# 119-s-323: PLAN for Broadband Act

119-s-323, PLAN for Broadband Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] (R-MS); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-323
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-323
- Congress: 119
- Title: PLAN for Broadband Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-01-29
- Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] (R-MS)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**A national strategy to synchronize federal broadband programs** is required, directing NTIA to coordinate funding, streamline permitting on federal land, and tighten program reporting while lowering the NEPA review threshold to $5 million for broadband projects. - Families and households: Aims to expand high-speed, affordable service by reducing duplicate funding and using the Deployment Locations Map to target unserved locations. - Federal agencies and permit applicants: Requires agencies to identify delay causes, alert staff when a 270-day review is at risk, and coordinate common permitting policies to speed projects on federal property. - Tribal, state, and local program managers: Forces clearer roles, shared data, fraud-prevention steps, and a plan to set a maximum per-location subsidy for certain programs while allowing consideration for high-cost and Tribal areas. *Includes GAO study, periodic briefings, and reporting requirements to track progress and accountability while preserving existing FCC authority over broadband internet access service.*

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), 2025-01-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2025-01-29T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Agency reports on deployment data: benefit, low. If enacted, each covered agency would have to report to the Assistant Secretary and Congress within 60 days after enactment about steps taken since May 15, 2023 to submit data to the Deployment Locations Map. Each report would say how complete and timely the agency's data submissions are and list o…
- GAO study of broadband coordination: benefit, low. If enacted, the Government Accountability Office would study the Strategy and Implementation Plan not later than 1 year after the Plan is submitted. The GAO study would look at how well federal programs are coordinated, check performance goals, and identify awards made in areas already served or aw…
- Faster permit tracking and reports: benefit, low. If enacted, agencies that process certain communications permit applications would have to improve their processing-time tracking and data quality. Agencies would analyze delay factors as they occur, send an annual report on delays to relevant Congressional committees, and implement a method to ale…
- NEPA threshold for broadband projects: cost, low. If enacted, the bill would set a $5,000,000 investment threshold so that any broadband construction project subject to NEPA and likely to cost more than $5 million would meet the NEPA project-cost trigger. This would apply to federal, state, local, Tribal, and private sponsors seeking permits or fu…
- National broadband coordination plan: mixed, medium. If enacted, the Assistant Secretary would have to deliver a National Strategy to Synchronize Federal Broadband Programs within 1 year. The Strategy would list federal and relevant state, local, and Tribal broadband programs, set roles and performance measures, and recommend a maximum subsidy per si…
- No government broadband regulation power: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would state that nothing in the Act grants federal, state, local, or Tribal governments authority to regulate broadband internet access service. The provision would preserve current limits on who can make rules about broadband service.

## Related bills

- 119-s-2296: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-4784: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027
- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-3940: Access to Fair Financing for Opportunity and Resilient Development Act
- 119-s-1552: Living Donor Protection Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-323 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/323)

## Related
- [119-s-2296: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2296)
- [119-s-4784: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4784)
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3597)
- [119-s-3940: Access to Fair Financing for Opportunity and Resilient Development Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3940)
- [119-s-1552: Living Donor Protection Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1552)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-323 (as of 2026-09-10).