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H.R. 1588119th CongressIn markupLatest action Feb 4, 2026Decoded by AI · checked against the record
Official title: Facilitating DIGITAL Applications Act
Introduced:
Read the official bill on Congress.govThe plain-language version leads. The official text is always the reference.
The bill requires Commerce to report every 60 days on whether Interior and Agriculture have online Form 299 portals.
45-second read · 4 questions answered below
HR 1588 requires a Commerce Department official to check with the Interior and Agriculture Departments on whether they've created online portals for submitting and processing Form 299, the paperwork needed to place communications equipment like cell towers on public lands or national forests. Reports to Congress are due every 60 days until both departments confirm the online systems exist. The bill does not itself create an online system or require one be built.
Telecommunications companies that file Form 299 to build infrastructure on federal lands are directly affected. Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce gain new reporting duties, and rural communities awaiting better cell or internet service could be indirectly affected.
Faster processing of Form 299 could speed up infrastructure projects, but the bill only mandates reporting on progress and obstacles rather than requiring the portals be built.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
Right now: a House committee is reviewing it. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the President.
Latest action: — Reported by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 119-486, Part I.