I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3370 
To streamline the broadband permitting process for broadband services, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 20, 2021 
Mr. CURTIS (for himself, Mr. WESTERMAN, Mr. MCKINLEY, Mr. UPTON, Mr. 
WITTMAN, and Mr. ARMSTRONG) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the 
Committees on Agriculture, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to 
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To streamline the broadband permitting process for 
broadband services, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Broadband Permitting 
Modernization Act’’. 
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title. 
Sec. 2. Table of contents. 
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Sec. 3. Enhancing Administrative Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act. 
Sec. 4. DIGITAL Applications Act. 
Sec. 5. Facilitating DIGITAL Applications Act. 
Sec. 6. Rural Broadband Permitting Efficiency Act of 2021. 
SEC. 
3. 
ENHANCING 
ADMINISTRATIVE 
REVIEWS 
FOR 
BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT ACT. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the 
‘‘Enhancing Administrative Reviews for Broadband De-
ployment Act’’. 
(b) ENABLING ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW.— 
(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(A) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON-
GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of 
Congress’’ means— 
(i) the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce of the House of Representa-
tives; 
(ii) the Committee on Natural Re-
sources of the House of Representatives; 
(iii) the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate; 
and 
(iv) the Committee on Environment 
and Public Works of the Senate. 
(B) 
COMMUNICATIONS
FACILITY.—The 
term ‘‘communications facility’’ includes— 
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(i) any infrastructure, including any 
transmitting device, tower, or support 
structure, and any equipment, switch, wir-
ing, cabling, power source, shelter, or cabi-
net, associated with the licensed or per-
mitted unlicensed wireless or wireline 
transmission of any writing, sign, signal, 
data, image, picture, or sound of any kind; 
and 
(ii) any antenna or apparatus that— 
(I) is designed for the purpose of 
emitting radio frequency; 
(II) is designed to be operated, or 
is operating, from a fixed location 
pursuant to authorization by the 
Commission or is using a duly author-
ized device that does not require an 
individual license; and 
(III) is added to a tower, build-
ing, or other structure. 
(C) COMMUNICATIONS
SITE.—The term 
‘‘communications site’’ means an area of cov-
ered land designated for communications uses. 
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(D) COMMUNICATIONS
USE.—The term 
‘‘communications use’’ means the placement 
and operation of a communications facility. 
(E) COMMUNICATIONS
USE
AUTHORIZA-
TION.—The term ‘‘communications use author-
ization’’ means an easement, right-of-way, 
lease, license, or other authorization to locate or 
modify a communications facility on covered 
land by the Department concerned for the pri-
mary purpose of authorizing the occupancy and 
use of the covered land for communications use. 
(F) COVERED LAND.—The term ‘‘covered 
land’’ means— 
(i) public land administered by the 
Secretary of the Interior; and 
(ii) National Forest System land. 
(G) 
DEPARTMENT
CONCERNED.—The 
term ‘‘Department concerned’’ means the De-
partment of the Interior or the Department of 
Agriculture. 
(H) ORGANIZATIONAL
UNIT.—The term 
‘‘organizational unit’’ means— 
(i) with respect to public land admin-
istered by the Secretary of the Interior— 
(I) a State office; 
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(II) a district office; or 
(III) a field office; and 
(ii) within the Forest Service— 
(I) a regional office; 
(II) the headquarters; 
(III) a management unit; or 
(IV) a ranger district office. 
(I) SECRETARY
CONCERNED.—The term 
‘‘Secretary concerned’’ means— 
(i) the Secretary of the Interior, with 
respect to public land; and 
(ii) the Secretary of Agriculture, with 
respect to National Forest System land. 
(2) STUDY REQUIRED.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary concerned shall submit to the appropriate 
committees of Congress a report that— 
(A) provides an assessment on pro-
grammatic or administrative barriers to review-
ing communications use authorizations by the 
Department concerned or organizational units 
of the Department concerned; 
(B) provides an assessment whether there 
are rules or regulations of the Department con-
cerned that could be revised to improve the effi-
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ciency of reviewing a communications use au-
thorization; 
(C) describes the process for prioritizing 
the review of a communications use authoriza-
tion; and 
(D) provides a plan to ensure adequate 
staffing throughout organizational units of the 
Department concerned to review communica-
tions use authorizations in a timely manner. 
SEC. 4. DIGITAL APPLICATIONS ACT. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the 
‘‘Deploying Infrastructure with Greater Internet Trans-
actions And Legacy Applications Act’’ or the ‘‘DIGITAL 
Applications Act’’. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ONLINE PORTAL FOR 
FORM 299.— 
(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(A) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON-
GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of 
Congress’’ means— 
(i) the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce of the House of Representa-
tives; 
(ii) the Committee on Natural Re-
sources of the House of Representatives; 
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(iii) the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate; 
and 
(iv) the Committee on Environment 
and Public Works of the Senate. 
(B) ASSISTANT
SECRETARY.—The term 
‘‘Assistant Secretary’’ means the Assistant Sec-
retary of Commerce for Communications and 
Information. 
(C) DEPARTMENT CONCERNED.—The term 
‘‘Department concerned’’ means the Depart-
ment of the Interior or the Department of Agri-
culture. 
(D) 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. 
(E) SECRETARY
CONCERNED.—The term 
‘‘Secretary concerned’’ means— 
(i) the Secretary of the Interior, with 
respect to land administered by such Sec-
retary; and 
(ii) the Secretary of Agriculture, with 
respect to National Forest System land. 
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