Overview
Title
To provide that an eligible facilities request under section 6409(a) of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 is not subject to requirements to prepare certain environmental or historical preservation reviews.
ELI5 AI
The Proportional Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act wants to make it faster and easier for certain wireless projects, like cellphone towers, to get approved by not making them go through long and detailed environmental or historical checks before they start.
Summary AI
The Proportional Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act (H.R. 2289) aims to simplify the process for approving certain wireless infrastructure projects. It proposes changes to the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 by ensuring that eligible facilities requests are not subject to environmental or historical preservation reviews. Specifically, these requests would be exempt from being considered major federal actions under the National Environmental Policy Act and from being classified as undertakings under the National Historic Preservation Act. This change is intended to streamline the deployment of broadband infrastructure.
Published
Keywords AI
Sources
Bill Statistics
Size
Language
Complexity
AnalysisAI
The proposed legislation, titled the "Proportional Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act," aims to modify certain provisions of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. Specifically, it seeks to exempt certain wireless facilities requests, referred to as "eligible facilities requests," from being deemed as major federal actions under existing environmental and historical preservation laws. The bill proposes that these requests be exempt from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), thus streamlining the process for obtaining federal authorizations necessary for broadband infrastructure deployment.
General Summary of the Bill
The bill intends to accelerate the deployment of wireless facilities by removing some regulatory barriers. It accomplishes this by amending the existing law to exclude certain requests from needing reviews under NEPA and NHPA. In essence, this means that requests deemed "eligible facilities requests" will not be subject to the same environmental and historical scrutiny as they would be without this amendment.
Significant Issues
A primary concern surrounding this legislation is the potential for environmental and historical impacts to be overlooked. By exempting these requests from NEPA and NHPA reviews, there could be insufficient examination of how new facilities might affect local environments or historical sites. This raises questions about whether the desire for rapid technological advancement might inadvertently cause harm to areas of natural or cultural significance.
Furthermore, there is ambiguity in the bill regarding what exactly constitutes an "eligible facilities request." Without clear definitions, there could be inconsistencies in how the law is applied, leading to varying interpretations and potential legal challenges. The broad language defining "Federal authorization" further complicates the potential for misinterpretation, which may impact how thoroughly these requests are reviewed.
Impact on the Public
For the general public, the bill could result in quicker access to expanded broadband services, which is increasingly important for educational, professional, and personal communication needs. These changes might lead to improved connectivity in underserved areas, helping bridge the digital divide. However, the potential downside is that important environmental and historical impacts might not be adequately considered, possibly affecting community quality of life, local ecosystems, and historical preservation.
Impact on Specific Stakeholders
Telecommunications companies stand to benefit significantly from the bill, as it reduces the regulatory steps necessary to deploy wireless infrastructure. This could lead to faster project timelines and reduced costs, facilitating greater investment in network expansion.
Conversely, environmental and historical preservation groups might view the bill negatively, as it could curtail essential reviews that protect ecosystems and cultural heritage. These groups may argue that the bill prioritizes industrial growth over careful stewardship of shared natural and cultural resources. Additionally, communities living in close proximity to new wireless facilities may feel marginalized if they have less opportunity for input or if their concerns about environmental or historical impacts are not addressed systematically.
In summary, while the "Proportional Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act" could accelerate the expansion of important broadband infrastructure, it raises significant issues related to environmental and historical oversight. Balancing infrastructure development with preservation efforts continues to be an important and contentious issue.
Issues
The exemption from NEPA and NHPA under Section 2 could raise significant concerns about potential environmental and historical impacts of deploying wireless facilities being overlooked in favor of expedited development.
The broad scope of exemptions provided in Section 2 might be perceived as disproportionately favoring telecommunications companies by reducing regulatory hurdles without adequately addressing potential environmental or historical preservation implications.
The lack of a clear definition for what constitutes an 'eligible facilities request' in Section 2 may lead to ambiguity in interpretation, resulting in inconsistent application of the law.
Exemption from NEPA and NHPA might lead to a significant reduction in public input or scrutiny in the decision-making process for wireless facilities deployments, as mentioned in Section 2.
The definition of 'Federal authorization' in Section 2 is not specific enough about what constitutes an authorization, creating potential for varying interpretations and legal challenges.
Sections
Sections are presented as they are annotated in the original legislative text. Any missing headers, numbers, or non-consecutive order is due to the original text.
1. Short title Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
In Section 1, the act is given the official title: the “Proportional Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act.”
2. Application of NEPA and NHPA to wireless facilities deployment Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The section amends the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 to state that certain wireless facilities requests are exempt from being considered major actions under the National Environmental Policy Act and are not regarded as undertakings under the National Historic Preservation Act. It also clarifies that "Federal authorization" includes any permits or approvals required under federal law for these requests.