Your Communications Licensing & Infrastructure Access Agreements Attorney

Helping building owners, developers, and municipalities negotiate fiber, cable, and conduit access agreements on terms that protect their infrastructure and preserve their options.

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Communications Licensing Agreements

Carriers, internet service providers, and cable operators increasingly seek access to multi-tenant buildings, mixed-use developments, commercial complexes, and other private properties through communications licensing agreements to deploy fiber, cable, and wireless services to tenants and residents. These access arrangements, variously structured as license agreements, easements, right-of-entry agreements, or indefeasible right-of-use (IRU) agreements, are long-term commitments that can affect the property owner’s control over their infrastructure, their ability to contract with competing providers, and the value of the property itself. Most property owners sign whatever the provider presents without legal review. That is a significant mistake.

Coastal Tower Law represents building owners, developers, and property managers in the negotiation of communications licensing agreements, right-of-entry agreements, and conduit sharing arrangements with carriers, ISPs, and cable operators. We ensure that access is granted on terms that protect the property owner’s infrastructure, preserve their competitive flexibility, and reflect the fair value of what is being provided.

In-Building Fiber and Cable Access Agreements

When a carrier or ISP seeks access to a building’s riser system, mechanical rooms, or common areas to deploy fiber or cable infrastructure, the access agreement they present is written to serve their interests, not yours. Standard provider-form agreements routinely grant exclusive or quasi-exclusive access rights, limit the property owner’s ability to contract with competing providers, impose minimal compensation, and contain perpetual or automatically renewing terms that are difficult to unwind. We negotiate these agreements from the property owner’s perspective, addressing:

Access rights: defining precisely which areas of the building the provider may access, and under what conditions
Exclusivity provisions: resisting exclusive access grants that foreclose the property owner’s ability to contract with other providers or negotiate competitive terms for tenants
Compensation: where permitted under applicable laws, ensuring that access fees reflect the fair market value of the infrastructure access being provided, including riser space, conduit capacity, and electrical resources
Infrastructure ownership: clarifying who owns the cable and fiber installed within the building, and what happens to it at the end of the agreement
Term and termination: limiting automatic renewal provisions and ensuring the property owner has a meaningful right to terminate the agreement when circumstances change
Removal and restoration obligations: requiring the provider to remove all installed infrastructure and restore affected areas at the end of the agreement at its own cost
Indemnification and insurance: ensuring adequate protection for the property owner against liability arising from the provider’s installation, maintenance, and operations

Communications access agreements are negotiated transactions, and like any negotiated transaction, the terms you accept at the outset define your rights for the life of the agreement. Providers present their standard form agreements as routine, but they are not. We help property owners understand what they are being asked to sign, identify the terms that need to change, and negotiate agreements that reflect the value of the access being provided and protect the owner’s long-term interests in their infrastructure.

Conduit Sharing Agreements

Property owners and municipalities that own underground conduit, whether installed for their own use, as part of a development project, or through a public infrastructure investment, are increasingly approached by carriers, ISPs, and other providers seeking access to that conduit for fiber and cable deployment. Conduit is expensive to install and valuable once in place. A conduit sharing agreement that does not adequately address capacity allocation, maintenance responsibilities, and future expansion rights can undermine the owner’s ability to use their own infrastructure and expose them to significant liability.

We draft and negotiate conduit sharing agreements that address capacity allocation and reserved capacity for the owner’s current and future needs, maintenance and repair obligations including cost-sharing for joint infrastructure, access procedures for installation, maintenance, and emergency work, liability allocation for damage to the conduit system or to third-party cables, term and termination provisions that protect the owner’s long-term infrastructure flexibility, and compensation structures that reflect the value of conduit access in the relevant market.

Who We Represent

Our communications licensing practice serves a range of property owners who share a common situation: they own infrastructure that communications providers want access to, and they need legal representation that understands both the telecommunications regulatory environment and the real estate dynamics at play. Our clients in this area include:

Multi-tenant residential and commercial building owners negotiating fiber or cable access agreements with ISPs and carriers
Commercial and mixed-use developers integrating communications infrastructure access into new development projects
Municipalities and public agencies that own conduit, fiber, or other communications infrastructure and are negotiating shared access arrangements with private providers
Property owners who have already signed access agreements and need help understanding their rights, enforcing their terms, or renegotiating at renewal

Contact Coastal Tower Law before you grant access to your property or conduit system. The terms you agree to at the outset define your rights and your limitations for years to come.