WIA Seeks Hill Passage of Spectrum Pipeline Act, Broadband Permitting Revamp Package

proposes requiring NTIA to identify at least 2,500 MHz of midband spectrum the federal government can reallocate within the next five years (see 2403110066). Congressional GOP leaders are eyeing using a coming budget reconciliation package to address spectrum issues, including reauthorizing the FCC’s mandate (see 2501070069). WIA also urged NTIA to “accelerate” the national spectrum strategy. “We need to move beyond studies and get to solutions that meet industry needs while respecting critical government functions,” it said. WIA urged lawmakers to refile the American Broadband Deployment Act permitting package that the House Commerce Committee approved in 2023 (see 2305240069). The measure, which groups together more than 20 GOP-led connectivity permitting bills, drew unanimous opposition from House Commerce Democrats, and local government groups continued lobbying against the measure last year (see 2409180052). “A consistent permitting framework set at a national level, but flexible enough to accommodate local needs and interests, is the key to sustained success for wireless infrastructure deployment,” WIA said. The group “values and respects the need for local permitting processes; the reforms WIA proposes all build upon that premise, but with safeguards built in where the level of review becomes unpredictable, untimely, disproportionate, or unworkably opaque.”