H.R. 5311

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5311 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5311

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to preserve cable franchising 
authority, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 11, 2025

Ms. Fedorchak introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to preserve cable franchising 
authority, 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 ``Connecting And Building Lines for 
Expedited Expansion Act'' or the ``CABLE Expansion Act''.

SEC. 2. REQUEST REGARDING PLACEMENT, CONSTRUCTION, OR MODIFICATION OF 
CERTAIN FACILITIES.

Section 624 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 544) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(j) Request Regarding Placement, Construction, or Modification of 
Certain Facilities.--
``(1) No affect on authority of franchising authority.--
Except as provided in paragraph (2), and notwithstanding any 
other provision of this section, nothing in this title shall 
limit or affect the authority of a franchising authority over 
decisions regarding the placement, construction, and 
modification of a covered facility within the jurisdiction of 
such franchising authority.
``(2) Limitations.--
``(A) Ability to provide or enhance cable 
service.--The regulation of the placement, 
construction, or modification of a covered facility by 
a franchising authority shall not prohibit or have the 
effect of prohibiting the ability of a cable operator 
to provide cable service, or enhance cable service 
provided, under a franchise granted by such franchising 
authority.
``(B) Timing of decisions on requests for 
authorizations to place, construct, or modify 
facility.--
``(i) Request for authorization to place, 
construct, or modify facility.--
``(I) Timeframe.--A franchising 
authority shall approve or deny a 
complete request for authorization to 
place, construct, or modify a covered 
facility not later than--
``(aa) if the request is 
for authorization to place, 
construct, or modify a covered 
facility in or on an eligible 
support infrastructure, 90 days 
after the date on which the 
franchising authority receives 
the request; and
``(bb) if the request is 
not for authorization to place, 
construct modify a covered 
facility in or on an eligible 
support infrastructure, 150 
days after the date on which 
franchising authority receives 
the request.
``(II) Applicability.--
Notwithstanding any provision of this 
title, the applicable timeframe under 
subparagraph (A) shall apply 
collectively to all proceedings 
required by a franchising authority for 
the approval of the request.
``(III) No tolling.--A timeframe 
under subparagraph (A) may not be 
tolled by any moratorium, whether 
express or de facto, imposed by a 
franchising authority on the 
consideration of any request for 
authorization to place, construct, or 
modify a facility for the provision of 
cable service.
``(IV) Written decision and 
record.--Any decision by a franchising 
authority to deny a complete request 
for authorization to place, construct, 
or modify a covered facility shall be--
``(aa) in writing;
``(bb) supported by 
substantial evidence contained 
in a written record; and
``(cc) publicly released, 
contemporaneously with the 
decision.
``(C) When request considered complete; received.--
``(i) When request considered complete.--
``(I) In general.--For the purposes 
of this subparagraph (B), a request to 
a franchising authority shall be 
considered complete if the requesting 
party has not received a written notice 
from the franchising authority within 
10 business days after the date on 
which the request is received by the 
franchising authority--
``(aa) stating that all the 
information (including any form 
or other document) required by 
the franchising authority to be 
submitted for the request to be 
considered complete has not 
been submitted; and
``(bb) identifying the 
information required to be 
submitted that was not 
submitted.
``(II) Definition.--In this clause, 
the term `received by the franchising 
authority' means--
``(aa) in the case of a 
request submitted 
electronically, on the date on 
which the request is 
transmitted;
``(bb) in the case of a 
request submitted in person, on 
the date on which the request 
is delivered to the individual 
or at the location specified by 
the franchising authority for 
in-person submission; and
``(cc) in the case of a 
request submitted in any other 
manner, on the date determined 
under regulations promulgated 
by the Commission for the 
manner in which the request is 
submitted.
``(ii) When complete request considered 
received.--For the purposes of subparagraph 
(B), a complete request shall be considered 
received on the date on which the requesting 
party submits to the franchising authority all 
information (including any form or other 
document) required by the franchising authority 
to be submitted for the request to be 
considered complete.
``(D) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(i) Eligible support infrastructure.--The 
term `eligible support infrastructure' means 
infrastructure that supports or houses a 
facility for communication by wire (or is 
designed to and capable of supporting or 
housing such facility) at the time when a 
complete request to a franchising authority for 
authorization to place, construct, or modify a 
covered facility in or on the infrastructure is 
received by the franchising authority.
``(ii) Covered facility.--The term `covered 
facility' means a facility--
``(I) for the provision of cable 
service; and
``(II) that serves subscribers 
using an easement or public right-of-
way.''.
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