AFAIK, the 2 primary ways to get access to ROW for most of the US is a Franchise agreement and/or CLEC certification. This gets you into the Utility ROW Easements without issues. Many properties have ROW Utility easements.
If you plan to do Video, you might as well do the CATV franchise agreement. This typically gets you into the Utility ROW easements and easements set aside for the city. Some states have allowed broadband providers to use utility easements. Unless you are prepared to spend a minimum of $250k for video, I recommend you run away. Dish just launch phase 1 of their internet video offering. More channels will follow. I don't think you'll ever make your money back here, unless you plan to be at 5k subs.
