Broadband on House Agenda Week of April 20

The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives announces bills that will be considered under suspension of the rules in that chamber. Under suspension, floor debate is limited, all floor amendments are prohibited, points of order against the bill are waived, and final passage requires a two-thirds majority vote. Bills include:

• S. 98, Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025, which would require the Federal Communications Commission to establish a vetting process for prospective applicants for high-cost universal service program funding. S. 90 passed the Senate without amendment by voice vote on June 26, 2025. 
• H.R. 1343, Federal Broadband Deployment Tracking Act, which would require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to submit a plan to Congress for tracking the acceptance, processing, and disposition of applications for communications use authorizations. These are requests for easements, rights-of-way, leases, licenses, or other authorizations to locate or modify a transmitting device, support structure, or other communications facility on public lands or National Forest System land. The House Commerce Committee approved this bill unanimously on December 3, 2025.
• H.R. 1681, Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act, which would establish an interagency strike force to support federal land management agencies' review of requests for communications use authorizations. The strike force must (1) conduct periodic calls with strike force members to ensure that each agency prioritizes the review of requests for communications use authorizations, (2) establish goals for the review of the requests, and (3) monitor and facilitate agency accountability for meeting the established goals. The bill specifies that the strike force must include the head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the head of each federal land management agency, and other members designated by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior. The bill also requires the strike force to report to Congress regarding its effectiveness.

Separately, the House Rules Committee will meet Monday, April 20, 2026, at 4:00 PM ET to consider bills, including H.R. 2289 – American Broadband Deployment Act of 2026. The bill excludes certain requests to modify an existing wireless tower or base station from specified environmental and historic preservation review requirements. Specifically, the bill applies to certain requests to modify an existing wireless tower or base station by collocating, removing, or replacing transmission equipment. In particular, the bill specifies that such projects are not considered major federal actions under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 or undertakings under the National Historic Preservation Act. This excludes the projects from relevant reviews required under those acts.