Heller, Manchin File Rural Broadband Deployment Streamlining Act
Sens. Dean Heller, R-Nev., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., bowed their Rural Broadband Deployment Streamlining Act Thursday with the aim of streamlining the Department of Interior and U.S. Forest Service approval processes for applications for broadband deployment rights of way (ROW)…
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on federal property. The bill would set a 270-day clock for Interior and USFS to respond to all broadband easement and ROW applications. Any application the agencies didn't act on by that deadline would be deemed approved, and when the agencies deny an application they must notify the applicant of the reasons, Heller's office said. The bill also requires Interior and USFS to establish regulations for the applications process that reflect a “streamlined, consistent, and standardized process for application review,” Heller's office said. The legislation would direct the GAO to examine the accuracy of the National Broadband Map, determine whether the existing data is accurate and the extent to which the data affects rural broadband deployment grant awards. CTIA believes the bill would "accelerate deployment of next-generation 5G networks which will grow our economy by $500 billion, generate $275 billion in investment from the wireless industry, create 3 million new jobs and result in $160 billion in savings for local communities,” said Senior Vice President-Government Affairs Kelly Cole in a statement.