BEAD FEE Act of 2025

Bill: 119-hr-1975
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Allen, Rick W. [R-GA-12]
Introduced: 2025-03-10
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Latest action: action_date: 2025-03-10
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-03-10
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Broadband Expansion And Deployment Fee Equity and Efficiency Act of 2025 or the BEAD FEE Act of 2025</strong></p><p>This bill limits the nature of fees that states and territories receiving Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program funding may impose on applicants seeking authorization to construct or deploy broadband infrastructure.&nbsp;</p><p>(The BEAD Program is administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and provides funding to eligible entities for broadband deployment, connectivity, mapping, and adoption projects. <em>Eligible entities</em> include U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia.)&nbsp;</p><p>Under the bill, BEAD funds may not be provided to an eligible entity if the entity or a political subdivision of the entity charges fees (1) to consider a request to place, construct, or modify broadband infrastructure; or (2) for the use of a right-of-way owned or managed by the entity or a political subdivision, or for the use of infrastructure within such a right-of-way, to place, construct, or modify broadband infrastructure. However, this restriction does not apply to  fees that are competitively neutral, technology neutral, nondiscriminatory, publicly disclosed, and based on actual, direct, and objectively reasonable costs.  Any such fee must be described to applicants in a manner that distinguishes between (1) recurring and nonrecurring fees, and (2) the use of infrastructure on which there is no existing broadband infrastructure and the use of infrastructure on which there is existing broadband infrastructure as of the date of the application.&nbsp;</p>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1975 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 10, 2025 Mr. Allen introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to require States and political subdivisions of States to streamline certain fees relating to broadband infrastructure in order to receive grant funds under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Broadband Expansion And Deployment Fee Equity and Efficiency Act of 2025 or the BEAD FEE Act of 2025 . 2. Streamlining of certain fees relating to broadband infrastructure required to receive grant funds under BEAD Program Section 60102(e) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ( 47 U.S.C. 1702(e) ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (5) Streamlining of certain fees relating to broadband infrastructure required After the date of the enactment of this paragraph, the Assistant Secretary may not make available to an eligible entity grant funds under this section (except for grant funds under paragraph (1)(C)) if the eligible entity, or any political subdivision of the eligible entity, charges a fee to consider a request for authorization to place, construct, or modify infrastructure for the provision of broadband service, or a fee for use of a right-of-way or infrastructure in a right-of-way owned or managed by the entity or political subdivision for the placement, construction, or modification of infrastructure for the provision of broadband service, unless such fee is— (A) competitively neutral, technology neutral, and nondiscriminatory; (B) publicly disclosed; (C) calculated— (i) based on actual and direct costs, such as costs for— (I) review and processing of requests; and (II) repairs and replacement of— (aa) components and materials resulting from and affected by the placement, construction, or modification (including the installation or improvement) of infrastructure for the provision of broadband service; or (bb) equipment that facilitates the placement, construction, or modification (including the installation or improvement) of such infrastructure; and (ii) using, for purposes of clause (i), only costs that are objectively reasonable; and (D) described to a requesting party in a manner that distinguishes between— (i) nonrecurring fees and recurring fees; and (ii) the use of infrastructure on which infrastructure for the provision of broadband service is already located and infrastructure on which there is no infrastructure for the provision of broadband service as of the date on which the request is received by the eligible entity or political subdivision. .