# 2026-16196: FCC to States: Stop Blocking High-Speed Internet Builds 2026-16196, Build America: Eliminating Barriers to Wireline Deployments, is a Federal Register proposed rule from Federal Communications Commission published 2026-08-07, effective 2026-09-21; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-14). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16196 - As of: 2026-08-14 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2026-16196 - Title: Build America: Eliminating Barriers to Wireline Deployments - Type: Proposed Rule - Agencies: Federal Communications Commission - Citation: 91 FR 51121 - Published: 2026-08-07 - Effective: 2026-09-21 - Comments close: 2026-09-21 - Significant: no - Touches household money: yes - Regulation identifier numbers: none - Last updated: 2026-08-14 ## In one line FCC to States: Stop Blocking High-Speed Internet Builds ## Summary In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) proposes and seeks comment on rules that would eliminate state and local requirements that constrain the deployment of modern high-speed wireline infrastructure in violation of section 253 of the Communications Act (Act), particularly through the imposition of excessive delays and fees that impede infrastructure deployments and disincentivize investments in them. Based on the record resulting from a Notice of Inquiry that identified numerous challenges providers face in offering telecommunications services and deploying wireline infrastructure (2025 Notice of Inquiry), this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks comment on codifying rules that would: establish a rebuttable presumption that state and local governments have effectively prohibited the provision of wireline telecommunications services if they fail to process all authorizations for use of public rights-of-way to provide wireline telecommunications services or to deploy wireline telecommunications infrastructure within 120 days; limit the fees that state and local governments may charge for a wireline telecommunications authorization to a reasonable approximation of the government's actual, direct costs of managing the rights-of-way with respect to that authorization and establish safe harbor fee levels that presumptively comport with that standard; require that the value of in-kind compensation demanded by state and local governments count toward any safe harbor fee levels adopted by the Commission; and prohibit state and local governments from imposing additional requirements on wireline telecommunications infrastructure deployments on the grounds that the infrastructure may be used to provide other services. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking also seeks comment on the Commission's authority to enact these proposals. ## Effects PRIA read - 120‑Day Deadline to Approve Wireline Permits: benefit, high. The FCC proposes that if a state or local government does not act on all authorizations needed to use public rights-of-way for wireline telecom within 120 days, that delay would be presumed to effectively prohibit service under Section 253(a). The 120‑day clock would start when a provider submits a… - Caps and Safe Harbor for Right‑of‑Way Fees: benefit, medium. The FCC proposes to limit the fees state and local governments may charge for wireline authorizations to a reasonable approximation of the government's actual, direct costs of managing the rights-of-way and to set safe harbor fee levels that presumptively meet that test. The proposal would also req… - Ban on Extra Conditions Based on Other Services: benefit, medium. The FCC proposes to bar state and local governments from imposing additional requirements on wireline infrastructure deployments on the ground that the infrastructure may be used to provide other services. This would prevent governments from layering extra conditions solely because equipment could… - Enforcement Via Section 253(d) Petitions; No 'Deemed Granted' Remedy: mixed, medium. The FCC seeks comment on enforcing the 120‑day standard by allowing providers to petition the Commission for preemption under Section 253(d) if a jurisdiction's procedures exceed 120 days. The FCC tentatively declines to adopt an immediate 'deemed granted' remedy and asks whether other injunctive r… ## Related documents - [2026-20591](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20591): Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission Under Delegated Authority, 2026-10-08 - [2026-20590](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20590): Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission, 2026-10-08 - [2026-20676](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20676): Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission Under Delegated Authority, 2026-10-08 - [2026-20607](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20607): Information Collections Being Submitted for Review and Approval to Office of Management and Budget, 2026-10-08 - [2026-20681](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20681): Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to Office of Management and Budget, 2026-10-08 - [2026-20486](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20486): Information Collections Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission, 2026-10-06 ## Sources - [2026-16196 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/07/2026-16196/build-america-eliminating-barriers-to-wireline-deployments) - [2026-16196 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-07/pdf/2026-16196.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2026-16157, Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16157) - [Next: 2026-16197, Protecting Against National Security Threats to the Communications Supply Chain…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16197) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16196 (as of 2026-08-14).