RAPID Act

This bill exempts the deployment of small personal wireless service facilities from certain environmental and historical preservation reviews and establishes a presumption process for FCC forms involving Indian Tribes.

Sec. 2, Exemptions for small personal wireless service facilities: A federal authorization for deploying a small personal wireless service facility cannot be considered a major federal action under the National Environmental Policy Act, and such a project cannot be considered an undertaking under the National Historic Preservation Act.

Sec. 3, Presumption with respect to certain complete FCC forms: If an Indian Tribe receives or is reasonably expected to receive a complete FCC Form 620 or 621 and does not act within 45 days, the FCC or a court must presume the applicant made a good faith effort and the Tribe disclaimed interest. The Tribe can overcome this presumption by showing the applicant failed to follow up between 30 and 50 days after submission, or that FCC rules or forms violate a Nationwide Programmatic Agreement.

Sec. 4, Definitions: Defines key terms including "Commission" as the Federal Communications Commission, "Federal authorization" as any permit or approval required under federal law, "Indian Tribe" as defined in the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, "personal wireless service" as services under the Communications Act including commercial mobile data service, "personal wireless service facility" as a facility for such service, "small personal wireless service facility" as one with each antenna no more than 3 cubic feet in volume (excluding wireline backhaul facilities), and "wireline backhaul facility" as an above-ground or underground wireline facility transporting communications from a small facility to a network.