Bill · S. 4448· Senate(119-S-4448)
Accelerating Broadband Permits Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 4/30/2026
- Last activity
- 7/22/2026 — Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Sponsored by
- John Thune
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Accelerating Broadband Permits Act of 2026 aims to improve the oversight of broadband programs. It requires the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to create a public dashboard to track grant progress and milestones. The bill also mandates the creation of a tool to help entities identify and monitor Federal permit requirements. Additionally, the Assistant Secretary must develop ways to track and improve the processing times for communications use applications. This includes analyzing delay factors and alerting agencies when they are at risk of missing deadlines. Finally, the bill updates criteria regarding broadband infrastructure projects and total investments.
Yes· 3 of 9
Would people in rural areas be better off under this?+5
The bill's focus on broadband deployment is critical for expanding high-speed internet access in rural areas.
Does this get reliable internet to more people?+5
The bill aims to speed up broadband deployment by improving the oversight and tracking of permit requirements and application processing times.
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+5
The bill mandates a public dashboard to track the progress and expenditures of broadband grant recipients.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Transparency through Progress Dashboards: The Assistant Secretary must make a public website available that tracks grant funds expended and the number of locations where broadband service has been made available or utilized. This allows the public to see progress through major milestones under the Program (Section 2(a)).
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Streamlined Permitting Processes: The bill requires a tool to help eligible entities identify Federal permit requirements and monitor the progress of subgrantees toward obtaining those permits (Section 2(b)).
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Improved Application Processing: The Assistant Secretary is tasked with developing controls to track application processing times, analyzing factors that cause delays, and taking action to address them (Section 3(b)(ii)).
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Proactive Deadline Management: A method will be established to alert agency employees when an application is at risk of failing to meet the 270-day deadline (Section 3(b)(iii)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts or burdens are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Rural Residents+5Good For Low Income Households+3Good For Middle Class Households+2Good For Urban Residents+2
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Economic Growth+3Increases Job Creation+3
- Education And Technology
- Improves Internet Access+5
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+5
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Public Transit+1
- 7/22/2026
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- 4/30/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text: CR S2173)
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
John BarrassoRepublican · Wyoming
Ben LujánDemocrat · New Mexico