Congress to Take Up Broadband, Public Safety Bills Under Suspension-of-Rules
House to consider FirstNet reauthorization; Senate to take on USF vetting bill.
WASHINGTON, April 17, 2026 – Congress will consider several broadband bills during the week of April 20, under suspension of the rules.
In the House, lawmakers will consider measures aimed at speeding federal permitting processes and addressing gaps in emergency communications, including a bill to reauthorize FirstNet.
In the Senate, lawmakers are scheduled to take up the Rural Broadband Protection Act. The bill requires the Federal Communications Commission establish a vetting process for applicants seeking support from its high-cost Universal Service Fund programs.
House lawmakers are also expected to take up the Federal Broadband Deployment Tracking Act, introduced by Reps. August Pfluger, R-Texas, and Darren Soto, D-Fla, and the the Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act, introduced by Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo.
The first bill would require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to submit a plan within 180 days detailing how it will track the acceptance, processing, and resolution of broadband permitting applications on federal and National Forest lands.
Evans’ measure would require NTIA to establish an interagency strike force to coordinate and accelerate permitting reviews for communications infrastructure on federal lands.
Another key measure in the House is the First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act.
The legislation would extend the FirstNet Authority through fiscal year 2037 and place it more directly under NTIA oversight. It would also impose additional accountability requirements on the network operator and mandate regular reporting to Congress on performance, cybersecurity, and adoption.
FirstNet is the nationwide broadband network used by public safety agencies, owned and operated by AT&T under a contract with the Commerce Department.
House lawmakers are also set to consider the Mystic Alerts Act, introduced by Pfluger. The bill would allow participating wireless providers to transmit emergency alerts via satellite in addition to traditional terrestrial networks.
Additional measures under consideration in the House include bills addressing 9-1-1 outage reporting, emergency dialing compliance, and rural health care and telehealth funding.
Under suspension of the rules, floor debate is limited, all floor amendments are prohibited, and final passage requires a two-thirds majority vote.
Separately, the House is scheduled to hold a full floor vote on the American Broadband Deployment Act on Monday. The broadband permitting bill which would impose timelines on federal, state and local reviews of infrastructure projects.
Member discussion