H.R. 1681

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1681 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 1681

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

April 21, 2026

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

AN ACT

To require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and 
Information to establish an interagency strike force to ensure that 
certain Federal land management agencies, including the organizational 
units of such agencies, prioritize the review of requests for 
communications use authorizations, 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 ``Expediting Federal Broadband 
Deployment Reviews Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERAGENCY STRIKE FORCE.

(a) Interagency Strike Force.--
(1) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall 
establish an interagency strike force to ensure that each 
Federal land management agency, including each organizational 
unit of the agency, prioritizes the review of requests for 
communications use authorizations.
(2) Members.--The strike force shall be composed of--
(A) the Assistant Secretary;
(B) the head of each Federal land management 
agency;
(C) a designee of the Secretary of Agriculture, 
other than the Chief of the Forest Service; and
(D) a designee of the Secretary of the Interior, 
other than the Director of the Bureau of Land 
Management.
(3) Duties.--The duties of the strike force shall include--
(A) conducting periodic calls between the members 
of the strike force to ensure that each Federal land 
management agency, including each organizational unit 
of the agency, prioritizes the review of requests for 
communications use authorizations;
(B) establishing objective and reasonable goals for 
the review of requests for communications use 
authorizations; and
(C) monitoring, and facilitating the accountability 
of, each Federal land management agency, including each 
organizational unit of the agency, with respect to 
meeting such goals.
(4) Report to congress.--Not later than 270 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary 
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a 
report on the effectiveness of the strike force in ensuring 
that each Federal land management agency, including each 
organizational unit of the agency, prioritizes the review of 
requests for communications use authorizations.
(b) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
``appropriate congressional committees'' 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;
(D) the Committee on Environment and Public Works 
of the Senate;
(E) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
Representatives; and
(F) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
Forestry of the Senate.
(2) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary'' 
means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications 
and Information.
(3) Communications facility.--The term ``communications 
facility'' has the meaning given the term ``communications 
facility installation'' in section 6409(d) of the Middle Class 
Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1455(d)).
(4) Communications use.--The term ``communications use'' 
means the placement and operation of a communications facility.
(5) Communications use authorization.--The term 
``communications use authorization'' means an easement, right-
of-way, lease, license, or other authorization--
(A) provided by a Federal land management agency;
(B) to locate or modify a communications facility 
on covered land; and
(C) for the primary purpose of authorizing the 
occupancy and use of such land for communications use.
(6) Covered land.--The term ``covered land'' means--
(A) public lands; and
(B) National Forest System land.
(7) Federal land management agency.--The term ``Federal 
land management agency'' means each of the following:
(A) The Bureau of Land Management.
(B) The Forest Service.
(8) 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)).
(9) Organizational unit.--The term ``organizational unit'' 
means--
(A) with respect to the Bureau of Land Management--
(i) a State office;
(ii) a regional office;
(iii) a district office; or
(iv) a field office; and
(B) with respect to the Forest Service--
(i) a regional office;
(ii) a management unit; or
(iii) a ranger district office.
(10) Public lands.--The term ``public lands'' has the 
meaning given that term in section 103 of the Federal Land 
Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702).
(11) Strike force.--The term ``strike force'' means the 
interagency strike force established under subsection (a)(1).

Passed the House of Representatives April 20, 2026.

Attest:

KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,

Clerk.