In an effort to speed broadband infrastructure deployment, the Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) at the monthly meeting this Thursday that would examine the FCC’s environmental rules to ensure they agree with the amended National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. The point is to accelerate the federal permitting process, further a national priority of faster and more infrastructure deployment, and ensure that the Commission’s rules are clear, according to the agency.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr calls the “needless and costly environmental reviews” one of the biggest obstacles to building in America. “Federal agencies spend more time on average (4.5 years) to complete pre-construction environmental impact statements than it took to build the Golden Gate Bridge,” he recently wrote in a blog.
All three branches of the government realize that the NEPA process is broken, according to Carr. In 2023, Congress reformed NEPA to eliminate many unnecessary reviews and accelerate others.
“After his inauguration in 2025, President Trump directed federal agencies to streamline their NEPA processes to unleash new builds. A few months later, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling “to curb NEPA litigation abuse,” he stated, adding “Now it is time for the FCC to do its part.”
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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