Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act

IIB 118TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 3293 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES DECEMBER 17 (legislative day, DECEMBER 16), 2024 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation AN ACT To require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Commu- nications and Information to establish an interagency strike force to ensure that certain Federal land manage- ment agencies, including the organizational units of such agencies, prioritize the review of requests for communica- tions use authorizations, and for other purposes. VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:39 Dec 18, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H3293.RFS H3293 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 2 HR 3293 RFS Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Expediting Federal 4 Broadband Deployment Reviews Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERAGENCY STRIKE FORCE. 6 (a) INTERAGENCY STRIKE FORCE.— 7 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days 8 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the As- 9 sistant Secretary shall establish an interagency 10 strike force to ensure that each Federal land man- 11 agement agency, including each organizational unit 12 of the agency, prioritizes the review of requests for 13 communications use authorizations. 14 (2) MEMBERS.—The strike force shall be com- 15 posed of— 16 (A) the Assistant Secretary; 17 (B) the head of each Federal land manage- 18 ment agency; 19 (C) a designee of the Secretary of Agri- 20 culture, other than the Chief of the Forest 21 Service; and 22 (D) a designee of the Secretary of the In- 23 terior, other than the Director of the Bureau of 24 Land Management. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:39 Dec 18, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3293.RFS H3293 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 3 HR 3293 RFS (3) DUTIES.—The duties of the strike force 1 shall include— 2 (A) conducting periodic calls between the 3 members of the strike force to ensure that each 4 Federal land management agency, including 5 each organizational unit of the agency, 6 prioritizes the review of requests for commu- 7 nications use authorizations; 8 (B) establishing objective and reasonable 9 goals for the review of requests for communica- 10 tions use authorizations; and 11 (C) monitoring, and facilitating the ac- 12 countability of, each Federal land management 13 agency, including each organizational unit of 14 the agency, with respect to meeting such goals. 15 (4) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 16 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 17 the Assistant Secretary shall submit to the appro- 18 priate congressional committees a report on the ef- 19 fectiveness of the strike force in ensuring that each 20 Federal land management agency, including each or- 21 ganizational unit of the agency, prioritizes the review 22 of requests for communications use authorizations. 23 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:39 Dec 18, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3293.RFS H3293 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 4 HR 3293 RFS (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT- 1 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com- 2 mittees’’ means— 3 (A) the Committee on Energy and Com- 4 merce of the House of Representatives; 5 (B) the Committee on Natural Resources 6 of the House of Representatives; 7 (C) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 8 and Transportation of the Senate; 9 (D) the Committee on Environment and 10 Public Works of the Senate; 11 (E) the Committee on Agriculture of the 12 House of Representatives; and 13 (F) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri- 14 tion, and Forestry of the Senate. 15 (2) ASSISTANT SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Assist- 16 ant Secretary’’ means the Assistant Secretary of 17 Commerce for Communications and Information. 18 (3) COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY.—The term 19 ‘‘communications facility’’ has the meaning given the 20 term ‘‘communications facility installation’’ in sec- 21 tion 6409(d) of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job 22 Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1455(d)). 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:39 Dec 18, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3293.RFS H3293 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 5 HR 3293 RFS (4) COMMUNICATIONS USE.—The term ‘‘com- 1 munications use’’ means the placement and oper- 2 ation of a communications facility. 3 (5) COMMUNICATIONS USE AUTHORIZATION.— 4 The term ‘‘communications use authorization’’ 5 means an easement, right-of-way, lease, license, or 6 other authorization— 7 (A) provided by a Federal land manage- 8 ment agency; 9 (B) to locate or modify a communications 10 facility on covered land; and 11 (C) for the primary purpose of authorizing 12 the occupancy and use of such land for commu- 13 nications use. 14 (6) COVERED LAND.—The term ‘‘covered land’’ 15 means— 16 (A) public lands; and 17 (B) National Forest System land. 18 (7) FEDERAL LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCY.— 19 The term ‘‘Federal land management agency’’ 20 means each of the following: 21 (A) The Bureau of Land Management. 22 (B) The Forest Service. 23 (8) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM.—The term 24 ‘‘National Forest System’’ has the meaning given 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:39 Dec 18, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3293.RFS H3293 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 6 HR 3293 RFS that term in section 11(a) of the Forest and Range- 1 land Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 2 U.S.C. 1609(a)). 3 (9) ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT.—The term ‘‘orga- 4 nizational unit’’ means— 5 (A) with respect to the Bureau of Land 6 Management— 7 (i) a State office; 8 (ii) a regional office; 9 (iii) a district office; or 10 (iv) a field office; and 11 (B) with respect to the Forest Service— 12 (i) a regional office; 13 (ii) a management unit; or 14 (iii) a ranger district office. 15 (10) PUBLIC LANDS.—The term ‘‘public lands’’ 16 has the meaning given that term in section 103 of 17 the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 18 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702). 19 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:39 Dec 18, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3293.RFS H3293 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 7 HR 3293 RFS (11) STRIKE FORCE.—The term ‘‘strike force’’ 1 means the interagency strike force established under 2 subsection (a)(1). 3 Passed the House of Representatives December 16, 2024. Attest: KEVIN F. MCCUMBER, Clerk. VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:39 Dec 18, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3293.RFS H3293 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS