[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 186 (Monday, December 16, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H7156-H7157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FEDERAL BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT TRACKING ACT
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 3343) to require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for
Communications and Information to submit to Congress a plan for the
Assistant Secretary to track the acceptance, processing, and disposal
of certain Form 299s, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3343
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 Broadband Deployment
Tracking Act''.
SEC. 2. PLAN FOR ASSISTANT SECRETARY TO TRACK THE ACCEPTANCE,
PROCESSING, AND DISPOSAL OF CERTAIN FORM 299S.
(a) Plan.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall submit
to the appropriate congressional committees a plan containing
a description of--
(1) the process by which the Assistant Secretary proposes
to--
(A) track the acceptance, processing, and disposal of each
Form 299 for communications use authorization;
(B) provide applicants additional transparency with respect
to the status of the applicable Form 299 for communications
use authorization; and
(C) most expeditiously implement the plan; and
(2) any potential barriers to implementing the plan that
are identified by the Assistant Secretary.
(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; and
(B) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
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'' 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)).
(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--
(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.
(6) Covered land.--The term ``covered land'' means--
(A) public lands; and
(B) National Forest System land.
(7) 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.
(8) National forest system.--The term ``National Forest
System'' has the meaning given the term in section 11(a) of
the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of
1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a)).
(9) Public lands.--The term ``public lands'' means land
under the management of--
(A) the Bureau of Land Management;
(B) the National Park Service;
(C) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; or
(D) the Bureau of Reclamation.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Latta) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Soto) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.
General Leave
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
insert extraneous material in the Record on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3343, the Federal
Broadband Deployment Tracking Act. This bill requires the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration to develop a plan for
tracking the broadband permitting applications on Federal lands.
Broadband is essential to participate in everyday activities.
Americans rely on their internet for their work, healthcare, education,
and more. Congress has provided billions of dollars to close the
digital divide. The NTIA is in the process of administering the $42.45
billion BEAD program and must ensure that these dollars are spent
wisely.
Too often, broadband deployment is delayed or prevented due to
unnecessary red tape in the form of burdensome permitting requirements.
Federal agencies are some of the biggest culprits behind the red tape,
delaying the deployment of broadband to the communities that are in
need.
The process of application approval for some of these permits has
unfortunately become duplicative, ineffective, and time consuming.
Worse, there is no transparency in the process.
Opaque Federal permitting review processes leave applicants in the
dark on whether their application is complete, where it is in the
review process, and when they can finally expect a decision.
The Federal Broadband Deployment Tracking Act addresses these
concerns by providing clarity into the Federal permitting process,
giving applicants transparency into the status of their reviews and
improving the processing speed and disposition of applications.
Mr. Speaker, this is an important moment in time, and we must do all
we can to ensure that every American can access reliable broadband.
I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3343, the Federal Broadband
Deployment Tracking Act.
[[Page H7157]]
Over the past 4 years, the Biden administration has worked hard to
implement historic investments made by Congress in the bipartisan
infrastructure law to expand broadband access to all Americans.
This includes the $42 billion BEAD program, which will empower States
and territories to close the digital divide and bring high-speed,
affordable internet to unserved and underserved communities.
It should come as no surprise that many of the communities lacking
internet access are rural, remote, and sparsely populated areas. Like
in my own district, areas like Kenansville, Deer Park, Bull Creek, and
Yeehaw Junction. Bringing this infrastructure to them will, in many
cases, require crossing large geographic areas.
This is especially true in many of our Western States where
significant amounts of territory are owned and managed by the Federal
Government. H.R. 3343 is going to help bring more transparency to the
status and progress of applications to deploy communications
infrastructure on publicly owned and managed lands.
The bill requires the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration to develop and implement a plan to assist communications
providers in navigating the burdens of deploying communications
infrastructure on public lands.
Ultimately, this bill should lead to more robust collaboration
between those responsible for reviewing permit applications for Federal
lands and communications providers who are trying to bring high-speed
internet to all of our constituents.
{time} 1500
I thank Representative Pfluger for his leadership on this bill that I
was happy to co-introduce with him. This bipartisan legislation is the
product of regular order, and I am pleased to see it taken up by the
full House today.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas
(Mr. Pfluger), the bill's sponsor.
Mr. PFLUGER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for
yielding me time.
I rise in support of my legislation, the Federal Broadband Deployment
Tracking Act. This bill is essential to improving transparency and
efficiency in the broadband deployment process, which will help close
the digital divide for rural Americans.
According to a 2024 GAO study on broadband deployment, the BLM and
Forest Service, which handle most of the permitting reviews on Federal
lands, often exceed the 270-day statutory deadline for processing
applications. Lengthy application reviews, excessive fees, and complex
environmental and historic preservation reviews mean delays in
providing service and higher prices leaving ordinary Americans without
basic broadband services.
My legislation is simple. It requires the National Telecommunications
and Information Administration to submit a comprehensive plan to
Congress within 180 days detailing how the agency will track the
acceptance, processing, and disposal of broadband permitting
applications on Federal lands. These applications are essential for
accessing easements and rights-of-way to build or maintain
telecommunications infrastructure. The NTIA will also be responsible
for detailing how quickly they will implement their plan and any
potential barriers that they could face.
The Federal Broadband Deployment Tracking Act is a critical step
toward a more connected America. By enhancing government accountability
and accelerating broadband deployment, we are not just improving a
process, we are investing in the future of our Nation. This act will
help ensure that investments in broadband expansion reach Americans
more quickly and effectively.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important
legislation. Together, we can close the digital divide and create a
more connected future for all Americans.
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers, if the gentleman is
ready to close. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, it is time to get this done for the American
people. I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, this bill is very essential because, again,
as we have seen, broadband is absolutely essential for everyday
Americans.
As we think about what happened during COVID, Americans were shut in,
and they relied on broadband for everything from education to
telehealth to business. It went across the board.
It is absolutely essential we get this bill passed today, and I urge
passage of this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 3343.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________