[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 8 (Thursday, January 11, 2018)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 1507-1509]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-00553]



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Vol. 83

Thursday,

No. 8

January 11, 2018

Part IV





The President





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Executive Order 13821--Streamlining and Expediting Requests To Locate 
Broadband Facilities in Rural America
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  Federal Register / Vol. 83 , No. 8 / Thursday, January 11, 2018 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

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                Executive Order 13821 of January 8, 2018

                
 Streamlining and Expediting Requests To Locate 
                Broadband Facilities in Rural America

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, and in order to promote better access to 
                broadband internet service in rural America, it is 
                hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Policy. Americans need access to reliable, 
                affordable broadband internet service to succeed in 
                today's information-driven, global economy. Currently, 
                too many American citizens and businesses still lack 
                access to this basic tool of modern economic 
                connectivity. This problem is particularly acute in 
                rural America, and it hinders the ability of rural 
                American communities to increase economic prosperity; 
                attract new businesses; enhance job growth; extend the 
                reach of affordable, high-quality healthcare; enrich 
                student learning with digital tools; and facilitate 
                access to the digital marketplace.

                It shall therefore be the policy of the executive 
                branch to use all viable tools to accelerate the 
                deployment and adoption of affordable, reliable, modern 
                high-speed broadband connectivity in rural America, 
                including rural homes, farms, small businesses, 
                manufacturing and production sites, tribal communities, 
                transportation systems, and healthcare and education 
                facilities.

                To implement this policy and enable sustainable rural 
                broadband infrastructure projects, executive 
                departments and agencies (agencies) should seek to 
                reduce barriers to capital investment, remove obstacles 
                to broadband services, and more efficiently employ 
                Government resources.

                Among other actions, the executive branch will continue 
                its implementation of section 6409 of the Middle Class 
                Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Public Law 
                112-96) (``section 6409''), which requires, among other 
                things, that the General Services Administration (GSA) 
                develop a common form and master contract for wireless 
                facility sitings on buildings and other property owned 
                by the Federal Government. These documents enable the 
                Federal Government to process wireless facility siting 
                requests more efficiently and will also provide 
                additional predictability regarding the availability of 
                locations for asset installation to installers of 
                wireless broadband facilities.

                Sec. 2. Reviewing Requests to Locate Broadband 
                Facilities on Federal Real Property. (a) Within 180 
                days of the date of this order, the Administrator of 
                General Services (Administrator), in coordination with 
                the heads of Federal property managing agencies, shall 
                evaluate the effectiveness of the GSA Common Form 
                Application for use in streamlining and expediting the 
                processing and review of requests to locate broadband 
                facilities on Federal real property.

                    (b) As part of this evaluation, the Administrator 
                shall determine whether any revisions to the GSA Common 
                Form Application are appropriate and, to the extent 
                consistent with law, shall begin implementation of any 
                such revisions.
                    (c) In furtherance of section 6409, all applicants 
                and Federal property managing agencies shall use the 
                GSA Common Form Application for wireless service 
                antenna structure siting developed by the Administrator 
                for requests to locate broadband facilities on Federal 
                property. Federal property managing agencies shall 
                expeditiously review and approve such requests unless 
                an

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                approval would negatively affect performance of the 
                agency's mission or otherwise not be in the best 
                interests of the United States.
                    (d) Within 180 days of the date of this order, and 
                on a quarterly basis thereafter, all Federal property 
                managing agencies shall report to the GSA regarding 
                their required use of the Common Form Application, the 
                number of Common Form Applications received, the 
                percentage approved, the percentage rejected, the basis 
                for any rejection, and the number of working days each 
                application was pending before being approved or 
                rejected. Each report shall include the number of 
                applications received, approved, and rejected within 
                the preceding quarter.
                    (e) Ninety days after the date of this order, and 
                on a quarterly basis thereafter, the Administrator 
                shall prepare and provide to the Director of the Office 
                of Management and Budget (Director) an aggregated 
                summary report detailing results from the reports 
                submitted under subsection (d) of this section. Not 
                later than 1 year from the date of this order, the 
                Administrator shall recommend to the Director 
                improvements to the Common Form Application needed to 
                further the purposes of this order.

                Sec. 3. Definitions. As used in this order:

                    (a) The term ``Federal property managing agencies'' 
                means agencies that have custody and control of, or 
                responsibility for managing, Federal lands, buildings, 
                and rights of way, federally assisted highways, and 
                tribal lands.
                    (b) The term ``Federal real property'' has the same 
                meaning as that term has in Executive Order 13327 of 
                February 4, 2004 (Federal Real Property Asset 
                Management).

                Sec. 4. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order 
                shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or 
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director relating to budgetary, administrative, 
or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
                applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.

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                    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, 
                create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
                enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
                other person.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    January 8, 2018.

[FR Doc. 2018-00553
Filed 1-10-18; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F8-P