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Summary
This bill requires the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to establish online portals for accepting, processing, and disposing of Form 299 applications for communications use authorizations on federal lands. Communications use authorizations are easements, rights-of-way, leases, or licenses needed to place and operate communications facilities such as cell towers or broadband infrastructure on public lands or National Forest System land. The online portals must be established within one year of the bill's enactment, and the departments must notify the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information once the portals are operational. The Assistant Secretary will then publish links to these portals on the website of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to streamline the application process for telecommunications infrastructure on federal land.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Cammack, Kat [R-FL-3] (R-FL)
3 cosponsors
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Kat Cammack’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Kat Cammack → · Outside spending →
Actions (21)
- Mar 17, 2026 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. · senate
- Mar 16, 2026 Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. · house
- Mar 16, 2026 On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2511-2512) · house
- Mar 16, 2026 Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2511-2512)
- Mar 16, 2026 DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1665. · house
- Mar 16, 2026 Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2511-2513) · house
- Mar 16, 2026 Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. · house
- Feb 4, 2026 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 416. · house
- Feb 4, 2026 Committee on Agriculture discharged. · house
- Feb 4, 2026 Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-487, Part II. · house
- Feb 4, 2026 Reported by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 119-487, Part I. · house
- Dec 3, 2025 Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 51 - 0. · house
- Dec 3, 2025 Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held · house
- Nov 18, 2025 Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote. · house
- Nov 18, 2025 Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held · house
- Apr 9, 2025 Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent. · house
- Apr 9, 2025 Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held · house
- Apr 9, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development. · house
- Feb 27, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. · house
- Feb 27, 2025 Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Agriculture, 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. · house
- Feb 27, 2025 Introduced in House
More bills on these subjects (8)
Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).
Text versions (4)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Committee action
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Full text
AN ACT
To require the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to establish 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 “Deploying Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions And Legacy Applications Act” or the “DIGITAL Applications Act”.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF ONLINE PORTALS TO ACCEPT, PROCESS, AND DISPOSE OF CERTAIN FORM 299S.
(a) Establishment of Online Portals.—
(1) Establishment.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretaries concerned shall each establish, with respect to the relevant covered department, an online portal for the acceptance, processing, and disposal of a Form 299 for communications use authorizations.
(2) Notification.—Not later than 3 business days after the date on which an 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) Availability of Online Portals.—The Assistant Secretary shall publish on the website of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration a link to each online portal established pursuant to subsection (a)(1).
(c) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) Assistant secretary.—The term “Assistant Secretary” means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information.
(2) 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)).
(3) Communications use.—The term “communications use” means the placement and operation of a communications facility.
(4) 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.
(5) Covered land.—The term “covered land” means—
(A) public lands; and
(B) National Forest System land.
(6) 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.
(7) 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)).
(8) Public lands.—The term “public lands” has the meaning given that term in section 103 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702).
(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) Secretaries concerned.—The term “Secretaries concerned” means—
(A) the Secretary of the Interior; and
(B) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.
Passed the House of Representatives March 16, 2026.
Attest:
Clerk. 119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 1665
AN ACT
To require the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to establish online portals to accept, process, and dispose of certain Form 299s, and for other purposes.
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