[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7349 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7349
To require the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of
Agriculture to provide a plan to ensure adequate staffing throughout
organizational units of the Department of the Interior and Department
of Agriculture to review communications use authorizations in a timely
manner.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 25, 2020
Mr. Flores 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 require the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of
Agriculture to provide a plan to ensure adequate staffing throughout
organizational units of the Department of the Interior and Department
of Agriculture to review communications use authorizations in a timely
manner.
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. ENABLING ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW.
(a) Definitions.--In this Act:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' 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'' includes--
(A) any infrastructure, including any transmitting
device, tower, or support structure, and any equipment,
switches, wiring, cabling, power sources, shelters, or
cabinets, associated with the licensed or permitted
unlicensed wireless or wireline transmission of
writings, signs, signals, data, images, pictures, and
sounds of all kinds; and
(B) any antenna or apparatus that--
(i) is designed for the purpose of emitting
radio frequency;
(ii) is designed to be operated, or is
operating, from a fixed location pursuant to
authorization by the Commission or is using
duly authorized devices that do not require
individual licenses; and
(iii) is added to a tower, building, or
other structure.
(3) Communications site.--The term ``communications site''
means an area of covered land designated for communications
uses.
(4) Communications use.--The term ``communications use''
means the placement and operation of communications facility.
(5) Communications use authorization.--The term
``communications use authorization'' means an easement, right-
of-way, lease, license, or other authorization to locate or
modify a communications facility on covered land by the
Department concerned for the primary purpose of authorizing the
occupancy and use of the covered land for communications use.
(6) Covered land.--The term ``covered land'' means--
(A) public land administered by the Secretary of
the Interior; and
(B) National Forest System land.
(7) Department concerned.--The term ``Department
concerned'' means the Department of the Interior or the
Department of Agriculture.
(8) Organizational unit.--The term ``organizational unit''
means--
(A) with respect to public land administered by the
Secretary of the Interior--
(i) a State office;
(ii) a district office; or
(iii) a field office; and
(B) within the Forest Service--
(i) a regional office;
(ii) the headquarters;
(iii) a management unit; or
(iv) a ranger district office.
(9) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned''
means--
(A) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to
public land; and
(B) the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to
National Forest System land.
(b) Study Required.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned shall submit a report to
the appropriate committees of Congress--
(1) providing an assessment on programmatic or
administrative barriers to reviewing communications use
authorizations by the Department concerned or organizational
units of the Department concerned;
(2) providing an assessment whether there are rules or
regulations of the Department concerned that could be revised
to improve the efficiency of reviewing a communications use
authorization;
(3) describing the process for prioritizing the review of a
communications use authorization; and
(4) providing a plan to ensure adequate staffing throughout
organizational units of the Department concerned to review
communications use authorizations in a timely manner.
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