(The Last American Vagabond) On December 3rd, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced a package of fifteen bills that would reduce the ability of local municipalities to regulate wireless telecommunication technology. The passing of the bills from the committee came only days after the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) published a new rule in the Federal Register that is also aimed at taking away power from local governments when it comes to legislating the rollout of wireless technology.

Critics view both moves as a gift to the wireless telecommunications industry—often derisively called "Big Wireless."

Of the fifteen bills advanced by the committee, H.R. 2289 is considered the most concerning, according to Environmental Health Sciences (EHS), a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and science organization. EHS warns that H.R. 2289, also known as the Proportional Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act, would grant "sweeping advantages to industry" by rewriting federal law to "override and basically steamroll local authority".

EHS argues that the bill would force local governments to approve cell towers and wireless modifications or expansions with inadequate review, despite known health, environmental, and safety risks.