119-hr5419

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5419 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 5419

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

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 September 17, 2025

 Mr. Kean 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 ensuring 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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