119-hr5311

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5311 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 5311

 To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to preserve cable franchising 
 authority, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 September 11, 2025

Ms. Fedorchak introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to preserve cable franchising 
 authority, 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 ``Connecting And Building Lines for 
Expedited Expansion Act'' or the ``CABLE Expansion Act''.

SEC. 2. REQUEST REGARDING PLACEMENT, CONSTRUCTION, OR MODIFICATION OF 
 CERTAIN FACILITIES.

 

Section 624 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 544) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (j) Request Regarding Placement, Construction, or Modification of 
Certain Facilities.--
 ``

    (1) No affect on authority of franchising authority.--
 Except as provided in paragraph

    (2) , and notwithstanding any 
 other provision of this section, nothing in this title shall 
 limit or affect the authority of a franchising authority over 
 decisions regarding the placement, construction, and 
 modification of a covered facility within the jurisdiction of 
 such franchising authority.
 ``

    (2) Limitations.--
 ``
        (A) Ability to provide or enhance cable 
 service.--The regulation of the placement, 
 construction, or modification of a covered facility by 
 a franchising authority shall not prohibit or have the 
 effect of prohibiting the ability of a cable operator 
 to provide cable service, or enhance cable service 
 provided, under a franchise granted by such franchising 
 authority.
 ``
        (B) Timing of decisions on requests for 
 authorizations to place, construct, or modify 
 facility.--
 ``
            (i) Request for authorization to place, 
 construct, or modify facility.--
 ``
            (I) Timeframe.--A franchising 
 authority shall approve or deny a 
 complete request for authorization to 
 place, construct, or modify a covered 
 facility not later than--
 ``

    (aa) if the request is 
 for authorization to place, 
 construct, or modify a covered 
 facility in or on an eligible 
 support infrastructure, 90 days 
 after the date on which the 
 franchising authority receives 
 the request; and
 ``

    (bb) if the request is 
 not for authorization to place, 
 construct modify a covered 
 facility in or on an eligible 
 support infrastructure, 150 
 days after the date on which 
 franchising authority receives 
 the request.
 ``
            (II) Applicability.--
 Notwithstanding any provision of this 
 title, the applicable timeframe under 
 subparagraph
        (A) shall apply 
 collectively to all proceedings 
 required by a franchising authority for 
 the approval of the request.
 ``
            (III) No tolling.--A timeframe 
 under subparagraph
        (A) may not be 
 tolled by any moratorium, whether 
 express or de facto, imposed by a 
 franchising authority on the 
 consideration of any request for 
 authorization to place, construct, or 
 modify a facility for the provision of 
 cable service.
 ``
            (IV) Written decision and 
 record.--Any decision by a franchising 
 authority to deny a complete request 
 for authorization to place, construct, 
 or modify a covered facility shall be--
 ``

    (aa) in writing;
 ``

    (bb) supported by 
 substantial evidence contained 
 in a written record; and
 ``
            (cc) publicly released, 
 contemporaneously with the 
 decision.
 ``
            (C) When request considered complete; received.--
 ``
            (i) When request considered complete.--
 ``
            (I) In general.--For the purposes 
 of this subparagraph
        (B) , a request to 
 a franchising authority shall be 
 considered complete if the requesting 
 party has not received a written notice 
 from the franchising authority within 
 10 business days after the date on 
 which the request is received by the 
 franchising authority--
 ``

    (aa) stating that all the 
 information (including any form 
 or other document) required by 
 the franchising authority to be 
 submitted for the request to be 
 considered complete has not 
 been submitted; and
 ``

    (bb) identifying the 
 information required to be 
 submitted that was not 
 submitted.
 ``
            (II) === Definition. ===
-In this clause, 
 the term `received by the franchising 
 authority' means--
 ``

    (aa) in the case of a 
 request submitted 
 electronically, on the date on 
 which the request is 
 transmitted;
 ``

    (bb) in the case of a 
 request submitted in person, on 
 the date on which the request 
 is delivered to the individual 
 or at the location specified by 
 the franchising authority for 
 in-person submission; and
 ``
            (cc) in the case of a 
 request submitted in any other 
 manner, on the date determined 
 under regulations promulgated 
 by the Commission for the 
 manner in which the request is 
 submitted.
 ``
            (ii) When complete request considered 
 received.--For the purposes of subparagraph
        (B) , a complete request shall be considered 
 received on the date on which the requesting 
 party submits to the franchising authority all 
 information (including any form or other 
 document) required by the franchising authority 
 to be submitted for the request to be 
 considered complete.
 ``
            (D) === Definitions. ===
-In this subsection:
 ``
            (i) Eligible support infrastructure.--The 
 term `eligible support infrastructure' means 
 infrastructure that supports or houses a 
 facility for communication by wire (or is 
 designed to and capable of supporting or 
 housing such facility) at the time when a 
 complete request to a franchising authority for 
 authorization to place, construct, or modify a 
 covered facility in or on the infrastructure is 
 received by the franchising authority.
 ``
            (ii) Covered facility.--The term `covered 
 facility' means a facility--
 ``
            (I) for the provision of cable 
 service; and
 ``
            (II) that serves subscribers 
 using an easement or public right-of-
 way.''.
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