H.R. 1681 would require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to establish an interagency strike force to help prioritize the review of communications use authorizations by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service. Communications use authorizations are requests for the placement and operation of a communications facility on federal land. That group would establish goals for reviewing communications use authorizations and monitor each agency to ensure goals are met. The NTIA also would be required to report to the Congress on the effectiveness of the strike force.

Using information from the affected agencies, CBO estimates that it would cost $9 million over the 2025-2030 period to establish and administer the interagency group, as well as write the report; any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. That amount would support 12 employees each year across the three affected agencies at an average cost of $150,000 per employee in 2025, with increases in later years to account for anticipated inflation.

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Margot Berman. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.