Facilitating DIGITAL Applications Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Facilitating DIGITAL Applications Act creates a reporting backstop for online Form 299 portals. Within 90 days after enactment, and every 60 days after that until the Secretaries concerned notify NTIA that their portals have been established, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information must report to the appropriate congressional committees. Each report must say whether the Interior and Agriculture Departments have established online portals for accepting, processing, and disposing of Form 299 communications-use authorization applications, and must describe any barrier to establishing a portal. Once a Secretary establishes a portal, that Secretary must notify the Assistant Secretary within 3 business days. The covered authorizations involve communications facilities on public lands and National Forest System land.
Who Benefits and How
Broadband providers benefit because Congress receives recurring visibility into delays blocking online Form 299 portals. Communications facility developers benefit if barrier reports pressure agencies to digitize communications-use authorization workflows. Form 299 applicants benefit from progress toward online acceptance, processing, and disposal of applications. Congressional oversight committees benefit from 90-day and 60-day reports on portal status and barriers. Rural communities benefit indirectly if portal transparency accelerates broadband deployment on federal lands.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Assistant Secretary must submit repeated reports until the portals exist. The Interior and Agriculture Secretaries must notify NTIA within 3 business days after portal establishment and account for barriers delaying portals. Federal land-management permitting offices must identify practical obstacles to online Form 299 processing. Agency IT offices face pressure to deliver portal capability. The reporting cycle continues until both covered departments establish portals.
Key Provisions
- Requires a first NTIA report within 90 days after enactment.
- Requires follow-up reports every 60 days until covered portals are established.
- Requires reports to state whether Interior and Agriculture have Form 299 online portals.
- Requires reports to identify barriers to portal establishment.
- Requires Secretaries to notify NTIA within 3 business days after establishing a portal.
- Covers communications-use authorizations on public lands and National Forest System land.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires NTIA to report within 90 days, and every 60 days afterward until Interior and Agriculture establish online Form 299 portals, on whether portals exist for accepting, processing, and disposing of communications-use authorization applications and what barriers remain; requires portal-establishment notice within 3 business days.
Key Policy Areas
Broadband, Public Lands, Telecommunications
Primary Purpose
Requires NTIA to report within 90 days, and every 60 days afterward until Interior and Agriculture establish online Form 299 portals, on whether portals exist for accepting, processing, and disposing of communications-use authorization applications and what barriers remain; requires portal-establishment notice within 3 business days.
Policy Domains
House resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Broadband providers
- Communications facility developers
- Form 299 applicants
- Congressional oversight committees
- Rural communities
Identified Costs
- Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information
- Department of the Interior
- Department of Agriculture
- Federal land-management permitting offices
- Agency IT offices
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedReported by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. …
Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 50 …
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
Introduced in House
Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition …
Mrs. Miller-Meeks (for herself and Mrs. Dingell) introduced the following …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "ntia"
- → National Telecommunications and Information Administration
- "interior"
- → Department of the Interior
- "agriculture"
- → Department of Agriculture
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology