HR 1681 United States House · 119th Congress

Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act

HR 1681 creates an interagency strike force to speed up reviews of broadband infrastructure permits on federal lands. The strike force, made up of officials from Commerce, Agriculture, and Interior departments, will set goals and monitor agencies like the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service to prioritize these reviews. It directly affects telecom companies seeking permits to install equipment and federal land agencies managing public lands and National Forest System areas. The bill aims to reduce delays in broadband deployment by making the approval process more efficient, without changing land use rules.

Issues: ✓ Technology

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

President

Introduced Feb 27, 2025 Last action Apr 21, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced in House → Engrossed in House · 2 edits · Apr 20, 2026

MINOR

The changes between the Introduced and Engrossed versions of HR 1681 are entirely formatting and typographical in nature. Leading spaces were removed from line numbering, and blank lines were added between certain subsections for improved readability. No substantive policy language was added, removed, or modified.

TECHNICAL

Leading spaces were stripped from section and subsection numbering throughout the bill (e.g., ' 2.' became '2.', ' (a)' became '(a)').

Blank lines were inserted after introductory phrases in several enumerated lists (under duties, appropriate congressional committees, communications use authorization, covered land, and organizational unit) to improve visual separation of sub-items.

Floor votes · House Apr 20, 2026

How they voted

384–9

Passed · 37 other

Total votes 430

Apr 20, 2026

D Democratic213

199 Yea 14

93% Yea

I Independent1

1 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican216

184 Yea 9 Nay 23

85% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 21, 2026

Committee

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

upper

Apr 20, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 384 - 9 (Roll no. 125). (text: CR H2971-2972)

lower

Mar 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

Committee on Agriculture discharged.

lower

Mar 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 119-439, Part II.

lower

Jan 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-439, Part I.

lower

Nov 18, 2025

Lower · Passed

Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.

lower

Nov 18, 2025

Lower · Passed

Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

lower

Apr 9, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

lower

Mar 28, 2025

Committee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.

lower

Feb 27, 2025

Committee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

lower

Feb 27, 2025

Committee

Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Agriculture, 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.

lower

Feb 27, 2025

Introduced

Introduced in House

lower

1 primary · 2 co-sponsors