Official Summaries

Facilitating the Deployment of Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions And Legacy Applications Act or the Facilitating DIGITAL Applications Act

This bill requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to periodically report on the development of online portals for the acceptance, processing, and disposal of applications for communications use authorizations. Communications use authorizations are requests for easements, rights-of-way, leases, licenses, or other authorizations to locate or modify a transmitting device, support structure, or other communications facility on public lands or National Forest System land.

Specifically, the NTIA must report to Congress about (1) whether the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service have each established a portal, and (2) any barriers to establishing the portals. The NTIA must submit the first report within 90 days of the enactment of the bill and additional reports every 60 days thereafter until the portals are established.

Additionally, Interior and the Forest Service must notify the NTIA within three business days of establishing their respective portals.

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1588 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1588

 To require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and 
   Information to report to Congress on any barriers to establishing 
 online portals to accept, process, and dispose of certain Form 299s, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 26, 2025

    Mrs. Miller-Meeks (for herself and Mrs. Dingell) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and Energy 
    and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and 
   Information to report to Congress on any barriers to establishing 
 online portals to accept, process, and dispose of certain Form 299s, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Facilitating the Deployment of 
Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions And Legacy 
Applications Act'' or the ``Facilitating DIGITAL Applications Act''.

SEC. 2. REPORT ON BARRIERS TO ESTABLISHING ONLINE PORTALS TO ACCEPT, 
              PROCESS, AND DISPOSE OF CERTAIN FORM 299S.

    (a) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this section, and every 60 days thereafter 
        until the Secretaries concerned each notify the Assistant 
        Secretary under paragraph (2), the Assistant Secretary shall 
        submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
        that describes--
                    (A) whether the Secretaries concerned have 
                established, with respect to the relevant covered 
                department, an online portal for the acceptance, 
                processing, and disposal of a Form 299 for 
                communications use authorization; and
                    (B) any barrier to the establishment of any such 
                portal.
            (2) Notification.--Not later than 3 business days after the 
        date on which the online portal has been established by a 
        Secretary pursuant to paragraph (1), that Secretary shall 
        notify the Assistant Secretary of the establishment of such 
        portal.
    (b) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
                House of Representatives;
                    (B) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 
                of Representatives;
                    (C) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation of the Senate; and
                    (D) the Committee on Environment and Public Works 
                of the Senate.
            (2) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary'' 
        means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications 
        and Information.
            (3) Communications facility.--The term ``communications 
        facility'' has the meaning given the term ``communications 
        facility installation'' in section 6409(d) of the Middle Class 
        Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1455(d)).
            (4) Communications use.--The term ``communications use'' 
        means the placement and operation of a communications facility.
            (5) Communications use authorization.--The term 
        ``communications use authorization'' means an easement, right-
        of-way, lease, license, or other authorization--
                    (A) provided by the Secretary of the Interior or 
                the Secretary of Agriculture;
                    (B) to locate or modify a communications facility 
                on covered land; and
                    (C) for the primary purpose of authorizing the 
                occupancy and use of such covered land for 
                communications use.
            (6) Covered land.--The term ``covered land'' means--
                    (A) public lands; and
                    (B) National Forest System land.
            (7) Form 299.--The term ``Form 299'' means the form 
        established under section 6409(b)(2)(A) of the Middle Class Tax 
        Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1455(b)(2)(A)), 
        or any successor form.
            (8) National forest system.--The term ``National Forest 
        System'' has the meaning given that term in section 11(a) of 
        the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 
        1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a)).
            (9) Relevant covered department.--The term ``relevant 
        covered department'' means--
                    (A) with respect to the Secretary of the Interior, 
                the Department of the Interior; and
                    (B) with respect to the Secretary of Agriculture, 
                the Department of Agriculture.
            (10) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned'' 
        means--
                    (A) the Secretary of the Interior; and
                    (B) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through 
                the Chief of the Forest Service.
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