Congress demands federal permit tracking for broadband infrastructure.

What it does

This bill requires the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to develop and submit a plan within 180 days describing how the agency will track the status of Form 299 applications (permits for placing communications infrastructure like cell towers on federal and forest lands), improve transparency for applicants about their application status, and identify any barriers to implementation. The bill creates no new authority or funding—it simply mandates a planning and reporting requirement to Congress.

Why we flagged it

The bill is purely procedural—it does not change substantive law, create new programs, or allocate funds. Its sole function is to require the federal government to document and report on its own permit-processing practices for communications infrastructure on public lands.

What the text implies

• The plan may reveal systemic delays in federal permit processing that could become political pressure for streamlining or deregulation of communications facility approvals.
• Transparency about Form 299 processing timelines could expose disparities in how different agencies (Interior, Agriculture) handle the same permit type, potentially triggering calls for standardization.
• The bill does not mandate implementation of the plan—only submission of it—so the Assistant Secretary could propose a plan without committing to execute it.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill creates transparency and accountability for federal permit processing without imposing costs or restrictions on citizens. Applicants for communications infrastructure permits and the public benefit from clearer visibility into how long federal approvals take, which can reduce uncertainty and delays in broadband deployment.

Named in the bill

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, Department of Commerce, Department of Interior, Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Form 299, Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012

Where it stands

2 cosponsors: 2 Democrats.

• Feb 13, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Feb 13, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology”
• Nov 18, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Dec 3, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 49 - 0”
• Apr 20, 2026 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2973)”
• Apr 20, 2026 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Allen moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

9 lobbying clients named this bill on 15 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $54,575,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 26 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 89% of bills with at least one filing.

August Pfluger, the sponsor, reported $1,070,325 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle. $10,000 of that came from 1 PAC tied to these lobbying clients.

• Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A. — $36,700,000 on 2 filings
• Ncta - the Internet & Television Association — $6,870,000 on 2 filings
• Charter Communications Inc — $5,020,000 on 2 filings
• Verizon Communications Inc and Various Subsidiaries — $3,050,000 on 1 filing
• AT&T Services Inc and Its Affiliates — $2,650,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.