Enhancing Administrative Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5419 directs the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service to evaluate policies, rules, and regulations related to the siting and permitting of broadband infrastructure on public lands. This bill is a commonsense step to help update and modernize our broadband infrastructure.

Public lands host a lot of communications infrastructure that Americans rely on every day to connect our smartphones, laptops, and televisions. Broadband isn't just for entertainment. It is what people use to do their jobs, access healthcare, and file their taxes.

Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Oregon recently received Federal approval to move forward with the largest broadband infrastructure investment in our State's history. This will connect over 100,000 unserved and underserved Oregonian households and businesses to affordable, high-speed, and reliable internet services.

However, in States like Oregon and in districts like the one I have the honor to represent with large amounts of Federal land, broadband infrastructure projects often require additional levels of permitting and coordination across local, State, and Federal Government.

H.R. 5419 will help us look for opportunities to address any broadband permitting barriers and update the rules in a measured and responsible way.

This bill will help balance two critical obligations: building out the infrastructure we need for vital technology and upholding our commitment to the health and stewardship of our public lands. We can and must meet both obligations.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Kean) for introducing this bill. I urge my colleagues to vote in support of H.R.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source