[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7367 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7367
To require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and
Information to report to Congress every 60 days on barriers to
implementation by the Department of Interior and Department of
Agriculture of an online portal to accept, process, and dispose of an
application for the placement of communications facilities on certain
Federal lands.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 25, 2020
Mr. McKinley introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on
Agriculture, and Energy and Commerce, 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 Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and
Information to report to Congress every 60 days on barriers to
implementation by the Department of Interior and Department of
Agriculture of an online portal to accept, process, and dispose of an
application for the placement of communications facilities on certain
Federal lands.
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 ``Facilitating the Deployment of
Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions And Legacy
Applications Act'' or the ``Facilitating DIGITAL Applications Act''.
SEC. 2. BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION OF AN ONLINE PORTAL FOR FORM 299.
(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) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary''
means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications
and Information.
(3) 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.
(4) Communications use.--The term ``communications use''
means the placement and operation of a 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) Form 299.--The term ``Form 299'' means the form
established under section 6409(b)(2)(A) of the Middle Class Tax
Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1455(b)(2)(A)),
or any successor form.
(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) Barriers to Implementation.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this section, and every 60 days thereafter until
the notification described in paragraph (2), the Assistant
Secretary shall submit a report to the appropriate committees
in Congress--
(A) describing whether the Department concerned has
established an online portal for the acceptance,
processing, and disposal of a Form 299; and
(B) describing barriers to the establishment of an
online portal for the acceptance, processing, and
disposal of a Form 299.
(2) Notification described.--The Secretary concerned shall
notify the Assistant Secretary not later than 3 business days
after the Department concerned has established an online portal
for the acceptance, processing, and disposal of a Form 299.
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