Last week, U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced the SPEED Act of 2017 (Streamlining Permitting to Enable Efficient Deployment of Broadband Infrastructure). The purpose of this legislation is to streamline the deployment of broadband and wireless infrastructure in areas that have already been subject to historical or environmental reviews. According to Sen. Wicker, the SPEED Act “would reduce the barriers to the development of new communications infrastructure in urban and rural communities.”
The SPEED Act calls for the streamlining of the federal permitting processes that currently impede the speed of deployment of new broadband technologies, including environmental and historical reviews. Current federal permitting processes are subject to various environmental and SHPO reviews which often take several months to years to review and complete. Highlights of the Act include:
The SPEED Act is not intended to preempt a state or local government’s authority to enforce any applicable zoning or land use regulations on communications providers and does not apply to tribal lands. Additionally, the FCC must still evaluate radiofrequency exposure guidelines under NEPA.
Commissioner Michael O’Rielly supported the SPEED Act, stating that “this bipartisan effort to ease and accelerate the deployment of broadband technology would put an end to some of the excessive delays industry experiences when siting facilities.” The Commissioner went on to provide, however, that such legislation reaffirms his belief “that preemption is necessary to prevent unnecessary and costly barriers to small cell deployment.”
Please contact one of the telecommunications specialists at Shulman Rogers if you have any questions regarding the SPEED Act.
Georgina L.O. Feigen
301-945-9292
Alan S. Tilles
301-231-0930
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