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HR278119th CongressWALLET

BROADBAND Leadership Act

Sponsored By: Representative Griffith, H. Morgan [R-VA-9]

Introduced

Summary

Removes local barriers to broadband deployment and would impose clear, faster rules for how states and cities approve the placement, construction, or modification of telecommunications facilities. It would ban technology-based discrimination and set strict timelines and fee rules to make approvals more predictable.

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  • Providers: Telecom companies would get firm approval clocks. Requests tied to existing support infrastructure must be decided in 90 days and other requests in 150 days, and a missed deadline is treated as approval.
  • State and local governments: States and localities could not adopt rules that discriminate by technology or effectively block service improvements. They may still manage rights-of-way and protect public safety and service quality but must issue written, evidence-backed denials and publish them promptly.
  • Rural areas and oversight: States could require designation as an eligible telecommunications carrier for providers in rural service areas with some exemptions. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) can preempt inconsistent rules and must act on preemption petitions within 120 days, and affected parties have expedited judicial review with challenges due within 30 days.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

5 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Ban on local rules that block service

If enacted, states and localities would not be allowed to have laws that prohibit or effectively prohibit anyone from providing or improving phone or internet service. Governments could not treat telecom facilities differently because of the technology used or the services provided, and must treat like facilities the same way. These rules would apply to placement, construction, and modification of telecom facilities.

Faster permits, fixes, and court review

If enacted, governments would have to approve or deny telecom siting requests quickly: 90 days for requests using existing support infrastructure and 150 days for others. Timelines could only pause in narrow ways (a 30-day initial written incompleteness notice, then a 10-day window after supplements), and if a government does nothing the request would be "deemed granted" after the requester gives written notice. Denials would need to be written, backed by evidence, and released the same day. You would also be able to sue quickly (court challenges tied to final actions or failures must start within 30 days), and the FCC would have a fast preemption process (120 days) to remove conflicting local rules.

Limits on local rights-of-way fees

If enacted, state and local governments could still charge fees to review requests or to use public rights-of-way. But fees would have to be set in advance, be public, and be competitively and technology neutral. Fees could only cover objectively reasonable, actual direct costs like review, processing, and repairs, and must separate one-time and recurring charges and note if telecom infrastructure already existed at the site. Local authority to require compensation would continue only if it follows these cost-based rules.

State power to protect universal service

If enacted, States would keep the ability to impose fair, neutral rules to preserve universal service, protect public safety, keep service quality, and safeguard consumers. Those state rules must be competitively neutral and follow federal standards. The bill would also allow a State to require a carrier to be designated an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier before serving some rural areas, though that requirement would not apply where a rural carrier has a prior exemption that blocks competition or to mobile providers.

Mobile and cable rules left unchanged

If enacted, the bill would not change existing rules that apply to mobile phone companies or cable operators. It would leave the current special protections and statutory rules for commercial mobile service and cable operators in place.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Griffith, H. Morgan [R-VA-9]

VA • R

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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