CABLE Expansion Act
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Communications and Technology.
Connecting And Building Lines for Expedited Expansion Act or the CABLE Expansion Act
This bill modifies the requirements governing decisions about the placement, construction, or modification of equipment and related facilities that are used in or attached to cable communications systems.
Specifically, state or local governments, their instrumentalities, or franchise authorities (state or local entities that regulate certain aspects of cable operators) may not regulate the placement, construction, or modification of cable equipment or facilities in a manner that effectively prohibits a cable operator from providing or enhancing its service under a franchise granted by one of those entities.
Additionally, the bill requires those entities to approve or deny a complete request to place, construct, or modify cable equipment or facilities within specified time frames. Failure to respond to the request within the specified time frame deems it automatically approved. Further, the bill requires that any denial of a request must be in writing, supported by substantial evidence contained in a written record, and publicly released at the same time as the decision is made.
The bill also permits an entity to charge fees for considering requests provided that the fees are (1) nondiscriminatory, (2) publicly disclosed in advance, and (3) based on actual and direct costs.
The modifications concerning the time frames for decisions and the fees apply retroactively to requests that are submitted prior to the enactment of the bill but have not been approved or denied.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on May 15, 2023. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on May 19, 2023: Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) introduced it on May 15, 2023. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 15, 2023, 1214 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 1210 days ago, on May 19, 2023.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 118th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2025 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers