Bill > HR1588

This bill requires the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to submit regular reports to specific congressional committees about the establishment of online portals for processing Form 299s, which are applications for communications use authorizations on public lands and National Forest System lands. The reports, to be submitted every 60 days starting within 90 days of the bill's enactment, must detail whether the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture have created online portals for accepting, processing, and disposing of these forms, and identify any barriers to creating such portals. When a portal is established, the relevant Secretary must notify the Assistant Secretary within three business days. The bill provides detailed definitions for terms like "communications use" (placement and operation of communication facilities), "covered land" (public lands and National Forest System lands), and "communications use authorization" (an easement or right-of-way for communication facility placement). The goal appears to be streamlining and digitizing the process for telecommunications companies to obtain permissions to install or modify communication infrastructure on federal lands.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Business and Industry

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1588/all-info