Requires all new residential construction to have pre-installed sufficient raceways to allow post-construction broadband cable deployment.
Assembly Bill 5136 requires developers of new residential construction in New Jersey to install pre-built raceways—protected channels or conduits for wiring—so broadband cables can be added after construction. The requirement applies to projects whose construction permit applications were not already declared complete before the bill’s effective date. Installation is to occur during normal trenching or utility work associated with the development.
The bill defines a raceway as a four-inch channel designed to accommodate at least two broadband providers, and it requires that access be available in a non-discriminatory manner. Developers may satisfy the requirement by leasing or purchasing a preexisting raceway, but any such arrangement cannot give exclusive control that would block access by other providers. The bill also directs the Commissioner of Community Affairs to adopt rules setting standards for design, installation, adequacy, minimum sizing, and access requirements.
If enacted, the bill would amend New Jersey’s residential construction standards under the State Uniform Construction Code framework by adding a broadband-ready infrastructure requirement for new housing developments. It would affect developers, local enforcing agencies, telecommunications utilities, and broadband providers by making raceway installation part of the construction process and by establishing state-level standards for future compliance. The measure is intended to make post-construction broadband deployment easier and more competitive by ensuring physical pathways are available for multiple providers.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the overall sentiment appears supportive and policy-oriented rather than contested. The bill is framed as a practical infrastructure requirement to improve broadband access in new homes and to avoid later disruption from retrofitting. No recorded opposition, amendments, or roll-call votes are included in the available context.
The main potential point of contention is the mandate itself: developers may view the raceway requirement, minimum sizing standard, and access rules as an added construction cost and design constraint. Another likely issue is the non-exclusive access requirement, which limits private arrangements that would prevent at least two broadband providers from using the raceway. Broadband providers and telecommunications utilities may also have differing views on how access, leasing, and ownership should be structured, but no specific objections are documented in the provided history.