Sponsor
Craig A. Goldman
Representative · R-TX
Representative · R-TX
The bill speeds deployment of small wireless infrastructure and easement renewals—potentially improving broadband access and lowering costs—but does so by removing many federal environmental and historic reviews and reducing public input, increasing risks to historic sites, the environment, and local community control.
Residents in underserved urban and rural communities stand to get faster broadband and improved wireless service because qualifying small cells and antennas in rights-of-way can be sited more quickly without full NEPA/NHPA review.
Local and state governments, communications providers, and utilities can deploy and renew communications easements on federal property more quickly, reducing project delays and administrative burden for many infrastructure projects.
Providers and project sponsors will likely face lower permitting costs and faster timelines for small wireless deployments, which can reduce project costs and speed commercial rollout.
Residents and communities (including those near historic or sensitive sites) lose environmental and historic-preservation protections because many small cell and antenna projects are exempted from NEPA and NHPA review, increasing the risk of unassessed ecological and cultural harm.
Residents and local communities will have reduced procedural safeguards and public input on many deployments in rights-of-way and federal easements, limiting transparency and community notice about new infrastructure.
Shifting review limits at the federal level can push decisions to state and local governments with uneven capacity, producing inconsistent protections, potential permitting conflicts, and localized delays or litigation.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Exempts defined small or routine communications projects in public rights-of-way and certain easements from NEPA and NHPA review to speed broadband/wireless deployment.
Creates a narrow statutory exemption so many small broadband and wireless infrastructure projects in public rights-of-way — and certain easements on federal property — do not require environmental review under NEPA or historic-preservation review under NHPA. It defines which installations qualify (size, placement, replacement, small-antenna, and modest expansions) and preserves several existing obligations like radiofrequency review and ordinary zoning rules. The change aims to speed deployment of communications facilities by removing two federal procedural hurdles for covered projects while setting specific definitions and limits for what counts as a covered project or covered easement.
Official title: To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide that certain projects for the placement and installation of communications facilities are not subject to requirements to prepare certain environmental or historical preservation reviews, and for other purposes.
Introduced September 10, 2025 by Craig A. Goldman · Last progress September 10, 2025