I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1588 
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. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 26, 2025 
Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS (for herself and Mrs. DINGELL) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in 
addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and Energy and Commerce, 
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 
A BILL 
To require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Commu-
nications 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 pur-
poses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Facilitating the De-
ployment of Infrastructure with Greater Internet Trans-
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actions And Legacy Applications Act’’ or the ‘‘Facilitating 
DIGITAL Applications Act’’. 
SEC. 2. REPORT ON BARRIERS TO ESTABLISHING ONLINE 
PORTALS TO ACCEPT, PROCESS, AND DIS-
POSE 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 ap-
propriate congressional committees a report that de-
scribes— 
(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 para-
graph (1), that Secretary shall notify the Assistant 
Secretary of the establishment of such portal. 
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(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce 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 ‘‘Assist-
ant Secretary’’ means the Assistant Secretary of 
Commerce for Communications and Information. 
(3) COMMUNICATIONS
FACILITY.—The term 
‘‘communications facility’’ has the meaning given the 
term ‘‘communications facility installation’’ in sec-
tion 6409(d) of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job 
Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1455(d)). 
(4) COMMUNICATIONS USE.—The term ‘‘com-
munications use’’ means the placement and oper-
ation of a communications facility. 
(5) COMMUNICATIONS USE AUTHORIZATION.— 
The term ‘‘communications use authorization’’ 
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means an easement, right-of-way, lease, license, or 
other authorization— 
(A) provided by the Secretary of the Inte-
rior 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’’ 
means— 
(A) public lands; and 
(B) National Forest System land. 
(7) 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. 
(8) NATIONAL
FOREST
SYSTEM.—The term 
‘‘National Forest System’’ has the meaning given 
that term in section 11(a) of the Forest and Range-
land Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 
U.S.C. 1609(a)). 
(9) RELEVANT
COVERED
DEPARTMENT.—The 
term ‘‘relevant covered department’’ means— 
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(A) with respect to the Secretary of the In-
terior, the Department of the Interior; and 
(B) with respect to the Secretary of Agri-
culture, the Department of Agriculture. 
(10) 
SECRETARY
CONCERNED.—The 
term 
‘‘Secretary concerned’’ means— 
(A) the Secretary of the Interior; and 
(B) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting 
through the Chief of the Forest Service. 
Æ 
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