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CIVIC HERALD
HR 1681 · 119th Congress · HouseIn committee

Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act

In plain language: Companies looking to install cell towers, fiber-optic lines, and other broadband infrastructure across national forests and public lands often face lengthy permit backlogs. This bill directs federal land agencies to speed up their review of these permit applications by setting target timelines and holding regional offices accountable. The measure is designed to reduce government delays and help expand high-speed internet and cellular coverage to nearby communities.

Provisional: our plain-language summary, pending review.

Provisionalunreviewed: impact, issue tags, provisions, stakeholders, summary
People affected—The operative text directs internal federal agency coordination between the Department of Commerce, BLM, and the Forest Service, without identifying or quantifying specific applicants or populations affected.
Fiscal magnitude—The bill contains no direct appropriation, authorization of appropriations, or specific dollar amount; agency operational costs are not determinable from the text provided.
Reach16provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
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Issues

What this bill touches.

Internet & broadband+20Federal lands & resources−12Pollution & development−10

The sign shows the bill's direction on each issue (+ toward, − away); the number is its magnitude. Color never encodes good or bad, and never party.

Who it affects

Who it helps · who it burdens.

Who it helps

  • Communications facility developers and broadband providersHave their requests for easements, rights-of-way, leases, and licenses on public lands and National Forest System lands prioritized for review under objective agency timelines.provisional

Who it burdens

  • Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and InformationRequired to establish an interagency strike force within 180 days, lead periodic coordination calls, and submit an evaluation report to Congress within 270 days.provisional
  • Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest ServiceMust prioritize the review of permit and lease requests for communications facilities across all regional and field offices, participate in periodic strike force coordination calls, and meet new review timelines and accountability standards.provisional

Dollar-level funding (FEC sector totals) is coming in a later phase.

What it does

The provisions, in plain language.

  1. Requires the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to establish an interagency strike force within 180 days to ensure federal land agencies prioritize reviewing permit and lease applications for broadband and communications facilities on public and national forest lands.

    Sec. 2(a)(1)-(2)provisional

  2. Directs the strike force to set objective timelines for reviewing communications applications, hold regular coordination calls among agency leaders, and monitor local and regional offices to ensure they meet review goals.

    Sec. 2(a)(3)provisional

  3. Requires the Assistant Secretary to submit a report to Congress within 270 days assessing how effectively the strike force has pushed federal land agencies to prioritize communications permit reviews.

    Sec. 2(a)(4)provisional

How your members of Congress line up

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Timeline

How it moved.

  1. Apr 21, 2026Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  2. Apr 20, 2026Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  3. Apr 20, 2026On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 384 - 9 (Roll no. 125). (text: CR H2971-2972)
  4. Apr 20, 2026Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 384 - 9 (Roll no. 125). (text: CR H2971-2972)
  5. Mar 26, 2026Reported by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 119-439, Part II.
  6. Mar 26, 2026Reported by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 119-439, Part II.
  7. Jan 12, 2026Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-439, Part I.
  8. Jan 12, 2026Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-439, Part I.
  9. Apr 9, 2025Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent.
  10. Feb 27, 2025Introduced in House
  11. Feb 27, 2025Introduced in House

The original text

Read it for yourself.

Read the original text →

Sources & provenance

Congress.govrefreshed 9 days ago

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