Palmer, Ryan Introduce Standard FEES Act

For Immediate Release

Media Contact: Hope Dawson (202) 225-4921

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Representative Gary Palmer (AL-06) and Patrick Ryan (NY-18) introduced the Standard Fees to Expedite Evaluation and Streamlining Act (Standard FEES Act) in an effort to streamline the application process for placing communication facilities on federal property by removing equivocal and confusing fees. Upon introduction of the Standard FEES Act, Rep. Palmer released the following statement:

"The goal of the Standards FEES Act is to help streamline the application process for placing communication facilities on federal property," said Rep. Palmer. "The process has long been characterized by complex and ambiguous fees. This leads to the application process being riddled with confusion for businesses. The Standard FEES Act requires the General Services Administration (GSA) to establish a standard fee schedule so businesses can have more clarity and certainty in their application processes."

“The Standard FEES Act will enable federal dollars for broadband deployment to flow faster and will make the deployment process more efficient. The digital divide in America leaves too many behind—I’ll always fight for practical solutions that bring high speed internet to every household,” said Rep. Ryan.

If passed, the Standard FEES Act would establish a common fee for the processing of applications for deploying communication facilities on federal land. The fee would be competitively neutral and would be allowed to cover the costs of granting an easement, right of way, or lease.

Read the text of the bill here.