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This bill would speed up federal review of applications for easements, rights-of-way, or leases needed to install communications facilities on federal property. It says that if a complete application is not approved or denied by the deadline, it would automatically count as approved the next day. The bill also sets rules for when an application is considered complete, including a 30-day window for the agency to tell the applicant if anything is missing. The goal is to prevent long delays in building communications infrastructure.
- If a federal agency does not grant or deny a complete application by the required deadline, the application is treated as granted automatically the day after that deadline.
- An application is considered complete when the applicant has taken the first required step to file it and, within 30 days after the agency receives it, the agency has not sent written notice saying required information is missing.
- If the agency does send a notice within 30 days, it must identify what information was not submitted so the applicant can fix the problem.
- The new rules would apply only to applications received by a federal agency on or after the date the bill becomes law.
Official Summaries
Granting Remaining Applications Not Treated Efficiently or Delayed Act of 2025 or the GRANTED Act of 2025
This bill provides for the automatic approval of a complete application to place or maintain communications facilities (e.g., telecommunications antennas and equipment) on federal property after the application has been pending with a federal agency for 270 days.
(Under current law, individuals and entities may apply for an easement, right-of-way, or lease to install, construct, modify, or maintain a communications facility in, on, or over federal property. The federal agency with control over the relevant property is required to act on such an application within 270 days.)
The bill requires agencies to act on applications within 270 days of their receipt of a complete application, rather than within 270 days of an application’s filing. Under the bill, an application is considered complete when the applicant (1) has taken the first procedural step within their control to submit the application in accordance with procedures established by the agency, and (2) has not been notified of any deficiency in the application within 30 days of its submission. The bill also establishes criteria for determining when an application is considered received by an agency.
Finally, the bill provides for the automatic grant of applications that remain pending with agencies after the 270-day deadline.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1836 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1836
To amend the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 to
provide for an application for a Federal easement, right-of-way, or
lease with respect to a communications facility installation to be
deemed granted if not granted or denied by the specified deadline, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 4, 2025
Mr. Obernolte introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 to
provide for an application for a Federal easement, right-of-way, or
lease with respect to a communications facility installation to be
deemed granted if not granted or denied by the specified deadline, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Granting Remaining Applications Not
Treated Efficiently or Delayed Act of 2025'' or the ``GRANTED Act of
2025''.
SEC. 2. TIMELY CONSIDERATION OF APPLICATIONS FOR FEDERAL EASEMENTS,
RIGHTS-OF-WAY, AND LEASES.
(a) In General.--Section 6409(b)(3) of the Middle Class Tax Relief
and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1455(b)(3)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``duly filed'' and
inserting ``complete''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(E) Deemed granted.--If an executive agency fails
to grant or deny a complete application by the deadline
under subparagraph (A), the application shall be deemed
granted on the day after such deadline.
``(F) When application considered complete;
received.--
``(i) When application considered
complete.--For the purposes of this paragraph,
an application to an executive agency shall be
considered complete if the applicant--
``(I) has taken the first
procedural step within the control of
the applicant to submit such an
application in accordance with the
procedures established by the executive
agency for the review and approval of
such an application; and
``(II) has not received a written
notice from the executive agency within
30 days after the date on which the
application is received by the
executive agency--
``(aa) stating that all
information (including any form
or other document) required by
the executive agency to be
submitted for the application
to be considered complete has
not been submitted; and
``(bb) identifying the
information required to be
submitted that was not
submitted.
``(ii) When complete application considered
received.--For the purposes of this paragraph,
a complete application shall be considered
received--
``(I) except as provided in
subclause (II), on the date on which
the applicant submits to the executive
agency all information (including any
form or other document) required by the
executive agency to be submitted for
the application to be considered
complete; or
``(II) in the case of an
application with respect to which all
such information is not submitted and
that is considered complete under
clause (i) because the applicant has
not received a written notice from the
executive agency within the period
described in such clause, on the day
after the last day of such period.''.
(b) Applicability.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall
apply with respect to any application under subsection (b) of section
6409 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47
U.S.C. 1455) that is received by an executive agency (as defined in
subsection (d) of such section) on or after the date of the enactment
of this Act.
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