WASHINGTON, DC - The House Communications and Technology Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), today reviewed six bipartisan proposals aimed at improving broadband deployment for consumers across the country.
“Streaming video, wearables, and machine-to-machine communication are only a few of the developments vaulting network use skyward. And that’s just based on what we know now; it is impossible to predict what innovations will cause us to increase our data consumption by another exponential factor," explained Walden, who spoke to the need for increasing broadband capacity to keep pace with consumer demand. “Our intent is to maintain an open and interactive process in drafting this legislation so that we can strike the right balance and arrive at the right policy for spurring broadband deployment."
“It’s time for this committee to put the pedal to the metal and improve government permitting for broadband networks," added full committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI). “This is a bipartisan effort. That’s always been the hallmark of this subcommittee. Both Democrats and Republicans have been at the drafting table together to think through good policy and craft them into actionable laws. I hope that we can continue this effort to help our nation’s communications networks thrive and contribute to our success in the global economy."
Members today reviewed H.R. 3805, the Broadband Conduit Deployment Act of 2015, authored by Walden and subcommittee Ranking Member Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and draft proposals to:
* Require federal agencies to use the common forms, contracts, and fee schedules developed by the Government Services Administration under the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2012;
* Expand access to pole attachments for broadband deployment;
* Create an inventory of federal broadband assets and assign responsibility for the tracking of federal permit applications for broadband facilities;
* Require agencies to streamline their permitting processes for locating broadband facilities; and
* Streamline the federal requirements for historical and environmental impact evaluations of broadband facilities.
Related Items
* Breaking Down Barriers to Broadband Infrastructure Deployment
* #SubCommTech to Review Proposals to Improve Broadband Deployment
See Also
* NEWS: Roll Call: Lawmakers Push 'Dig-Once' and Other Bipartisan Policies to Expand High-Speed Internet
