119-hr2975

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2975 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 2975

 To direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and 
 Information to establish a competitive grant program to assist local 
 governments in providing efficient review and approval of zoning and 
 permitting applications that facilitate the deployment of broadband 
 infrastructure, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 April 21, 2025

Mrs. Fletcher introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and 
 Information to establish a competitive grant program to assist local 
 governments in providing efficient review and approval of zoning and 
 permitting applications that facilitate the deployment of broadband 
 infrastructure, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Broadband Incentives for Communities 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress finds the following:

    (1) Congress provided at least $42,500,000,000 through the 
 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58) for 
 Federal agencies to carry out broadband-support activities, 
 including through competitive grants and other forms of 
 financial assistance, to expand broadband connections to 
 underserved rural communities and underserved low-income 
 communities.

    (2) Local governments play a significant role in the 
 deployment of broadband infrastructure through their zoning and 
 permitting processes.

    (3) Local governments will need additional assistance to 
 manage the expected accelerated pace of zoning and permitting 
 applications that facilitate the deployment of broadband 
 infrastructure in their communities.

    (4) The Federal Government has a critical role to play in 
 encouraging the deployment of broadband infrastructure by local 
 governments.

    (5) The establishment of a competitive grant program to 
 provide resources to, and incentives for, local governments to 
 fulfill their role in expanding broadband access for all is a 
 vital component of a successful broadband deployment policy.

SEC. 3. BROADBAND INCENTIVES FOR COMMUNITIES GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Assistant Secretary shall establish a 
program to make grants on a competitive basis to covered entities to 
assist such entities in providing efficient review and approval of 
covered applications.

    (b) Eligibility.--The Assistant Secretary may only make a grant 
under this section to a covered entity that does the following:

    (1) The covered entity submits to the Assistant Secretary 
 an application at such time, in such form, and accompanied by 
 such information and assurances as the Assistant Secretary may 
 require.

    (2) The covered entity demonstrates readiness for the 
 deployment of broadband infrastructure (including fifth-
 generation wireless communications infrastructure) in the 
 jurisdiction of the covered entity, including through the 
 following:
        (A) Adoption and implementation of efficient 
 processes, which comply with applicable Federal 
 standards and regulations, for reviewing covered 
 applications that facilitate wireless and fiber 
 deployment, including those applications relating to 
 projects that make efficient use of existing 
 infrastructure.
        (B) Adoption and implementation of written 
 policies, ordinances, or guidance that allows the use 
 of expedited processes, such as micro-trenching, for 
 the deployment of broadband infrastructure.
            (C) With respect to fees for the processing of 
 covered applications--
            (i) in the case of a covered application 
 described in subparagraph
        (A) , adoption and 
 implementation of fees that are limited to the 
 actual, objectively reasonable costs incurred 
 by the covered entity to process the 
 application and (if applicable) provide access 
 to the right-of-way to which the application 
 relates; and
            (ii) in the case of any other covered 
 application, adoption and implementation of 
 uniform and objectively reasonable fees, which 
 shall be published in advance of the date on 
 which such fees begin to apply to any such 
 application.
            (c) Use of Funds.--A covered entity that receives a grant under 
this section shall use the grant for one or more of the following:

    (1) Capacity-building for the covered entity to facilitate 
 the processing of covered applications, including employee 
 training and hiring.

    (2) The purchase of technology, software, and equipment to 
 facilitate the processing of covered applications, including in 
 a remote work environment.

SEC. 4. LOCAL BROADBAND ADVISORY COUNCIL.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall establish an 
advisory council, to be known as the ``Local Broadband Advisory 
Council'', to develop solutions to the challenges shared by local 
jurisdictions, covered entities, and infrastructure providers in 
facilitating wireless and broadband deployment, including in unserved 
and underserved communities.

    (b) Membership.--The Council shall be composed of broadband 
deployment stakeholders appointed by the Assistant Secretary, including 
representatives from the broadband industry, infrastructure providers, 
local governments, and covered entities.
            (c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the Council is established 
under subsection

    (a) , the Council shall submit to the Assistant 
Secretary and Congress a report on the solutions developed under such 
subsection.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Assistant Secretary 
such sums as may necessary to carry out this Act.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary'' 
 means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications 
 and Information.

    (2) Broadband infrastructure.--The term ``broadband 
 infrastructure'' means facilities or equipment utilized for the 
 provision of broadband internet access service (as defined in 
 

section 8.1

    (b) of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations).

    (3) Council.--The term ``Council'' means the Local 
 Broadband Advisory Council established under 

section 4.

    (4) Covered application.--The term ``covered application'' 
 means a zoning or permitting application that facilitates the 
 deployment of broadband infrastructure.

    (5) Covered entity.--The term ``covered entity'' means--
        (A) a political subdivision of a State; or
        (B) an Indian Tribe (as defined in 

section 4 of the 
 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act 
 (25 U.S.C. 5304)).

    (6) State.--The term ``State'' means each State of the 
 United States, the District of Columbia, and each commonwealth, 
 territory, or possession of the United States.
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