Rep. Curtis' Rural Broadband Bill Passed by The House

Press Release

Today, the House of Representatives passed Congressman John Curtis' bill H.R. 4824, the Rural Broadband Permitting Efficiency Act of 2018. This bill will play a central role in helping rural communities and Native American Tribal governments bridge the digital divide by streamlining the federal permitting process for broadband infrastructure projects.

This is Rep. Curtis' third bill to be passed by the House since being elected less than a year ago. Senator Orrin Hatch is championing the Senate companion bill.

"We all agree that improving the deployment of broadband and high-speed Internet in rural America is essential and that's why this bill is a major victory for Utah." Curtis added, "By helping our rural communities gain access to high-speed Internet, we can ensure efficiencies for rural schools, hospitals, and for critical economic development opportunities. Above all, we can guarantee that Americans in rural communities have an enhanced quality of life. I am delighted to see this bill move forward and grateful for allies like Senator Hatch that have been championing this important legislation."

"I'm thrilled to see the House pass this important bill, which wouldn't have happened without Congressman Curtis's leadership," Hatch said. "One of the most efficient ways to close the opportunity and innovation gap between rural and urban communities is to expand broadband infrastructure. This effort is critical to improving education, transportation, public safety, healthcare, and the economy. With access to faster internet, Utah's businesses can compete with companies across the world."

This bill is cosponsored by twelve members of Congress and is endorsed by the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, Navajo Nation, WTA -- Advocates for Rural Broadband, NTCA--The Rural Broadband Association, Utah Education and Telehealth Network, Emery Telecom, The National Grange, Utah Rural Telecom, Grand County City Council, and American Library Association.

The Rural Broadband Permitting Efficiency Act helps rural communities by:
-- Empowering states and Native American Tribal governments to speed up the process of bringing broadband to rural communities. This bill delegates federal environmental compliance to the States and Tribal governments, allowing them to opt-in to an agreement to take on the responsibility of environmental review.
-- Making it quicker and cheaper to install broadband. Designates a lead agency in the federal permitting process, regardless of whether a state opts-in to the "State Permitting Authority" agreement; This will consolidate efforts from the executive branch and create a single POC for a given broadband deployment project, intending to drive efficiencies into the permitting process.
-- Helping economic development in rural communities by helping to bridge the rural-urban digital divide.

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