Title: Federal Broadband Deployment in Unserved Areas Act
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Federal Broadband Deployment in Unserved Areas Act
This bill establishes measures to facilitate the sharing of broadband availability data among federal agencies to support the deployment of broadband in unserved areas.
Specifically, the bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to share certain broadband availability data (i.e., broadband maps) with the federal agencies responsible for overseeing public land, including National Forest Service land.
The bill also establishes a working group to facilitate the preparation and interoperability of information technology systems for the provision and receipt of specified broadband information collected by the FCC.
Lastly, the bill requires a preliminary assessment of any potential barriers to such information sharing and a follow-up report assessing (1) the effectiveness of a user's ability to locate broadband infrastructure on public land, and (2) the prioritization of the review of applications for a communications use authorization in unserved areas.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1046 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1046

 To require the Federal Communications Commission to provide broadband 
          availability data to the Department of the Interior.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 15, 2021

  Mr. Curtis introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on 
  Natural Resources, and 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 require the Federal Communications Commission to provide broadband 
          availability data to the Department of the Interior.

    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 Deployment in 
Unserved Areas Act''.

SEC. 2. LOCATING FEDERAL FACILITIES IN UNSERVED AREAS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
        ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
                House of Representatives;
                    (B) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 
                of Representatives;
                    (C) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation of the Senate; and
                    (D) the Committee on Environment and Public Works 
                of the Senate.
            (2) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
        Communications Commission.
            (3) Communications facility.--The term ``communications 
        facility'' includes--
                    (A) any infrastructure, including any transmitting 
                device, tower, or support structure, and any equipment, 
                switch, wiring, cabling, power source, shelter, or 
                cabinet, associated with the licensed or permitted 
                unlicensed wireless or wireline transmission of any 
                writing, sign, signal, data, image, picture, and sound 
                of any kind; and
                    (B) 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 any 
                        duly authorized device that does not require an 
                        individual license; and
                            (iii) is added to a tower, building, or 
                        other structure.
            (4) Covered land.--The term ``covered land'' means land 
        managed by a Federal land management agency.
            (5) Department concerned.--The term ``Department 
        concerned'' means the Department of the Interior or the 
        Department of Agriculture.
            (6) Federal land management agency.--The term ``Federal 
        land management agency'' means--
                    (A) the Forest Service;
                    (B) the Bureau of Land Management;
                    (C) the National Park Service;
                    (D) the Fish and Wildlife Service; and
                    (E) the Bureau of Reclamation.
            (7) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned'' 
        means--
                    (A) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to 
                land administered by such Secretary;
                    (B) the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to 
                National Forest System land; and
                    (C) the Secretary of Commerce.
    (b) Sharing Broadband Availability Data.--
            (1) Notification.--Not later than 2 business days after the 
        creation or update of any map required under section 802(c)(1) 
        of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 642(c)(1)), the 
        Commission shall notify the Secretary concerned that the map 
        has been created or updated.
            (2) Provision of information.--Not later than 5 business 
        days after the date on which the Secretary concerned is 
        notified under paragraph (1), the Commission shall provide the 
        Secretary concerned any data the Commission has collected 
        pursuant to title VIII of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
        U.S.C. 641 et seq.).
            (3) Continuation.--The Commission shall provide the 
        Secretary concerned the information described in paragraph (2) 
        every 6 months unless the Commission no longer has such 
        information.
            (4) Protection of information.--
                    (A) In general.--The Commission shall specify to 
                the Secretary concerned which information provided 
                under paragraph (2) was collected in a confidential or 
                proprietary manner, and the Secretary concerned may not 
                make such information publicly available.
                    (B) FOIA.--Information provided under paragraph (2) 
                is exempt from disclosure to the public under section 
                552(b)(3)(B) of title 5, United States Code.
    (c) Working Group.--
            (1) Establishment.--Not later than 30 days after the date 
        of enactment of this section, the Commission and the Secretary 
        concerned shall establish an interagency working group to 
        facilitate the preparation and interoperability of information 
        technology systems for the provision and receipt of the 
        information described in subsection (b)(2).
            (2) Nonapplicability of faca.--The Federal Advisory 
        Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the 
        interagency working group established under paragraph (1).
    (d) Reports.--
            (1) Preliminary assessment of potential barriers.--Not 
        later 120 days after the date on which the interagency working 
        group is established pursuant to subsection (c)(1), the 
        Commission and the Secretary concerned shall jointly submit a 
        report to the appropriate committees of Congress with a 
        preliminary assessment of any potential barriers to sharing the 
        information described under subsection (b)(2).
            (2) Assessments.--Not later than 1 year after the date on 
        which the Commission provides the information described under 
        subsection (b)(2) to the Department concerned, the Commission 
        and the Secretary concerned shall jointly submit a report to 
        the appropriate committees of Congress with--
                    (A) an assessment of the effectiveness of a user's 
                ability to locate broadband infrastructure on covered 
                land in an area to be determined as unserved by the 
                Commission on the basis of the maps created under 
                section 802(c) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
                U.S.C. 642(c)); and
                    (B) an assessment of whether the Department 
                concerned prioritized the review of applications for a 
                communications use authorization in an area to be 
                determined as unserved by the Commission on the basis 
                of the maps created under such section.
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