S. 1685 would direct the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to amend regulations related to the height and dimensions of certain antenna structures. Under the bill, the regulations would be amended to prohibit private land-use restrictions from applying to antennas used for amateur radio communications if the restrictions prevent or impede those communications.
Based on information from the FCC, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1685 would cost less than $500,000. Further, the agency is authorized to collect fees sufficient to offset its regulatory costs each year; therefore, CBO estimates that the net discretionary cost would be negligible, assuming appropriation actions consistent with that authority.
Enacting S. 1685 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting S. 1685 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year period beginning in 2027.
S. 1685 contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.
The bill contains a private-sector mandate as defined in UMRA because it would prohibit the application of private land-use restrictions that are inconsistent with the requirements in the bill. The mandate would apply to private entities such as homeowners associations by limiting their ability to apply land-use restrictions on amateur radio communications. Homeowner association rules, mobile home park agreements, condo association bylaws, and deed covenants could be affected by the bill’s prohibition.
The cost of the mandate would be any costs associated with revising private land-use policies if necessary to comply with the bill. Such costs would probably be small. Therefore, CBO estimates that the aggregate cost of the mandate would fall below the annual threshold established in UMRA for private-sector mandates ($154 million in 2016, adjusted annually for inflation).
