Sponsor
Russell Fry
Representative · R-SC
Representative · R-SC
The bill speeds removal of communications equipment deemed insecure—improving security and lowering industry costs—but does so by waiving environmental and historic reviews, reducing public and local oversight and risking local environmental, cultural, and fiscal impacts.
Federal agencies, telecom providers, and network operators can replace communications equipment designated as insecure more quickly, cutting project delays and speeding deployment of safer infrastructure.
Telecom providers and network operators face lower compliance costs and administrative burdens when removing banned equipment, enabling faster upgrades and reducing industry costs.
The public and national-security stakeholders may gain stronger protections sooner because accelerating removals reduces the time insecure equipment remains in U.S. communications networks.
Residents and local communities lose opportunities for environmental and historic review and public input on replacement projects, reducing transparency and local participation.
Environmental, cultural, or historic harms from construction and equipment removal could go unaddressed because NEPA/NHPA reviews are waived, risking damage to sensitive sites and ecosystems.
State, tribal, and local governments would have reduced ability to condition or influence federal permits for replacement work, shifting mitigation burdens and costs to local authorities and taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Exempts federal approvals for replacing covered communications equipment with non-covered alternatives from NEPA and NHPA procedural reviews.
Official title: To provide that a project to remove and replace communications equipment or services listed under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 is not subject to requirements to prepare certain environmental or historical preservation reviews.
Introduced September 15, 2025 by Russell Fry · Last progress September 15, 2025
Prohibits applying NEPA and the National Historic Preservation Act to federal approvals for projects that permanently remove covered communications equipment or services (as defined in the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019) and replace them with non-covered equipment or services. The bill defines covered projects and federal authorizations and clarifies that such replacement projects are not "major Federal actions" under NEPA and not "undertakings" under NHPA, exempting them from those procedural review requirements.