Local Leaders Oppose Broadband Permitting Bill
The bill's opposers argue it threatens the work of local governments and ISPs in preparation for BEAD.
WASHINGTON, September 20, 2024 – Mayors and other city leaders on Thursday opposed a House bill on telecom permitting, arguing that it jeopardizes historic preservation and environmental regulations in favor of broadband providers.
A coalition of bipartisan local government representatives from the National League of Cities, the United States Conference of Mayors, the National Association of Counties, and the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors expressed opposition to the American Broadband Deployment Act of 2023, in a letter sent to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
The bill, H.R. 3557, introduced by Rep. Earl Carter, R-Georgia, in May 2023, has sparked concern among local leaders of counties, cities, and towns, who represent millions of U.S. residents, and argue that the bill threatens local governments' ability to manage public rights-of-way and land use.
