Last week, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee approve H.R. 2289, American Broadband Deployment Act of 2025, a comprehensive federal permitting and preemption bill covering wireless siting, wireline broadband deployment, cable franchising, and environmental and historic review processes. The bill significantly restructures how local governments may regulate the placement, construction, and modification of communications facilities in public right-of-way and on locally-controlled property. 

Originally introduced as a one-page bill exempting broadband deployment from federal review processes, it was amended in committee to include 21 different permitting proposals and balloon the bill to 100 pages. While these bill’s provisions now vary in scope, they collectively represent the most significant federal intervention into broadband permitting processes in many years. 

While strongly supportive of broadband rollout, PSATS and the National Association of Towns and Townships are opposing the bill because it preempts local oversight of rights-of-way, including: 

• New preemption of local regulations on deployment of broadband in rights-of-way, including fee limits and 90-150 day shot clocks with deemed-granted approvals; 
• Expansion of current wireless approval shot clocks to wired broadband facilities; 
• New 120-day deadlines for new cable franchise approvals, with deemed-granted for deadlines. 
• Rewrite of wired broadband limits and imposition of 90-150 day shot clocks with deemed-granted approvals. 

A full vote in the U.S. House of Representatives may be scheduled before Congress adjourns on December 19. Township officials are urged to reach out to their congressman’s office to oppose HR 2289.