Broadband for Americans through Responsible Streamlining (BARS) Act
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · December 9, 2025
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, 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.
The BARS Act streamlines the approval process for broadband and wireless communications projects by exempting many of them from two major federal review requirements: the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The bill applies these exemptions to a broad range of projects, including mounting new antennas on existing towers, replacing damaged communications facilities after disasters, deploying small wireless facilities in public rights-of-way, and installing broadband cables on existing infrastructure. The legislation also establishes a 45-day deadline for Native American tribes to respond to federal communications projects that could affect their historic or cultural sites, after which they are presumed to have declined to participate unless they can demonstrate valid reasons to extend the review. The bill aims to accelerate broadband deployment by reducing regulatory paperwork and timelines, though it preserves the FCC's obligation to evaluate health and safety concerns related to radiofrequency exposure.
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