DIGITAL Applications Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The DIGITAL Applications Act requires the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to create online portals for Form 299 communications-use authorization applications. Within 1 year after enactment, each Secretary must establish a portal for the relevant covered department to accept, process, and dispose of Form 299 applications for communications-use authorizations. Those authorizations include easements, rights-of-way, leases, licenses, or similar approvals for locating or modifying communications facilities on covered lands. Covered lands include public lands and National Forest System land. Within 3 business days after establishing a portal, each Secretary must notify the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, and the Assistant Secretary must publish links to the portals on the NTIA website. The Agriculture Secretary acts through the Chief of the Forest Service.
Who Benefits and How
Broadband providers benefit from online submission and processing portals for federal land communications-use authorizations. Communications facility developers benefit from a clearer digital path for Form 299 applications. Applicants seeking rights-of-way, easements, leases, or licenses on public lands or National Forest System land benefit from centralized online access. NTIA benefits by becoming the public linking point for the portals. Rural communities benefit indirectly if online processing speeds deployment of communications facilities.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Interior Department and Agriculture Department must build and operate online portals within 1 year. The Forest Service must participate through the Agriculture Secretary's covered department responsibilities. The Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information must receive portal notices and publish links on NTIA's website. Federal land-management IT and permitting staff must adapt Form 299 workflows to online acceptance, processing, and disposal. Agencies must meet the 3-business-day notification requirement after portal establishment.
Key Provisions
- Requires Interior and Agriculture online portals for Form 299 applications within 1 year.
- Covers communications-use authorizations for facilities on public lands and National Forest System land.
- Requires portals to accept, process, and dispose of Form 299 applications.
- Requires Secretaries to notify NTIA within 3 business days after portal establishment.
- Requires NTIA to publish links to each portal.
- Defines covered departments, public lands, communications facilities, and Form 299.
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 the Interior and Agriculture Secretaries to establish online portals within 1 year for accepting, processing, and disposing of Form 299 communications-use authorization applications for broadband facilities on public lands and National Forest System land, notify NTIA within 3 business days after portal creation, and have NTIA publish portal links.
Key Policy Areas
Broadband, Public Lands, Telecommunications
Primary Purpose
Requires the Interior and Agriculture Secretaries to establish online portals within 1 year for accepting, processing, and disposing of Form 299 communications-use authorization applications for broadband facilities on public lands and National Forest System land, notify NTIA within 3 business days after portal creation, and have NTIA publish portal links.
Policy Domains
House resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Broadband providers
- Communications facility developers
- Form 299 applicants
- National Telecommunications and Information Administration
- Rural communities
Identified Costs
- Department of the Interior
- Department of Agriculture
- Forest Service
- Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information
- Federal land-management IT staff
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedReceived in the Senate and Read twice and referred to …
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy …
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without …
Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the …
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate …
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules …
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill …
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2511-2513)
Committee on Agriculture discharged.
Reported by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Broadband providers, Communications facility developers, Form 299 applicants
Positive-direction: Broadband providers, Communications facility developers, Form 299 applicants
Negative-direction: National Telecommunications and Information Administration
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"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "agriculture"
- → Secretary 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