Brownfields Broadband Deployment Act

The Brownfields Broadband Deployment Act would narrow the regulatory process for a specific type of broadband project. If a project to deploy or modify a communications facility is carried out entirely within a brownfield site and requires a permit or other approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the project would not trigger NEPA’s requirement to assess major federal actions or NHPA’s—National Historic Preservation Act—historic-preservation review. In short, those FCC-backed projects on brownfield sites would be exempt from the typical environmental impact statements and certain historic-preservation procedures, potentially speeding deployment. The exemption relies on existing definitions of “brownfield site” (lands contaminated or suspected to be contaminated) and “communications facility” (as used in a 2012 law streamlining certain wireless installations). The bill’s effect is limited to projects under FCC jurisdiction and would not blanketly remove environmental or historic-preservation reviews for all federal actions.