HR 3557 IS THE LARGEST AND MOST DANGEROUS POWER GRAB BIG TELECOM HAS EVER MADE!

Yes, while we’ve been fighting harmful telecom legislation at the California state level, Big Telecom money has “encouraged” members of the U.S. Congress to introduce a measure that will massively expand federal authority and effectively eliminate local authority over wireless installations.

If you have not yet acted, please use CHD’s quick-action link to send a message to your member of Congress NOW. STOP HR 3557

Check out Doug Wood’s one minute video on HR 3557 at Americans for Responsible Technology.org and the sample Municipal Resolution opposing HR 3557 that anyone can send to your local City or County officials.
https://www.americansforresponsibletech.org/stop3557

Note: Six companion bills are in the pipeline, but HR 3557 is the worst.
See flyer below for more info.
Another important point: This bill is touted as a solution to the digital divide, but here’s the thing…

Wireless won’t solve the Digital Divide
The truth is, wireless broadband, especially the basic services offered to low-income families, is notoriously slow, unreliable, and unable to meet the demands of present and future digital communications.

Even the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) and CPUC (CA Public Utilities Commission) regulators have determined that fiber connections are technologically superior to wireless and will provide much better access for the unserved and underserved communities. In addition to the cost savings, fiber offers greater capacity, performance, lower maintenance costs, and a MUCH longer technological lifetime than wireless. 

Another important action…
In spite of the opposition from these organizations listed below, HR 3557 continues to progress. That’s why we’re asking for your action. We’ve been hearing that some mayors (and supervisors) don’t even know about this terrible bill and what it will do. You can simply email or snail mail them a copy of the position papers below or send the Municipal Resolution opposing HR 3557  from Americans for Repsonsible Technology mentioned above. You can also make a call, or give comment at one of their meetings during comment time for non-agenda items.

** United States Conference of Mayors- Adopted resolution to Oppose HR:3557:
https://www.usmayors.org/the-conference/adopted-policies/

** National League of Cities- Opposition article re: HR 3557 and call to action:  https://www.nlc.org/article/2023/06/08/house-committee-advances-communications-infrastructure-preemption-bill/

**National Association of Counties- Opposition article re: HR 3557 and call to action:
https://www.naco.org/blog/house-committee-advances-local-authority-preemption-bill-broadband-deployment-projects?page=1

 Excerpt From 5-26-23: letter: The National Association of Counties (NACo), alongside local government organization partners the National League of Cities (NLC), the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), and the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) urged the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology to reject legislation that would infringe upon local authorities prior to an April 19 markup of the component bills to H.R. 3557. A link to the letter can be found here. Counties strongly urge Congress to preserve all local land use and zoning authorities throughout the stages of deployment of broadband infrastructure projects. Counties stand ready to serve as partners in the deployment of broadband infrastructure projects, and a preemption of local decision-making authority would only subvert the intentions of historic federally-funded broadband programs by reducing the ability of counties to ensure deployment projects will meet all community needs.