WIRELESS Leadership Act

This bill sets national rules to speed up how cities and counties approve cell towers and small wireless equipment. Local governments still control zoning, but they can’t block service or favor one company. They may set clear safety and design rules, as long as those rules are reasonable and don’t stop installations.

It creates firm deadlines to approve or deny requests: 60 or 90 days for small sites, and 90 or 150 days for larger sites, depending on whether they use an existing structure. If the deadline is missed, the request is automatically approved once the company sends a notice. Denials must be in writing and backed by evidence. Cities can’t base decisions on the effects of radio waves if the equipment meets federal limits. Fees are allowed, but they must be neutral, disclosed up front, and based on actual costs. People can challenge a final action in court within 30 days or ask the FCC to review; the FCC must decide in 120 days. An application counts as complete unless the city sends a detailed “missing info” notice within 10 days (small sites) or 30 days (others). Batched applications use the longest timeline in the group, and local moratoria can’t pause the clock. “Small” means each antenna is no larger than 3 cubic feet .

• Who is affected: Wireless companies and state/local governments that handle permit requests for wireless facilities.
• What changes: Non-discrimination rules; clear deadlines with “deemed granted” if missed; written, evidence-based denials; limits on using radio-wave effects as a reason to deny; cost-based, transparent fees; fast court or FCC review; and defined completeness timelines for applications .
• When decisions are due: 60–90 days for small sites; 90–150 days for other sites, with the longest timeline applied to batched requests and no pauses for moratoria .