Today, the House Agriculture Committee voted to pass the Farm Bill. The bill includes Dusty Johnson’s (R-SD) Facilitating Optimal and Rapid Expansion and Siting of Telecommunications (FOREST) Act as an amendment, requiring the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to use previously approved permits that have already undergone necessary environmental and historical preservation reviews from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Historical Preservation Act (NHPA).
The following statement can be attributed to Brandon Heiner, SVP of Government Affairs.
“At a time when rural connectivity is more critical than ever, the FOREST amendment in the Farm Bill trims back the regulatory underbrush that has been slowing it down. Speeding up the broadband permitting process on federal Forest Service lands is not only necessary, but long overdue.”
The post Statement on the Permitting Amendment in the Farm Bill appeared first on USTelecom.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.ustelecom.org/statement-on-the-permitting-amendment-in-the-farm-bill/