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Congressional Daily Record
This section captures a floor statement or debate entry. It mentions legislation such as Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act, committees such as Committee on Energy and Commerce, members such as Rick W. Allen.
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April 20, 2026
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Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextEXPEDITING FEDERAL BROAD-
BAND DEPLOYMENT REVIEWS ACT
Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1681) to require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to establish an interagency strike force to ensure that certain Federal land management agencies, including the organizational units of such agencies, prioritize the review of requests for communications use authorizations, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1681
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Expediting Federal Broadband
Deployment Reviews Act”.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERAGENCY STRIKE FORCE.
(a) Interagency Strike Force.—
(1) Establishment.—Not later than 180 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall
establish an interagency strike force to ensure that each
Federal land management agency, including each organizational
unit of the agency, prioritizes the review of requests for
communications use authorizations.
(2) Members.—The strike force shall be composed of—
(A) the Assistant Secretary;
(B) the head of each Federal land management agency;
(C) a designee of the Secretary of Agriculture, other than
the Chief of the Forest Service; and
(D) a designee of the Secretary of the Interior, other than
the Director of the Bureau of Land Management.
(3) Duties.—The duties of the strike force shall include—
(A) conducting periodic calls between the members of the
strike force to ensure that each Federal land management
agency, including each organizational unit of the agency,
prioritizes the review of requests for communications use
authorizations;
(B) establishing objective and reasonable goals for the
review of requests for communications use authorizations; and
(C) monitoring, and facilitating the accountability of,
each Federal land management agency, including each
organizational unit of the agency, with respect to meeting
such goals.
(4) Report to congress.—Not later than 270 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a
report on the effectiveness of the strike force in ensuring
that each Federal land management agency, including each
organizational unit of the agency, prioritizes the review of
requests for communications use authorizations.
(b) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.—The term
“appropriate congressional committees” means—
(A) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives;
(B) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
Representatives;
(C) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
of the Senate;
(D) the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the
Senate;
(E) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of
Representatives; and
(F) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
of the Senate.
(2) Assistant secretary.—The term “Assistant Secretary”
means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications
and Information.
(3) Communications facility.—The term “communications
facility” has the meaning given the term “communications
facility installation” in section 6409(d) of the Middle
Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C.
1455(d)).
(4) Communications use.—The term “communications use”
means the placement and operation of a communications
facility.
(5) Communications use authorization.—The term
“communications use authorization” means an easement,
right-of-way, lease, license, or other authorization—
(A) provided by a Federal land management agency;
(B) to locate or modify a communications facility on
covered land; and
(C) for the primary purpose of authorizing the occupancy
and use of such land for communications use.
(6) Covered land.—The term “covered land” means—
(A) public lands; and
(B) National Forest System land.
(7) Federal land management agency.—The term “Federal
land management agency” means each of the following:
(A) The Bureau of Land Management.
(B) The Forest Service.
(8) National forest system.—The term “National Forest
System” has the meaning given that term in section 11(a) of
the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of
1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a)).
(9) Organizational unit.—The term “organizational unit”
means—
(A) with respect to the Bureau of Land Management—
(i) a State office;
(ii) a regional office;
(iii) a district office; or
(iv) a field office; and
(B) with respect to the Forest Service—
(i) a regional office;
(ii) a management unit; or
(iii) a ranger district office.
(10) Public lands.—The term “public lands” has the
meaning given that term in section 103 of the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702).
(11) Strike force.—The term “strike force” means the
interagency strike force established under subsection (a)(1).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen) and the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. McClellan) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.
General Leave
Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Georgia?
There was no objection.
Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1681, the Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act, sponsored by Representatives Evans and Craig.
Broadband has become an essential part of everyday life. We need broadband for work, to stay connected with loved ones, and even for healthcare and education. However, too many Americans still lack access to broadband. Thus, Congress has provided billions of dollars to ensure that every American gets connected.
divide. Many unserved communities are near Federal lands, and thus broadband providers must transverse these lands to reach these unserved homes and businesses.
burdensome, particularly when it comes to the permitting process. Providers have testified that this complicated process moves slowly, and they are often left in the dark on the status of their applications. As a result, unserved communities are left without the broadband they need as providers wait for agencies to approve their permits.
We need to reform the broadband permitting process. Not only do we need to streamline how we review permits, we need to ensure the agencies that manage Federal lands prioritize these reviews. H.R. 1681, the Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act, will help ensure this happens.
H.R. 1681 directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to create an interagency strike force that includes the head of each Federal land management agency to ensure that they are prioritizing the review of broadband-permitting applications. In addition to holding periodic calls, the strike force will establish goals for the review of the requests, and monitor and hold each agency accountable for these goals.
Ms. McCLELLAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1681, the Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act, which was introduced by Representatives Craig and Evans.
efficiency is critical to stretching their capital investments as far and to as many homes and businesses as possible. In the course of developing and comparing different ways to carry out a project, providers may determine that the most direct route to lay broadband infrastructure requires traversing lands owned and managed by the Federal Government.
witnesses and hearings about delays and inefficiencies handling permit applications that are pending at the various agencies overseeing Federal lands. While environmental and historic preservation protections will always be of paramount importance to me, we should always strive to ensure that our agencies operate as efficiently as possible.
With H.R. 1681, Congress can ensure agencies dispense with applications to deploy communications infrastructure more quickly, where no additional environmental or historic preservation due diligence is required.
Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA, to establish an interagency strike force that will improve collaboration between NTIA and the agencies and departments responsible for reviewing and approving communications use applications.
obstacles and inefficiencies that have slowed progress in the past and collaborate on solutions to address these barriers going forward. This will ultimately expedite the deployment of
Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Evans) to speak on the bill.
Mr. EVANS of Colorado. Madam Speaker, today I rise in strong support of my bipartisan bill, the Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act. This legislation, which I am proud to lead with my colleague from Minnesota, will help streamline broadband permitting to help deliver fast, reliable internet to the communities that need it most by creating a new system for prioritizing broadband deployment requests on or across Federal land.
directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to establish a strike force to support Federal land management agencies' review of requests to deploy broadband across and through Federal land.
with more than 24 million acres of Federal land, which is about the size of Indiana. Roughly 36 percent of the total acreage of Colorado is Federal land, and it serves countless roles, from conservation and recreation to other activities. These diverse uses also mean that multiple agencies have jurisdiction over these 24 million acres from the National Park Service to the United States Forest Service to the Bureau of Land Management. These agencies often have duplicative or redundant permitting processes which can delay what should be a simple permit.
rural communities are often surrounded by Federal lands which means they face greater difficulty building out infrastructure, including broadband. These are the communities that are often left behind when it comes to critical service such as internet access and easy communication.
It is 2026. Reliable, high-speed internet should not be considered a luxury. It is a necessity. Families, students, and small businesses need to be able to easily access this important service.
safety rely on broadband access to promptly identify and interdict threats in our communities and respond to natural disasters. Without these reliable services, public safety operations are going to be less coordinated, which causes first responders to face delays and disorganization.
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applications within 270 days, but these deadlines are often missed. The U.S. Government Accountability Office recently reported that roughly half of the communications use applications submitted to BLM and the United States Forest Service from 2018 to 2022 either exceeded the 270- day deadline or didn't have enough information to reveal whether the deadline had even been met.
rural areas can take an average of 5 to 10 years to complete. This is completely unacceptable, and it is a complete slap in the face to rural communities that are already underserved.
Congress, not just for broadband but for many other types of permits, such as energy generation and distribution, that rely on broadband.
permitting process. I am proud that it is bipartisan. I am proud that it is common sense. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.
Ms. McCLELLAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 1681, the Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. McClellan) for her support of this important legislation. I, too, urge a “yes” vote on this important bill, H.R. 1681, for immediate approval.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1681.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.