Federal Bill: HR 2289

Bill Summary

HR 2289, the American Broadband Deployment Act of 2025, effectively eliminates local discretion over where wireless facilities—cell towers, small cells, and antennas—can be placed. Local governments "may not deny and shall approve" virtually any antenna on any existing structure that could support transmission equipment, including utility poles, light poles, overhead wires, apartments, single-family homes, and schools. For new towers, carriers need only claim an "improvement or enhancement" of service—with no requirement to demonstrate a service gap—and local zoning is overridden. The bill converts FCC shot clocks into hard deadlines (10 days for small cells, 30 days otherwise); missed deadlines result in applications being automatically "deemed granted," and moratoria are prohibited. Most wireless facilities are also exempted from review under NEPA and the National Historic Preservation Act, including review for human health impacts, and state and federal courts, including the Supreme Court, are bound by FCC interpretations.

Why It Matters to MAHA

HR 2289 strips parents, cities, and school boards of any meaningful authority to decide where cell towers and wireless antennas are placed—including on utility poles, light poles, schools, and residential streets. That loss of local control matters because the long-term health effects of electromagnetic radiation exposure on children have never been adequately studied, especially in the places kids spend their days: classrooms, playgrounds, and youth sports fields. Until the science catches up, communities must retain the right to apply caution near schools and children's outdoor spaces. This bill removes that right and eliminates informed consent for millions of families.