# 119-s-4561: CLOSE THE GAP Act

119-s-4561, CLOSE THE GAP Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY] (R-WY); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4561
- 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-4561
- Congress: 119
- Title: CLOSE THE GAP Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-05-19
- Sponsor: Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY] (R-WY)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Would streamline and speed federal permitting to get broadband on Federal land faster.** The bill would create uniform, technology‑neutral rules, online portals, and annual cost‑recovery fees to make permit decisions more predictable while preserving core environmental review safeguards. - Families and communities: Could bring internet to unserved places sooner by pushing agencies to use FCC location data and to prioritize communications projects for right‑of‑way use. - Broadband companies and investors: Would provide a single online application portal and require agencies to accept an electronic SF‑299. It would also require public tracking of approvals and denials, allow annual fees tied only to processing and construction oversight costs, and set minimum lease terms of at least 30 years. - Federal land managers and regulators: Would force standardized processes across agencies, create a Federal Land Management Agency Working Group to coordinate reviews, require uniform data collection and a joint report to Congress, and establish a NEPA fast‑track exclusion for certain safety‑focused upgrades to existing facilities.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] (R-WY), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Curtis, John R. [R-UT] (R-UT), 2026-06-09T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Faster federal permits and portals: benefit, medium. If enacted, agencies would have one year to adopt uniform permit rules for communications on Federal land. If enacted, agencies would set up online portals that accept an electronic SF-299 within one year. If enacted, agencies would post application counts and processing times, give written denial…
- Priority for communications construction projects: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would redefine "communications project" as construction at a communications site. If enacted, communications projects could get FAST Act prioritization regardless of total investment amount. If enacted, other types of projects would still need likely investment over $200,000,00…
- Changes to wireless modification rules: cost, medium. If enacted, the bill would remove paragraph (3) from Section 6409(a) of that 2012 law. If enacted, that statutory change would alter the rules that apply to wireless facility owners and applicants. If enacted, the change could make permitting less certain or more costly for owners of wireless facil…
- Faster approvals, fewer environmental reviews: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would bar NEPA review for communications equipment placed on existing infrastructure or on Federal land already studied. If enacted, agencies would not have to reinitiate NEPA consultations for previously analyzed land even if new information arises. If enacted, within 30 days…
- New permit fee accounts for agencies: mixed, low. If enacted, each land agency would get a special Treasury account for fees tied to communications permits. If enacted, fees would be set annually and only cover documented processing and construction oversight costs. If enacted, agencies could collect and spend those fees only to the extent Congres…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-135: Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act of 2025
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act

## Sources
- [119-s-4561 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4561)

## Related
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-135: Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-135)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5025)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-401)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4561 (as of 2026-09-10).