Proportional Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act
Proportional Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act would amend the 2012 law governing "eligible facilities requests" for wireless siting (under Section 6409(a)) to remove federal environmental and historic-preservation review requirements. Specifically, it states that an eligible facilities request may not be treated as a major federal action under NEPA, and may not be considered an undertaking under the National Historic Preservation Act. The bill also broadens the definition of “Federal authorization” to include any federal permit, authorization, certification, opinion, or other approval needed for such a request. The overall effect is to further streamline federal oversight of small-cell and related wireless deployments, potentially speeding infrastructure siting by eliminating certain federal review steps. Introduced in the House (March 24, 2025) as H.R. 2289 by Rep. Carter of Georgia, the bill is directed at accelerating broadband deployment by reducing federal environmental and historic-preservation review obligations for eligible facilities requests. It would apply to the federal actions tied to those requests and is referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the Committee on Natural Resources.
Key Points
- 1NEPA exemption: An eligible facilities request may not be considered a major Federal action under NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)).
- 2NHPA exemption: An eligible facilities request may not be considered an undertaking under the National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300320).
- 3Expanded federal authorization: The bill defines "Federal authorization" to include any federal permit, special use authorization, certification, opinion, or other approval required for an eligible facilities request.
- 4Scope of application: The changes apply specifically to eligible facilities requests under Section 6409(a) of the 2012 Act, which governs streamlined approvals for colocating wireless facilities on existing structures.
- 5Purpose and effect: The intended effect is to expedite wireless deployment by removing certain federal environmental and historic-preservation review steps, potentially at the expense of those review protections.