On March 3, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 5419: the Enhancing Administrative Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act. The legislation, introduced on September 17, 2025, by Representative Thomas H. Kean, Jr. (R-NJ), is part of a congressional effort to identify and remove bureaucratic obstacles that slow the deployment of broadband infrastructure on federal public lands and National Forest System land. The bill passed as amended, with the final text reflecting a substitute put forth by Representative Bruce Westerman (R-AR) during the February 11, 2026, markup session.
What the Bill Does
At its core, H.R. 5419 requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to each conduct a study of their department's processes and jointly submit a report to Congress covering communications use authorizations, which encompass easements, rights-of-way, leases, licenses, and other authorizations needed to locate or modify a communications facility on covered federal land.
The bill requires each Secretary to conduct a study examining three specific questions:
- Whether programmatic or administrative barriers impede the timely processing of broadband land use authorization requests.
- Whether existing rules or regulations could be revised to improve review efficiency.
- Whether there are processes for prioritizing such requests.
The Secretaries must also, within one year of enactment, jointly submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that includes the findings of each study, including any barriers, regulatory revisions, or prioritization processes identified. The report must also include a staffing plan outlining the personnel resources necessary for each organizational unit within the covered departments to conduct timely reviews.
Why It Matters
For broadband infrastructure providers, the significance of H.R. 5419 lies in its acknowledgment that federal land permitting processes create real, well-documented friction for network deployment. By mandating a formal study and a staffing plan, the legislation requires the Interior Department and the Forest Service to diagnose the problem and also commit to a strategy to address it. The bill now advances to the Senate, where it will be considered by the Committees on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Environment and Public Works.
