Bill
HR 1343
Requires a plan within 180 days to track Form 299 processing for communications on federal lands and boost applicant transparency, potentially speeding broadband deployment.
Note on source materials
- The materials supplied contain two different titles for H.R. 1343: a congratulatory resolution honoring Carl and Judy Hagen, and a separate bill text titled the “Federal Broadband Deployment Tracking Act.” This summary focuses on the substantive bill text introduced Feb 13, 2025 (sponsored by Rep. August Pfluger, with Rep. Darren Soto), since that text contains the legislative provisions.
Purpose
- Require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to prepare and submit to Congress a plan to track the acceptance, processing, and disposal of Form 299 filings (used for communications use authorization on Federal and National Forest lands), and to increase transparency for applicants.
Key provisions
- Plan requirement: Within 180 days after enactment, the Assistant Secretary must submit to the appropriate congressional committees a plan that:
- Describes how the Assistant Secretary proposes to track acceptance, processing, and disposal of each Form 299 used for communications use authorizations.
- Describes how applicants will be provided additional transparency about the status of their Form 299 submissions.
- Describes the most expeditious way to implement the plan.
- Identifies any potential barriers to implementing the plan.
- Recipients: The plan is to be submitted to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Definitions: The bill defines key terms including “Assistant Secretary” (Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information), “Form 299” (as established under 47 U.S.C. 1455(b)(2)(A)), “communications use authorization” (easement, right-of-way, lease, license, etc., issued by the Secretary of the Interior or Agriculture), “communications facility,” “covered land” (public lands and National Forest System land), and which Federal agencies manage “public lands.”
Who is affected
- Department of Commerce (National Telecommunications and Information Administration / Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information) — must develop and submit the plan.
- Applicants seeking communications use authorizations (e.g., broadband and wireless providers) — would gain increased transparency into Form 299 processing.
- Federal land-managing agencies (Interior, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Forest Service) and the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture, whose authorizations are the subject of Form 299 filings.
- Congress — receives the plan and any identified implementation barriers.
Procedural and timeline notes
- Deadline: plan due within 180 days after enactment.
- No appropriations or funding provisions are included in the text provided.
- Sponsors: Rep. August Pfluger (primary), Rep. Darren Soto (cosponsor).
- Committee referral: Referred to House Energy and Commerce and the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. (Legislative action entries supplied indicate subcommittee and committee consideration, placement on a calendar, and “reported enrolled”/adopted actions — users should verify current status in official Congressional records.)
Potential impact
- Seeks to improve administrative transparency and tracking of requests to site or modify communications facilities on federal lands, thereby potentially speeding broadband deployment and clarifying timelines for applicants. Implementation may require new tracking systems, interagency coordination, and staff resources; the mandated plan must identify such barriers.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
Sign in to ask a question.
