Sponsors
The bill aims to speed rural broadband deployment and encourage private investment by streamlining federal permitting, at the cost of added agency work and potential taxpayer expense and risks to environmental protections and other public‑land uses.
Rural residents and broadband providers will receive faster approvals to place broadband on public and National Forest lands, accelerating broadband buildout and supporting private investment and job creation.
State and local governments and broadband providers will have clearer, more predictable permitting rules and identified staffing plans that can reduce review backlogs and speed project reviews.
Public‑land users (recreationists, ranchers) and nearby rural communities could face greater environmental or recreational impacts and delays to other land uses if broadband requests are prioritized or environmental review is relaxed.
Federal land‑management agencies and employees will need to devote time and resources to prepare studies and staffing plans, adding to agency workload without guaranteed immediate construction outcomes.
Taxpayers could face increased costs if implementing staffing plans requires additional federal hiring or reallocation of funds.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires Interior and Agriculture to study and report within one year on barriers and staffing plans to speed broadband land-use authorizations on federal public and National Forest lands.
Introduced September 17, 2025 by Thomas Kean · Last progress March 4, 2026
Requires the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to jointly study and report within one year on barriers and opportunities for timely review of broadband land-use authorizations on Federal public lands and National Forest System lands. The agencies must examine programmatic and administrative hurdles, possible regulatory changes, options to prioritize requests, and include a plan to provide necessary staffing at Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service field, district, regional, and management offices to ensure timely reviews.