FCC Clears the Way for Faster Broadband and Satellite Deployment, Says ITIF

WASHINGTON—Following the FCC's reform of its NEPA rules, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the leading think tank for science and technology policy, released the following statement from Ellis Scherer, policy analyst for broadband, spectrum, and space policy:

The FCC just cut through red tape that’s been holding back America’s communications and space sectors, exempting a range of licensed activities from dubious and drawn-out reviews.

For decades, NEPA has been weaponized as a litigation tool, burying infrastructure projects under indefinite delays and insurmountable legal costs until they were abandoned altogether. Today’s action builds on bipartisan momentum and statutory updates from the last two administrations to free American communications infrastructure from this outdated, ineffective legal framework.

With NEPA no longer standing in the way, the United States can build next-generation terrestrial and satellite broadband networks at the necessary speed for global communications technology leadership.

Contact: Austin Slater, [email protected]