Bill > HR1061

This bill, the Connecting And Building Lines for Expedited Expansion Act (or CABLE Expansion Act), amends the Communications Act of 1934 to preserve cable franchising authority. The key provisions include: 1. Affirming the authority of franchising authorities to make decisions regarding the placement, construction, and modification of cable facilities within their jurisdiction, while limiting that authority from prohibiting or restricting a cable operator's ability to provide or enhance cable service. 2. Requiring franchising authorities to approve or deny a complete request for authorization to place, construct, or modify a cable facility within specific timeframes (90 days for requests involving eligible support infrastructure, and 150 days for other requests), and specifying that these timeframes cannot be tolled by any moratorium. 3. Defining "eligible support infrastructure" as infrastructure that supports or houses a communication facility at the time the request is received, and "covered facility" as a cable service facility that serves subscribers using an easement or public right-of-way. The bill aims to streamline the process for cable operators to deploy and enhance their infrastructure, while preserving the role of local franchising authorities in the decision-making process.