permitting

Senate Unveils RAIL Act Days After House Advances Its Own Version

The bill would set permitting deadlines for work in railroad rights-of-way.

Jericho Casper

Nov 21, 2025 — 2 min read

Photo of Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M, Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media, from Lujan's site.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2025 – Senators Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., introduced legislation Friday to cut one of the broadband industry’s most persistent permitting bottlenecks: crossing railroad rights-of-way.

The Broadband and Telecommunications RAIL Act would establish timelines for providers seeking to deploy telecommunications equipment alongside rail corridors and public roads, including strict timelines for railroads to respond and schedule the work.

The Senate bill arrives just days after the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee on Tuesday advanced the House version of the RAIL Act alongside a suite of other broadband permitting reforms.

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permitting RAIL act Marsha Blackburn Ben Ray Luján NCTA CTIA USTelecom CCA WIA FBA INCOMPAS Mignon Clyburn chip pickering

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