Facilitating DIGITAL Applications Act

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. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Facilitating the Deployment of Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions And Legacy Applications Act Facilitating DIGITAL Applications Act 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 (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 (3) Communications facility The term communications facility communications facility installation 47 U.S.C. 1455(d) (4) Communications use The term communications use (5) Communications use authorization The term communications use 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 (A) public lands; and (B) National Forest System land. (7) Form 299 The term Form 299 47 U.S.C. 1455(b)(2)(A) (8) National Forest System The term National Forest System 16 U.S.C. 1609(a) (9) Relevant covered department The term relevant covered department (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 (A) the Secretary of the Interior; and (B) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.

Summary: 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 to periodically report on the development of online portals for processing 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) barriers to establishing the portals. The NTIA must submit the first report within 90 days of the enactment of the bill and 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.