Wicker, Cortez Masto Bow Speed Act to Streamline Broadband Deployment Reviews
Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., filed their Streamlining Permitting to Enable Efficient Deployment of Broadband Infrastructure Act (S-1988), as expected (see 1710190059). The Speed bill would aim to accelerate broadband deployments by…
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exempting some projects in public rights-of-way (ROWs) from environmental and historic reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Telecom infrastructure projects in public ROWs would be exempted if previously installed telecom infrastructure in the ROW already underwent NEPA and NHPA reviews. Wireless deployments would be exempted if the project adheres to tower height and guy wire requirements. Small-cell deployments would be exempted if they aren’t being deployed higher than existing structures in the ROW and if the deployment is a replacement for an existing small cell. S-1988 would direct GAO to report how to increase the efficiency of broadband infrastructure deployments on federal land. The legislation also would direct the FCC Streamlining Federal Siting Working Group to report to Congress on its recommendations for accelerating broadband deployments across the U.S. “New advances in telehealth, online education, precision agriculture, and other internet applications demand faster, better broadband connections,” Wicker said. The bill “will go a long way in removing unnecessary and burdensome hurdles to broadband deployment,” said AT&T Executive Vice President-Federal Relations Tim McKone. A more streamlined review process “will greatly help speed the process of bringing critical mobile broadband services to areas still in-need, for the benefit of consumers and the economy,” said Competitive Carriers Association President Steve Berry. “This legislation is especially important for smaller competitive carriers with limited resources and personnel.” S-1988 will “pave the way for significant investment in next-generation 5G wireless,” said CTIA Senior Vice President-Government Affairs Kelly Cole.