Today, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a legislative hearing on six bills related to modernizing broadband development on federal lands and supporting important historical sites. Subcommittee Chairman Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) issued the following statement in response:

"The bills on today’s legislative agenda take important steps to expand digital access, while also preserving our past by supporting key historical and commemorative sites across the country. Too often, rural and tribal areas face challenges bridging the digital divide, and today, the Federal Lands Subcommittee is working to close this gap."

Background

H.R. 3283, the Facilitating the Deployment of Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions and Legacy Applications Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to regularly report to Congress on the extent to which the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the United States Forest Service (USFS) have established online portals for processing communications use authorizations. These portals will ultimately increase access to affordable and reliable broadband.

H.R. 3299, the Deploying Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions and Legacy Applications Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), establishes requirements for DOI and USFS to create online portals for submitting applications for communications use authorizations and link to these portals on the NTIA website. This will bring important transparency and accountability to the application system and increase broadband access across federal lands.

H.R. 5401, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-N.Y.), provides a one-time grant from the Department of Homeland Security to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum to defray its significant security costs.

H.R. 7976, the Civil War Defenses of Washington National Historical Park Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), redesignates the Civil War Defenses of Washington (CWDW) as the Civil War Defenses of Washington National Historical Park. This legislation will ensure that the rich and storied history associated with the CWDW carries on through generations and can be told in a more holistic, organized, and cohesive manner.

H.R. 8012, the Jackie Robinson Commemorative Site Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), designates the Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Fla., where Jackie Robinson first broke the color barrier in professional baseball, as the “Jackie Robinson Ballpark National Commemorative Site.”

H.R. 6012, the Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act of 2023, introduced by U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), authorizes USFS to permit utility companies to fully remove hazard trees and other vegetation within the vicinity of distribution or transmission lines without going through a separate timber sale. If the utilities eventually sell the material, this legislation requires the proceeds to be returned to USFS, less any transportation costs.