Enhancing Administrative Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3294 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3294

     To direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of 
 Agriculture to develop a plan for providing the staffing necessary to 
  ensure timely review of communications use authorizations, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 15, 2023

Mr. Armstrong (for himself and Ms. Velazquez) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in 
     addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of 
 Agriculture to develop a plan for providing the staffing necessary to 
  ensure timely review of communications use authorizations, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Enhancing Administrative Reviews for 
Broadband Deployment Act''.

SEC. 2. ENSURING TIMELY REVIEW OF COMMUNICATIONS USE AUTHORIZATIONS.

    (a) Study and Report.--
            (1) Study.--The Secretaries concerned shall each conduct, 
        with respect to the relevant covered department, a study to 
        determine--
                    (A) if there are programmatic or administrative 
                barriers to the timely review of requests for 
                communications use authorizations;
                    (B) if there are revisions to rules or regulations 
                that could be implemented to improve efficiency with 
                respect to reviewing requests for communications use 
                authorizations; and
                    (C) if there are processes for prioritizing the 
                review of requests for communications use 
                authorizations.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretaries concerned shall jointly 
        submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
        that--
                    (A) describes the results of the studies conducted 
                under paragraph (1), including any barriers, revisions, 
                or processes identified under subparagraphs (A) through 
                (C) of such paragraph; and
                    (B) includes a plan for providing, with respect to 
                the organizational units of the relevant covered 
                departments, the staffing necessary to ensure timely 
                review of communications use authorizations.
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
                House of Representatives;
                    (B) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 
                of Representatives;
                    (C) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation of the Senate; and
                    (D) the Committee on Environment and Public Works 
                of the Senate.
            (2) Communications facility.--The term ``communications 
        facility'' has the meaning given the term ``communications 
        facility installation'' in section 6409(d) of the Middle Class 
        Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1455(d)).
            (3) Communications use.--The term ``communications use'' 
        means the placement and operation of a communications facility.
            (4) Communications use authorization.--The term 
        ``communications use authorization'' means an easement, right-
        of-way, lease, license, or other authorization--
                    (A) provided by the Secretary of the Interior or 
                the Secretary of Agriculture;
                    (B) to locate or modify a communications facility 
                on covered land; and
                    (C) for the primary purpose of authorizing the 
                occupancy and use of such covered land for 
                communications use.
            (5) Covered land.--The term ``covered land'' means--
                    (A) public lands; and
                    (B) National Forest System land.
            (6) National forest system.--The term ``National Forest 
        System'' has the meaning given that term in section 11(a) of 
        the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 
        1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a)).
            (7) Organizational unit.--The term ``organizational unit'' 
        means--
                    (A) with respect to the Department of the 
                Interior--
                            (i) a State office of the Bureau of Land 
                        Management;
                            (ii) a regional office of the Bureau of 
                        Land Management;
                            (iii) a district office of the Bureau of 
                        Land Management; or
                            (iv) a field office of the Bureau of Land 
                        Management; and
                    (B) with respect to the Department of Agriculture--
                            (i) a regional office of the Forest 
                        Service;
                            (ii) a management unit of the Forest 
                        Service; or
                            (iii) a ranger district office of the 
                        Forest Service.
            (8) Public lands.--The term ``public lands'' has the 
        meaning given that term in section 103 of the Federal Land 
        Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702).
            (9) Relevant covered department.--The term ``relevant 
        covered department'' means--
                    (A) with respect to the Secretary of the Interior, 
                the Department of the Interior; and
                    (B) with respect to the Secretary of Agriculture, 
                the Department of Agriculture.
            (10) Secretaries concerned.--The term ``Secretaries 
        concerned'' means--
                    (A) the Secretary of the Interior; and
                    (B) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through 
                the Chief of the Forest Service.
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