[House Report 119-487]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
119th Congress } { Rept. 119-487
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { Part 1
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DEPLOYING INFRASTRUCTURE WITH GREATER INTERNET TRANSACTIONS AND LEGACY
APPLICATIONS ACT
_______
February 4, 2026.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Guthrie, from the Committee on Energy and Commerce, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 1665]
The Committee on Energy and Commerce, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 1665) 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, having considered the same, reports favorably
thereon without amendment and recommends that the bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Purpose and Summary ................................................ 1
Background and Need for Legislation ................................ 2
Committee Action ................................................... 3
Committee Votes .................................................... 3
Oversight Findings and Recommendations ............................. 5
New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures .. 5
Congressional Budget Office Estimate ............................... 5
Federal Mandates Statement ......................................... 5
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives .............. 5
Duplication of Federal Programs .................................... 5
Related Committee and Subcommittee Hearings ........................ 5
Committee Cost Estimate ............................................ 6
Earmark, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff Benefits ......... 6
Advisory Committee Statement ....................................... 6
Applicability to Legislative Branch ................................ 6
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation ..................... 6
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported .............. 7
PURPOSE AND SUMMARY
H.R. 1665, the ``Deploying Infrastructure with Greater
Internet Transactions And Legacy (DIGITAL) Applications Act,''
was introduced on February 27, 2025, by Representatives Kat
Cammack (R-FL) and Doris Matsui (D-CA). It would direct the
Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture,
acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to establish an
online portal for the acceptance, processing, and disposal of
applications to deploy broadband on federal lands.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
The United States faces a persistent digital divide.
According to the Federal Communications Commission,
approximately 5.8 million homes and businesses lack access to
fixed broadband at 25 Mbps download/3 Mbps upload, while 31
percent of the geographic area of the United States lacks 4G
LTE mobile broadband coverage at speeds of 5 Mbps/1 Mbps.\1\
Many of these unserved locations are near property owned by the
federal government. This federal property is managed by
agencies such as the Department of Interior and Department of
Agriculture, and their subagencies. Thus, these agencies are
responsible for reviewing applications for broadband deployment
on this property.
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\1\Fed. Commc'n. Comm'n., FCC National Broadband Map, https://
broadbandmap.fcc.gov/home (last updated Sept. 3, 2025).
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Unfortunately, federal agencies have historically taken a
significant amount of time to review applications to deploy
broadband on federal property, and the process is often opaque
to the parties involved.\2\ As one stakeholder stated, ``[t]he
existing federal permitting process takes too long . . . and is
an impediment to the ability of broadband providers to meet the
needs of their consumers and communities.''\3\ Today, ``there
is no transparency'' where applications are in the review
process.\4\ Agencies ``just move real slow''\5\ and can go
silent ``for long stretches of time regarding the status of
applications or what else might be needed to deem an
application `complete,''' followed by ``serial requests for
additional information that could have been caught earlier or
avoided altogether with better guidance and communication
upfront.''\6\ The uncertainty surrounding permit reviews makes
it difficult to plan builds, ultimately delaying deployment.\7\
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\2\Breaking Barriers: Streamlining Permitting to Expedite Broadband
Deployment, Hearing before the Sub. on Commc'n. and Tech., H. Comm. on
Energy and Commerce, 118th Cong. (2023) (``Permitting Hearing'')
(Testimony of Michael Saperstein).
\3\Id. (Written Testimony of Louis Finkel at 1).
\4\Id. (Testimony of Michael Saperstein).
\5\Id. (Testimony of Louis Finkel).
\6\Id. (Written Testimony of Michael Romano at 7).
\7\Id. (Testimony of Michael Romano).
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Online portals would help providers by offering
transparency into the federal permitting process. Portals would
allow applicants to track their applications through the review
process so they know where the application is in the process,
whether more information is needed, and how close the agency is
to making a final decision. Stakeholders testified that portals
would provide ``clarity, accountability, and transparency with
respect to permitting on federal lands.''\8\ They would ``allow
applicants to know where they are in the process.''\9\ They
would be a ``simple fix'' that would ``allow more
predictability in the overall build cycle.\10\
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\8\Id. (Testimony of Michael Saperstein).
\9\Id.; see also Id. (Testimony of Louis Finkel).
\10\Id. (Testimony of Michael Saperstein).
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COMMITTEE ACTION
On March 5, 2025, the Subcommittee on Communications and
Technology held a hearing entitled, ``Fixing Biden's Broadband
Blunder.'' The Subcommittee received testimony from:
Grant Spellmeyer, President and CEO, ACA
Connects
Tim Donovan, President and CEO, Competitive
Carriers Association
Greg Hale, CEO, LTC Connect
Sarah Morris, Former Acting Deputy
Administrator, National Telecommunications and
Information Administration
On September 18, 2025, the Subcommittee on Communications
and Technology held a legislative hearing entitled, ``Examining
Solutions to Expedite Broadband Permitting.'' The Subcommittee
received testimony from:
Jonathan Spalter, President and CEO,
USTelecom--The Broadband Association
Patrick Halley, President and CEO, Wireless
Infrastructure Association
Staci Pies, Senior Vice President of
Government Affairs and Policy, INCOMPAS
Drew Garner, Director of Policy Engagement,
Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
On November 18, 2025, the Subcommittee on Communications
and Technology met in open markup session and forwarded H.R.
1665, without amendment, to the full Committee by a voice vote.
On December 3, 2025, the full Committee on Energy and Commerce
met in open markup session and ordered H.R. 1665, without
amendment, favorably reported to the House by a record vote of
51 yeas and 0 nays.
COMMITTEE VOTES
Clause 3(b) of rule XIII requires the Committee to list the
record votes on the motion to report legislation and amendments
thereto. The following reflects the record votes taken during
the Committee consideration:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Pursuant to clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of
rule XIII, the Committee held a hearing and made findings that
are reflected in this report.
NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY, ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY, AND TAX EXPENDITURES
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII, the Committee
finds that H.R. 1665 would result in no new or increased budget
authority, entitlement authority, or tax expenditures or
revenues.
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE ESTIMATE
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII, at the time this
report was filed, the cost estimate prepared by the Director of
the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 was not available.
FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT
The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform
Act.
STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general
performance goal or objective of this legislation is to
expedite broadband deployment by streamlining the permitting
process at the federal, state, and local level.
DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII, no provision of
H.R. 1665 is known to be duplicative of another Federal
program, including any program that was included in a report to
Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139 or the
most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.
RELATED COMMITTEE AND SUBCOMMITTEE HEARINGS
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(6) of rule XIII, the following
related hearing was used to develop or consider H.R. 1665:
On March 5, 2025, the Subcommittee on
Communications and Technology held a hearing entitled,
``Fixing Biden's Broadband Blunder.'' The Subcommittee
received testimony from:
Grant Spellmeyer, President and
CEO, ACA Connects
Tim Donovan, President and CEO,
Competitive Carriers Association
Greg Hale, CEO, LTC Connect
Sarah Morris, Former Acting
Deputy Administrator, National
Telecommunications and Information
Administration
On September 18, 2025, the Subcommittee on
Communications and Technology held a hearing on H.R.
1665. The title of the hearing was ``Examining
Solutions to Expedite Broadband Permitting.'' The
Subcommittee received testimony from:
Jonathan Spalter, President and
CEO, USTelecom--The Broadband Association
Patrick Halley, President and
CEO, Wireless Infrastructure Association;
Patrick Halley, President and
CEO, Wireless Infrastructure Association; and,
Drew Garner, Director of Policy
Engagement, Benton Institute for Broadband &
Society
COMMITTEE COST ESTIMATE
Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII, the Committee
adopts as its own the cost estimate prepared by the Director of
the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974. At the time this report was
filed, the estimate was not available.
EARMARK, LIMITED TAX BENEFITS, AND LIMITED TARIFF BENEFITS
Pursuant to clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI, the
Committee finds that H.R. 1665 contains no earmarks, limited
tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT
No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b)
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this
legislation.
APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public
services or accommodations within the meaning of section
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION
Section 1. Short title
This section designates that the short title may be cited
as the ``Deploying Infrastructure with Greater Internet
Transactions And Legacy Applications Act'' or the ``DIGITAL
Applications Act''.
Section 2. Establishment of online portals to accept, process, and
dispose of certain form 299s
Subsection (a) would direct the Secretary of the Interior
and the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of
the Forest Service, to establish an online portal for each
agency to accept, process, and dispose of Special Form 299s,
the federal government's application form to deploy
communications facilities on federal property. The Secretaries
would have one year from the date of enactment to create these
portals. They would be required to notify the Assistant
Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information that
they established the online portal within three days of
establishment.
Subsection (b) would direct the Assistant Secretary of
Commerce for Communications and Information to publish a link
to each online portal on the website of the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration.
Subsection (c) would define key terms used in H.R. 1665.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED
This legislation does not amend any existing Federal
statute.
[all]