16 U.S.C. § 8452 — Broadband internet connectivity at developed recreation sites

(a) Agreement to build broadband. The Secretary (of the Interior) and the Chief of the Forest Service must enter into an agreement with the Secretary of Commerce to encourage installing or building broadband internet infrastructure at developed recreation sites on federal recreational lands and waters, in order to establish broadband connectivity. This depends on funding being available and must follow applicable law. (b) Identifying priority sites. Within 3 years after January 4, 2025, and every year after that through fiscal year 2031, the Secretary and the Forest Service Chief, working with states and local communities, must publicly release: a list of the highest-priority developed recreation sites (chosen under subsection (c)) on federal recreational lands and waters that currently lack broadband; where practical, an estimate of the cost to equip each site with broadband infrastructure and the yearly cost to run it; and a list of possible obstacles to operating that infrastructure, along with possible ways to recover the operating costs. (c) Priorities. When choosing sites for the list in subsection (b)(1), the Secretary and the Forest Service Chief must give priority to developed recreation sites that either lack broadband infrastructure because of geographic challenges or because too few people live there permanently, despite high seasonal or daily visitor numbers, or that are located in an economically distressed county that could significantly benefit from growing its outdoor recreation economy.