DIGITAL Applications Act

# DIGITAL Applications Act Summary **What It Does:** This bill would require the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service to create online portals where companies and organizations can submit, track, and manage applications to install communications equipment (like cell towers, antennas, and transmission equipment) on federal public lands and National Forests. Currently, these requests are handled through a less organized process. The bill also requires these agencies to notify the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) when their portals launch, and the NTIA would link to them on its website for easier public access. **Who It Affects:** This primarily affects telecommunications companies, internet service providers, and other communications businesses that want to build or upgrade infrastructure on federal lands. It could also indirectly benefit the general public by streamlining the process for expanding broadband and wireless coverage to rural or remote areas.

Federal land management agencies would need to invest in building and maintaining these online systems. **Current Status:** The bill is currently in committee (HR 1665, introduced in the 119th Congress by Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida). It has not yet been voted on by the full House of Representatives. The bill is relatively straightforward and administrative in nature, focused on modernizing how these agencies handle applications rather than changing policy on whether such equipment should be allowed on public lands.