GOP overhaul of broadband licensing law: Cities hate it, cable companies love it

U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (RN.C.), subcommittee chairman, defended the bills during today’s hearing. “These reforms will add much-needed certainty, predictability and accountability to the broadband licensing process and help accelerate deployment,” he said.

Cable lobby group NCTA called the hearing “important progress” toward “removing regulatory barriers that slow deployment in unserved areas.” Another cable lobby group, America’s Communications Association, said the reform laws will “remove red tape and allow broadband, cable and telecommunications providers to devote resources to upgrading and expanding their networks and services, especially in rural areas.”

$42 billion in program delays

Much of the debate focused on a $42 billion federal program created in a law of November 2021 to subsidize the deployment of broadband in areas without modern access. The Trump administration has rejected a Biden-era plan for distributing Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program funds, forcing state governments rewrite their plans and save costswhich postpones the start of the projects. No money has been distributed yet, even though the Trump administration said so today approved the rewritten plans from 18 states and territories.

Hudson claimed that BEAD suffered from “four years of delays caused by the Biden-Harris administration,” even though the Biden administration had about three years to set up the program. Hudson said “allowing reforms is essential” to prevent the money from “getting stuck in further unnecessary revisions and bureaucratic delays.”

The bills set different deadlines for different types of networking projects, ranging from 60 days Unpleasant 150 days. One invoice to demand that permit fees for BEAD construction projects should be based on the local government’s “actual and direct costs.” Another one provides that certain environmental and historic preservation assessments are not required when removing equipment subject to a Law 2019 on foreign technology that is considered a security risk.

Rep. Doris Matsui (D-California), the subcommittee’s top Democrat, said at the hearing that she will not “support proposals that force local governments to meet tight deadlines without additional staff or funding.” She said that when the “shot clock” specified in the legislation expires, the project will be automatically approved. That may sound like a way to speed things up, but in reality it takes away community input, leads to mistakes and adds more delays to the road. If we want faster assessments, we need to provide more help to local communities, not take away their voice.”