[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3995 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3995

 To direct the Administrator of the General Services Administration to 
install Wi-Fi hotspots and wireless neutral host systems in all Federal 
   buildings in order to improve in-building wireless communications 
coverage and commercial network capacity by offloading wireless traffic 
                   onto wireline broadband networks.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 1, 2010

 Ms. Snowe (for herself and Mr. Warner) introduced the following bill; 
 which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and 
                              Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Administrator of the General Services Administration to 
install Wi-Fi hotspots and wireless neutral host systems in all Federal 
   buildings in order to improve in-building wireless communications 
coverage and commercial network capacity by offloading wireless traffic 
                   onto wireline broadband networks.

    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 ``Federal Wi-Net Act''.

SEC. 2. INSTALLATION OF WI-FI HOTSPOTS AND WIRELESS NEUTRAL HOST 
              SYSTEMS IN ALL FEDERAL BUILDINGS.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator of the General Services 
Administration shall--
            (1) install Wi-Fi hotspots in all publicly accessible 
        Federal buildings constructed after the date of enactment of 
        this Act;
            (2) allow for the installation of wireless neutral host 
        systems by any eligible carriers upon request in all publicly 
        accessible Federal buildings; and
            (3) in a manner consistent with sound management 
        principles, retrofit all Federal buildings constructed prior to 
        the date of enactment of this Act on a timetable that reflects 
        the importance of wireless communication to the Federal 
        functions being performed by the occupants of such buildings, 
        provided that all such building shall be retrofitted not later 
        than December 31, 2013.
    (b) Funding.--There shall be made available from the Federal 
Buildings Fund established under section 592 of title 40, United States 
Code, $15,000,000 to carry out this section. Such sums shall be derived 
from the unobligated balance of amounts made available from the Federal 
Buildings Fund for fiscal year 2010, and prior fiscal years, for 
repairs and alterations and other activities (excluding amounts made 
available for the energy program). Such sums shall remain available 
until expended.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL EASEMENTS AND RIGHTS-OF-WAY.

    (a) Grant.--If an executive agency, a State, a political 
subdivision or agency of a State, or a person applies for the grant of 
an easement or rights-of-way to, in, over, or on a building owned by 
the Federal Government for the right to install, construct, and 
maintain wireless transmitters and backhaul transmission, the executive 
agency having control of the building may grant to the applicant, on 
behalf of the Federal Government, an easement or rights-of-way to 
perform such installation, construction, and maintenance.
    (b) Application.--The Administrator of the General Services 
Administration shall develop a common form for rights-of-way 
applications required under subsection (a) for all executive agencies 
that shall be used by applicants with respect to the buildings of each 
such agency.
    (c) Fee.--
            (1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, in making a grant of an easement or rights-of-way pursuant 
        to subsection (a), the Administrator of the General Services 
        Administration shall establish a reasonable fee for the award 
        of such grant that is based on fair market prices.
            (2) Exceptions.--The Administrator of the General Services 
        Administration may establish exceptions to the fee amount 
        required under paragraph (1)--
                    (A) in consideration of the public benefit provided 
                by a grant of an easement or rights-of-way; and
                    (B) in the interest of expanding wireless and 
                broadband coverage.
    (d) Use of Fees Collected.--Any fee amounts collected by an 
executive agency pursuant to subsection (b) shall be used by the agency 
for the construction and maintenance of Wi-Fi hotspots and wireless 
neutral host systems.

SEC. 4. MASTER CONTRACTS FOR WIRELESS TRANSMITTER SITINGS.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding section 704 of the 
Telecommunications Act of 1996, or any regulation pursuant thereto, or 
any other provision of law, and not later than 60 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the General Services 
Administration shall develop one or more master contracts that shall 
govern the placement of wireless transmitters on buildings owned by the 
Federal Government. Such master contract shall, with respect to the 
siting of wireless transmitters, standardize the treatment of covering 
rooftop space, equipment, and technology, and any other key issues that 
the Administrator determines appropriate.
    (b) Applicability.--The master contract developed by the 
Administrator of the General Services Administration under subsection 
(a) shall apply to all publicly accessible buildings owned by the 
Federal Government, unless the Administrator decides that local issues 
with respect to the siting of wireless transmitters requires non-
standard treatment of a specific building.
    (c) Application.--The Administrator of the General Services 
Administration shall develop a common form or set of forms for wireless 
transmitter siting applications required under this section for all 
executive agencies that shall be used by applicants with respect to the 
buildings of each such agency.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    As used in this Act:
            (1) Wireless neutral host system.--The term ``wireless 
        neutral host system'' means a small cellular communications 
        base station and related antenna, such as a femtocell, 
        picocell, or similar device or apparatus, that is connected to 
        a broadband service to provide--
                    (A) improved cellular coverage within a building; 
                and
                    (B) increased network capacity.
            (2) Wi-fi hotspot.--The term ``Wi-Fi hotspot'' means a site 
        or area in which the public can access the Internet via a 
        wireless connection.
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