Brownfields Broadband Deployment Act

This bill speeds up building or upgrading cell towers and other communications equipment on brownfield sites—land that was used for industry and may be polluted—by skipping certain federal reviews. If a project is entirely within a brownfield site, it would not have to go through the usual environmental review (NEPA) or historic preservation review (NHPA) at the federal level. This is meant to make it faster to bring broadband and wireless service to areas with old industrial properties.

Key points:

• Who is affected: Internet and wireless providers working on brownfield sites, and nearby communities that need better service.
• What changes: These projects would no longer be treated as “major federal actions” under NEPA or “undertakings” under NHPA, removing those federal review steps.
• Where it applies: Only to projects entirely within a brownfield site.
• When: Would take effect if enacted into law; the text does not set a separate start date.