# The BROADBAND Leadership Act: Making It Faster to Build Internet Infrastructure

This bill is designed to speed up the process of installing broadband and telecommunications equipment across the country by limiting how long local governments can take to approve these projects. Right now, when a company wants to install cell towers, fiber optic cables, or other internet infrastructure, they have to get permission from state and local authorities, and these approval processes can drag on for months or even years. This bill sets strict deadlines to force faster decisions.

Here's what changes: Local governments would have 90 days to approve or deny requests to place equipment on existing infrastructure (like putting a cell antenna on an existing utility pole), or 150 days for other types of installations. If a local government misses these deadlines without making a decision, the request is automatically approved. The bill also requires that any fees charged for these approvals be reasonable, transparent, and based on actual costs—preventing local governments from using high fees to block projects they don't like. Additionally, if a local government denies a request, they must provide a written explanation with evidence supporting their decision, and companies can take them to court if they believe the denial was unfair.

The practical effect is that broadband companies would face fewer obstacles and delays when expanding internet service to new areas. This could mean faster internet rollout to rural communities and underserved neighborhoods. However, local governments retain some authority to protect public safety, manage public rights-of-way, and ensure service quality, though they must apply these rules equally to all companies. The bill essentially shifts power away from local control toward faster, standardized approval processes at the federal level.

BROADBAND Leadership Act

Griffith, H. Morgan

Barriers and Regulatory Obstacles Avoids Deployment of Broadband Access and Needs Deregulatory Leadership Act or the BROADBAND Leadership Act This bill limits the authority of, and places deadlines on, a state or local government over decisions regarding the placement, construction, and modification of telecommunications service facilities. Specifically, the bill requires that the regulation of the placement, construction, or modification of a telecommunications service facility by any state or local government shall not unreasonably discriminate among providers of functionally equivalent services. Further, any decision to deny a placement, construction, or modification request must be in writing and supported by substantial evidence in a written record. Additionally, a state or local government must grant or deny a complete request for authorization to place, construct, or modify a telecommunications service facility within 90 days of receipt of the request or within 150 days of receipt of a request to take any other action relating to such facility. A state or local government is authorized to charge a reasonable, objective, cost-based fee for (1) review of a request, or (2) use of a right-of-way or a facility in a right-of-way that is owned or managed by the state or local government.