Standard FEES Act

The Standard FEES Act would require the General Services Administration (GSA) to create a standardized fee schedule that all federal agencies must use when processing applications to place, modify, or maintain communications facilities on federally owned buildings and property. These fees would be based on the actual, direct costs of processing applications and designed to treat all applicants fairly regardless of the type of communications service involved.

Under this bill, federal agencies could only collect fees to cover their application processing costs, and only if Congress provides funding for this purpose in advance through appropriations. The GSA could allow exceptions to the standard fee schedule on a case-by-case basis, but any exceptions would need to be fair to all similar applicants and meet other requirements. If enacted, this would create consistency across the federal government in how much companies and organizations pay to use federal property for communications infrastructure, potentially reducing confusion and disputes over fees.

This bill has been approved by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and is now eligible for a floor vote in the House of Representatives. Most bills do not reach this stage, making this a significant milestone in the legislative process.