[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 123 (Monday, July 29, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S5552]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. THUNE (for himself, Mr. Lujan, and Mr. Barrasso):
  S. 4821. A bill to require executive agencies to take steps to better 
meet the statutory deadline for processing communications use 
applications, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs.
  Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 4821

       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 ``Accelerating Broadband 
     Permits Act''.

     SEC. 2. TRACKING AND IMPROVING PROCESSING TIMES FOR 
                   COMMUNICATIONS USE APPLICATIONS.

       Section 6409(b)(3) of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job 
     Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1455(b)(3)) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:
       ``(E) Tracking and improving processing times.--
       ``(i) Data controls.--An executive agency shall develop 
     controls to ensure that data is sufficiently accurate and 
     complete to track the processing time for each application 
     described in subparagraph (A).
       ``(ii) Requirement to analyze, address, and report on delay 
     factors.--With respect to the factors that contribute to 
     delays in processing applications described in subparagraph 
     (A), an executive agency shall--

       ``(I) analyze the factors as the delays are occurring;
       ``(II) take actions to address the factors; and
       ``(III) provide an annual report on the factors to--

       ``(aa) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
     Transportation of the Senate;
       ``(bb) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
     Senate;
       ``(cc) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
     Representatives;
       ``(dd) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       ``(ee) each committee of Congress with jurisdiction over 
     the executive agency.
       ``(iii) Method for alerting staff to at-risk 
     applications.--An executive agency shall establish a method 
     to alert employees of the executive agency to any application 
     described in subparagraph (A) with respect to which the 
     executive agency is at risk of failing to meet the 270-day 
     deadline under that subparagraph.''.

     SEC. 3. MINIMUM BROADBAND PROJECT COST.

       Section 41001(6)(A) of the FAST Act (42 U.S.C. 4370m(6)(A)) 
     is amended--
       (1) in clause (iii), by striking ``or'' at the end;
       (2) by redesignating clause (iv) as clause (v); and
       (3) by inserting after clause (iii) the following:
       ``(iv)(I) is subject to NEPA;
       ``(II) involves the construction of infrastructure for 
     broadband; and
       ``(III) is likely to require a total investment of more 
     than $5,000,000; or''.
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