Title: Public Lands Telecommunications Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

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:
The Department of the Interior and the Forest Service may enter into cooperative agreements to carry out those activities related to such sites.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2425 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2425

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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 16, 2017

 Mr. Huffman 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 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.

    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 ``Public Lands Telecommunications 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Communications site.--The term ``communications site'' 
        means an area of Federal lands designated for 
        telecommunications uses.
            (2) Communications use.--The term ``communications use'' 
        means the placement and operation of infrastructure for 
        wireline or wireless telecommunications, regardless of whether 
        the use of radio frequencies by such telecommunications is 
        pursuant to a license issued by the Federal Communications 
        Commission or on an unlicensed basis in accordance with the 
        regulations of the Commission. The term includes ancillary 
        activities directly related to such placement and operation.
            (3) Communications use authorization.--The term 
        ``communications use authorization'' means 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.
            (4) Federal land management agency.--The term ``Federal 
        land management agency'' means the National Park Service, the 
        United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land 
        Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Forest Service.
            (5) Federal lands.--The term ``Federal lands'' means lands 
        under the jurisdiction and management of a Federal land 
        management agency.
            (6) Rental fee.--The term ``rental fee'' means the fee 
        collected by a Federal land management agency for the occupancy 
        and use authorized by a communications use authorization 
        pursuant to and consistent with authorizing law.

SEC. 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), 
        to the extent and in such amounts as are provided in advance in 
        appropriation Acts.
    (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.

SEC. 4. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT AUTHORITY.

    (a) Department of the Interior.--The Secretary of the Interior may 
enter into cooperative agreements to carry out the activities described 
in section 3(c).
    (b) Forest Service.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through 
the Chief of the Forest Service, may enter into cooperative agreements 
to carry out the activities described in section 3(c).
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