A sweeping new wireless bill in Congress threatens to erase local control and fast-track antenna deployments nationwide—with no real environmental or public-health oversight. Action Alert!
THE TOPLINE
- HR 2289 would override local authority by forcing near-automatic approval of wireless infrastructure—even next to homes and schools.
- The bill dramatically expands where antennas can be placed while exempting many projects from environmental, tribal, and historic-preservation review.
- Short deadlines and federal preemptions would leave communities powerless to address health, safety, or environmental concerns as wireless rollout accelerates.
A bad telecom bill is quietly moving through Congress which threatens local control, environmental protections, and public health. HR 2289 was just approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
This bill gives the wireless industry sweeping new powers while stripping communities of their right to govern what happens in their own neighborhoods. We need to oppose it.
What HR 2289 Would Do
Wipe Out Local Authority
HR 2289 forces states and local governments to approve nearly all wireless siting applications—cell towers, small cells, antennas of all kinds—no matter how close they are to homes, schools, or environmentally sensitive areas.
Allow Antennas Almost Anywhere
The bill expands federal rules so broadly that antennas could be attached to any structure that “could support” equipment—utility poles, apartment buildings, private homes, even school rooftops—with minimal review.
Accelerate RF Exposure Without Safety Oversight
The bill triggers a massive expansion of wireless infrastructure without any federal evaluation of health or environmental risks. It also strengthens existing federal preemptions that prevent local governments from considering RF emissions when deciding where equipment can go.
Eliminate Environmental and Tribal Protections
Large categories of wireless projects would become exempt from review under the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. Tribes would be presumed to “approve” projects if they do not respond to federal forms within 45 days.
Force Automatic Approvals
Extremely short deadlines—some as little as 10 days—would require local governments to act at impossible speed. If they fail to meet these “shot clocks,” applications would be automatically approved. Public participation becomes nearly meaningless under this system.
HR 2289 enables an unchecked, rapid expansion of wireless infrastructure with no meaningful environmental review, no local decision-making, and no evaluation of health or ecosystem impacts.
FCC Going to Bat for Industry
These actions mirror what the FCC is doing at the regulatory level. We reported recently on a forthcoming rulemaking to similarly deregulate wireless infrastructure deployment and remove local control.
The telecoms industry and the federal government are taking advantage of the fact that public perception of the dangers of electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation has not caught up to the science. We wouldn’t accept the same lack of control and transparency if a chemical company set up shop in a town but refused to say what substances it was producing or whether they’re safe.
Take Action
We must make sure Congress hears from constituents before this bill moves forward.
Tell Congress to reject HR 2289 and protect local authority, public health, and the environment.
