we deem to be in the best interests of our communities. 

Building Toward a Digital Future for All

Every improvement to our permitting process moves us closer to a city where every household—regardless of zip code—has access to reliable, high-speed broadband. By collaborating closely with private providers and continually refining our policies, San Antonio is demonstrating that cities can accelerate digital inclusion while upholding fiscal and infrastructure responsibility.

The digital divide will not close overnight. It requires collaboration across public, private, and nonprofit sectors, supported by thoughtful local policy. By treating permitting as a strategic partnership rather than a procedural hurdle, cities can turn red tape into real connectivity—and ensure that every resident has the tools to thrive in a digital world.