Public Lands Telecommunications Act

To support the establishment and improvement of communications sites on or adjacent to Federal lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture through the retention and use of rental fees associated with such sites, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Public Lands Telecommunications Act 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Communications site The term communications site (2) Communications use The term communications use (3) Communications use authorization The term communications use authorization (4) Federal land management agency The term Federal land management agency (5) Federal lands The term Federal lands (6) Rental fee The term rental fee 3. Retention of rental fees associated with communications use authorizations on Federal lands and Federal land management agency support for communication site programs (a) Special account required The Secretary of the Treasury shall establish a special account in the Treasury for each Federal land management agency for the deposit of rental fees received by a Federal land management agency for communications use authorizations on Federal lands granted, issued, or executed by the Federal land management agency. (b) Deposit and Retention of rental fees Rental fees received by a Federal land management agency shall— (1) be deposited in the special account established for that Federal land management agency; and (2) remain available for expenditure under subsection (c), without further appropriation and until expended. (c) Expenditure of retained fees Amounts deposited in the special account for a Federal land management agency shall be used for Federal land management agency activities related to communications sites, including the following: (1) Administering communications use authorizations, including cooperative agreements under section 4. (2) Preparing needs assessments or other programmatic analyses necessary to designate communications sites and authorize communications uses on or adjacent to Federal lands. (3) Developing management plans for communications sites on or adjacent to Federal lands. (4) Training for management of communications sites on or adjacent to Federal lands. (5) Obtaining or improving access to communications sites on or adjacent to Federal lands. (d) No effect on other fee retention authorities This Act shall not limit or otherwise affect fee retention by a Federal land management agency under any other authority. 4. Cooperative agreement authority (a) Department of the interior The Secretary of the Interior may enter into cooperative agreements for administration of communications sites. (b) Forest service The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, may enter into cooperative agreements for administration of communications sites.

Summary: Public Lands Telecommunications Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to establish separate special accounts for the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Forest Service (the federal land management agencies) for the deposit of rental fees received by such agencies for communications use authorizations on federal lands that are granted, issued, or executed by them. A "communication use authorization" is defined as a right-of-way, permit, or lease granted, issued, or executed by a federal land management agency for the primary purpose of authorizing the occupancy and use of federal lands for communications use. The rental fees received by each federal land management agency shall: be deposited in its special account, and remain available for expenditure for agency activities related to communications sites (those areas of federal lands designated for telecommunications uses). The Departments of the Interior and Agriculture may enter into cooperative agreements for the administration of communications sites.