The Federal Communications Commission and Congress are considering reforms to numerous broadband permitting processes across the country, with the aim of accelerating deployment. Most changes would potentially preempt state and local government rules.
The House Energy Subcommittee on Communications and Technology on Tuesday heard amendments and marked up 28 bills that would streamline broadband permitting, passing several Republican-led measures to rollback regulations.
And the FCC this week has formally kicked off consideration of new measures to reform broadband permitting. That process includes public comments solicited through a notice of inquiry published in September. The agency’s deadline for initial comments passed on Monday, and reply comments are due in mid-December.
Both efforts follow frustrations over the last several years with the broadband infrastructure permitting process, magnified by billions of dollars of federal investment across the states. The Biden administration created a number of federal broadband programs to expand access to high-speed, broadband internet through the former president’s Internet for All initiative, which was created by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.
The article goes on to explain the impact on some proposed changes on state and local role…
Following roll call votes, the subcommittee voted favorably on seven bills, sending them to the full committee for consideration, including one that would set “shot clocks” for permitting, giving state and local agencies 150 days to approve or deny new construction permits, and 90 days to respond to permit applications to modify existing broadband infrastructure. Requests that don’t receive responses within those timeframes would be automatically approved.