This bill directs the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture (acting through the Chief of the Forest Service) to each carry out a study in their department about how requests to place or modify communications facilities on public lands and National Forest System lands are reviewed. The studies must look for programmatic or administrative barriers to timely reviews, possible rule or regulation changes to improve efficiency, and whether processes exist to prioritize reviews. Within 1 year after the bill becomes law, the two Secretaries must submit a joint report to specified congressional committees describing the study results and including a plan for the staffing needed in Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service offices to ensure timely review of communications use authorizations. The bill text also defines key terms used, such as communications use authorization, communications facility, covered land, and organizational unit.
No publicly available information on costs or budgetary effects is included in the bill text. The bill requires studies and a staffing plan but does not include specific funding levels or cost estimates.
No publicly available information on proponents' statements is included in the bill text. The bill's text directs agencies to identify barriers, consider rule changes to improve efficiency, and plan staffing to ensure timely reviews.
No publicly available information on opponents' statements is included in the bill text.