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US Congress · H.R. 1665 · Passed the House

DIGITAL Applications Act

Introduced
Moved
Reached a final decision
Introduced 2025-02-27
Derived from the official record below.

Officially: “DIGITAL Applications Act Read the full text

Science, Technology, Communications

What it does

Deploying Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions And Legacy Applications Act or the DIGITAL Applications Act This bill requires the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service to each establish an online portal for accepting, processing, and disposal of applications for communications use authorizations. These 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. Interior and the Forest Service must also n
Summary by the Congressional Research Service, from the official record. Plain-language version below. Not legal advice.

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AI plain language2 sections
Written by AI from the complete official bill text and independently fact-checked against it. Not legal advice.
1Short title

This section would let the Act be called the Deploying Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions And Legacy Applications Act, or the DIGITAL Applications Act.

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Official text, verbatim from the record

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 .

2Establishment of online portals to accept, process, and dispose of certain Form 299s

This section would require the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture (acting through the Chief of the Forest Service) to each set up, within 1 year after the Act is enacted, an online portal for accepting, processing, and disposing of Form 299 applications for communications use authorizations affecting the land their department manages. Within 3 business days after a Secretary establishes that department's portal, the Secretary would have to notify the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information that the portal has been established. The Assistant Secretary would then have to publish, on the website of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a link to each portal established this way. A communications use authorization is an easement, right-of-way, lease, license, or other authorization that the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture provides to locate or modify a communications facility on covered land, for the primary purpose of authorizing occupancy and use of that land for communications use. Covered land means public lands (as defined in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976) and National Forest System land (as defined in the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974). Form 299 means the form established under section 6409(b)(2)(A) of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, or any successor form.

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Official text, verbatim from the record

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.

AI plain languageRead the whole bill in plain language, 2 sections

Where it is

Introduced · 2025-02-27

In the House.

Passed the House · 2026-03-16
Senate floor vote · next · the next step

Official documents

The on-site text is shown verbatim from the GovInfo publication, captured 2026-07-23. The same version at GovInfo.

The numbers

29%
of bills that passed one chamber became law in the 118th Congress, 2023 to 2024 (n=939)
4
sponsors, out of 218 needed to pass

Who is lobbying on this

COMPETITIVE CARRIERS ASSOCIATIONvia COMPETITIVE CARRIERS ASSOCIATION
6 filings
TELECOMMUNITYvia BEST BEST & KRIEGER LLP
4 filings
VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC AND ITS SUBSIDIARIESvia MERCURY STRATEGIES, LLC
4 filings
VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC AND VARIOUS SUBSIDIARIESvia VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC. AND VARIOUS SUBSIDIARIES
4 filings
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE U.S.A.via CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE U.S.A.
3 filings
WTA -- ADVOCATES FOR RURAL BROADBANDvia WTA -- ADVOCATES FOR RURAL BROADBAND
3 filings
CTIA-THE WIRELESS ASSOCIATIONvia CTIA-THE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION
1 filing
CTIA: THE WIRELESS ASSOCIATIONvia MERCURY STRATEGIES, LLC
1 filing
From 26 filings in federal lobbying disclosures (LDA), via lda.gov, naming this bill (2025 to 2026). Filings are self-reported by lobbying firms and show who is paid to influence this bill. They do not say which side, or whether it worked.
Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record. Last action: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (2026-03-17).