Rick Allen

Mr. ALLEN

Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Virginia for her support of this important legislation. Like I said, this is a bipartisan bill, and I urge support of this bill and ask for immediate passage. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ALLEN

Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7022) to provide for the transmission of emergency alerts by satellite, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, H.R. 7022, the Mystic Alerts Act, led by Representative Pfluger. While we work to increase cell phone connectivity across the country, there are and may always be certain areas of this country that do not have access to that connectivity. That can be a problem in times of natural disasters or other emergencies. If you don't have a connection, you may not be able to receive a wireless emergency alert or other emergency notifications. Satellite technology is beginning to bridge that gap with our cell phones, and it could bring a huge benefit for public safety. This legislation would kick-start the process for mobile service providers to utilize satellite connectivity to send alert messages in areas that may not have access to terrestrial cell network coverage. This legislation has strong bipartisan support. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), my good friend.

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia for her support of this bill. I, too, encourage all Members to vote for H.R. 7022 for immediate passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ALLEN

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1681) 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.

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on the bill.

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1681, the Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act, sponsored by Representatives Evans and Craig. This legislation establishes an interagency strike force to help prioritize permitting reviews for deploying broadband on Federal lands. Broadband has become an essential part of everyday life. We need broadband for work, to stay connected with loved ones, and even for healthcare and education. However, too many Americans still lack access to broadband. Thus, Congress has provided billions of dollars to ensure that every American gets connected. Deploying on Federal lands is a critical part of closing the digital divide. Many unserved communities are near Federal lands, and thus broadband providers must transverse these lands to reach these unserved homes and businesses. Unfortunately, deploying broadband on Federal lands can be burdensome, particularly when it comes to the permitting process. Providers have testified that this complicated process moves slowly, and they are often left in the dark on the status of their applications. As a result, unserved communities are left without the broadband they need as providers wait for agencies to approve their permits. We need to reform the broadband permitting process. Not only do we need to streamline how we review permits, we need to ensure the agencies that manage Federal lands prioritize these reviews. H.R. 1681, the Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act, will help ensure this happens. H.R. 1681 directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to create an interagency strike force that includes the head of each Federal land management agency to ensure that they are prioritizing the review of broadband-permitting applications. In addition to holding periodic calls, the strike force will establish goals for the review of the requests, and monitor and hold each agency accountable for these goals. This strike force is necessary to expedite the permitting process so that every American has access to broadband. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, I thank the sponsors, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Evans) to speak on the bill.

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. McClellan) for her support of this important legislation. I, too, urge a ``yes'' vote on this important bill, H.R. 1681, for immediate approval. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. ALLEN

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1343) to require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to submit to Congress a plan for the Assistant Secretary to track the acceptance, processing, and disposal of certain Form 299s, and for other purposes.

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1343, the Federal Broadband Deployment Tracking Act, sponsored by Representatives Pfluger and Soto. This bill requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to develop a plan for tracking the broadband permitting application on Federal lands. Broadband is essential to participate in everyday activities. Most Americans rely on their broadband connection for their work, healthcare, education, and more. Congress has provided billions of dollars to close the digital divide. Indeed, NTIA is in the process of administering the BEAD Program to connect every unserved and underserved American. Too often, broadband deployment is delayed or prevented due to unnecessary red tape in the form of burdensome permitting requirements. Federal agencies are some of the biggest culprits behind this red tape, delaying the deployment of broadband to the communities that most need it. The process of application and approval for some of these permits has, unfortunately, become duplicative, ineffective, and time- consuming. Worse, there is no transparency in this process. Opaque Federal permitting review processes leave applicants in the dark on whether their application is complete, where it is in the review process, and when they can expect a final decision. This uncertainty is not good for the planning of projects. The Federal Broadband Deployment Tracking Act addresses these concerns by requiring NTIA to develop a plan to improve the tracking of Federal broadband permit applications. This plan would include a process to give applicants transparency into the status of their reviews, which would improve the speed and disposition of applications. This is essential to provide clarity into the Federal permitting process. This is an important moment in time, and we must do all that we can to ensure that every American can access reliable broadband. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I thank the sponsors for their work on this bill. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia for her support for H.R. 1343, and I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ALLEN

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5200) to direct the Federal Communications Commission to issue reports after activation of the Disaster Information Reporting System and to make improvements to network outage reporting, and for other purposes.

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, H.R. 5200, the Emergency Reporting Act, led by Representative Matsui. The reliability and resiliency of our emergency communications infrastructure are paramount. This legislation would direct the FCC to hold hearings and issue reports related to 911 outages after natural disasters and to make recommendations to improve outage reporting, bolster resiliency, and enhance coordination with State and local emergency officials. This will help make our communications systems stronger in the face of natural disasters. Madam Speaker, this legislation has strong bipartisan support. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I thank Ms. Matsui and my colleague from Virginia for their support of this bill. In closing, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. ALLEN

Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 98) to require the Federal Communications Commission to establish a vetting process for prospective applicants for high-cost universal service program funding.

Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on the bill.