Federal Broadband Permit Coordination Act of 2023

Subjects: Science, Technology, Communications


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3306 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3306

  To facilitate Federal broadband permit coordination, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 15, 2023

  Mr. Curtis 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 facilitate Federal broadband permit coordination, 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 ``Federal Broadband Permit 
Coordination Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. FEDERAL BROADBAND PERMIT COORDINATION.

    (a) Memorandum of Understanding.--Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned, in 
consultation with the National Conference of State Historic 
Preservation Officers and the National Association of Tribal Historic 
Preservation Officers, shall enter into, in accordance with this 
section, a memorandum of understanding with--
            (1) the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the 
        Interior (as the case may be);
            (2) the Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; and
            (3) the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife 
        Service.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the memorandum of understanding 
entered into under subsection (a) shall be to coordinate and expedite 
permitting decisions for broadband projects.
    (c) State or Tribal Participation.--The Secretary concerned may 
request that the Governor of a State or the officer designated by the 
governing body of an Indian Tribe with one or more broadband projects 
be a party to the memorandum of understanding entered into under 
subsection (a).
    (d) Designation of Qualified Staff.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
        entrance into a memorandum of understanding under subsection 
        (a), the head of each Federal agency that is a party to the 
        memorandum of understanding (other than the Secretary 
        concerned) may, if the head of the Federal agency determines it 
        to be appropriate, designate to each State or regional office 
        (that has been delegated responsibility by the Secretary 
        concerned for issuing permits for broadband projects) an 
        employee of that Federal agency with expertise in regulatory 
        issues relating to that Federal agency, including, as 
        applicable, particular expertise in--
                    (A) planning under the Forest and Rangeland 
                Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 
                1600 et seq.) and planning under the Federal Land 
                Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et 
                seq.);
                    (B) the preparation of analyses under the National 
                Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
                seq.); or
                    (C) consultation and the preparation of biological 
                opinions under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act 
                of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1536).
            (2) Establishment of streamlining team.--If employees are 
        designated under paragraph (1), the Secretary concerned shall 
        establish a broadband permit streamlining team, comprised of 
        such employees, in each State or regional office that has been 
        delegated responsibility by the Secretary concerned for issuing 
        permits for broadband projects.
            (3) Duties.--Each employee designated under paragraph (1) 
        shall--
                    (A) be responsible for any issue relating to any 
                broadband project, within the jurisdiction of the State 
                or regional office, under the authority of the Federal 
                agency from which the employee is assigned; and
                    (B) participate as part of the team of personnel 
                working on one or more proposed broadband projects, 
                including with respect to planning and environmental 
                analyses.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Broadband project.--The term ``broadband project'' 
        means an installation, by a broadband provider on Federal land, 
        of wireline or wireless broadband infrastructure that enables a 
        user to originate and receive high-quality voice, data, 
        graphics, and video telecommunications, including copper lines, 
        fiber optic lines, communications towers, buildings, or other 
        improvements.
            (2) Broadband provider.--The term ``broadband provider'' 
        means a provider of wireline or wireless broadband 
        infrastructure that enables a user to originate and receive 
        high-quality voice, data, graphics, and video 
        telecommunications.
            (3) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the 
        meaning given the term ``Indian tribe'' in section 102 of the 
        Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 
        5130).
            (4) 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)).
            (5) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned'' 
        means--
                    (A) the Secretary of Agriculture (acting through 
                the Chief of the Forest Service), with respect to 
                National Forest System land; and
                    (B) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to 
                land managed by the Department of the Interior 
                (including land held in trust for an Indian Tribe).
            (6) State.--The term ``State'' means each State of the 
        United States, the District of Columbia, and each territory or 
        possession of the United States.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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