Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act”.
To require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to establish an interagency strike force to increase prioritization by the Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture by senior management of the Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture, or an organizational unit of reviews for communications use authorizations.
A BILL
Sec. 2 Strike force
Definitions— In this section:
Appropriate committees of congress— The term “appropriate committees of Congress” means—
the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives;
the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives;
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate; and
the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate.
Assistant secretary— The term Assistant Secretary means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information.
Communications facility— The term communications facility includes—
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
any antenna or apparatus that—
is designed for the purpose of emitting radio frequency;
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
is added to a tower, building, or other structure.
Communications use— The term communications use means the placement and operation of a communications facility.
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.
Covered land— The term covered land means—
public land administered by the Secretary of the Interior; and
National Forest System land.
Department concerned— The term Department concerned means the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture.
Organization unit— The term organizational unit means—
with respect to public land administered by the Secretary of the Interior—
a State office;
a district office; or
a field office; and
within the Forest Service—
a regional office;
the headquarters;
a management unit; or
a ranger district office.
Strike force— The term Strike Force means the interagency strike force established in subsection (b)(1).
Strike force—
Establishment— Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall establish an interagency strike force to increase prioritization by the Department concerned, senior management of the Department concerned, or an organizational unit of reviews for communications use authorizations.
Duties— In carrying out the prioritization under paragraph (1), the Strike Force shall—
conduct periodic calls between members of the Strike Force relating to requests for communications use authorizations; and
monitor and facilitate accountability of the Department concerned and organizational units to meet objective and reasonable goals for the review of requests for communications use authorizations.
Members— The Strike Force shall be composed of such representatives of Departments concerned as the Assistant Secretary considers appropriate, in addition to—
the Assistant Secretary;
a representative of the Department concerned;
senior management of the Department concerned; and
the head of each organizational unit.
Report to congress— Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Strike Force shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the effectiveness of the Strike Force in increasing the prioritization of reviews for communications use authorization requests.