§8453. Public lands telecommunications cooperative agreements

(a) Cooperative agreements for the Department of the Interior

The Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements to carry out activities related to communications sites on lands managed by Federal land management agencies, including-

(1) administering communications use authorizations;

(2) preparing needs assessments or other programmatic analyses necessary to establish communications sites and authorize communications uses on or adjacent to Federal recreational lands and waters managed by a Federal land management agency;

(3) developing management plans for communications sites on or adjacent to Federal recreational lands and waters managed by a Federal land management agency on a competitively neutral, technology neutral, nondiscriminatory basis;

(4) training for management of communications sites on or adjacent to Federal recreational lands and waters managed by a Federal land management agency;

(5) obtaining, improving access to, or establishing communications sites on or adjacent to Federal recreational lands and waters managed by a Federal land management agency; and

(6) any combination of purposes described in subparagraphs¹ (1) through (5).

(b) Omitted

(c) Assessment of rental fee retention authority

Not later than 1 year after January 4, 2025, the Secretary shall conduct a comprehensive assessment to evaluate the potential benefits of rental fee retention whereby any fee collected for the occupancy and use of Federal lands and waters authorized by a communications use authorization would be deposited into a special account and used solely for activities related to communications sites on lands and waters managed by the Secretary.

( Pub. L. 118–234, title I, §143, Jan. 4, 2025, 138 Stat. 2865 .)

Editorial Notes

Codification

Section is comprised of section 143 of Pub. L. 118–234. Subsec. (b) of section 143 of Pub. L. 118–234 amended section 1761a of Title 43, Public Lands.

¹ So in original. Probably should be "paragraphs".