DIGITAL Applications Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 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.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1665, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the DIGITAL Applications Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by Representative Cammack.

This important legislation directs the Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture to establish online portals to accept, process, and track applications to deploy broadband infrastructure on Federal lands.

The United States faces a persistent digital divide, with tens of millions of Americans still lacking access to basic broadband services. Many of these Americans live in rural areas or on Tribal lands near federally managed land.

For these communities, broadband isn't a luxury. It is essential infrastructure. It means students can do their homework at home; small businesses can reach customers and compete in the modern economy; farmers and ranchers can use precision tools; and families can access telehealth, emergency services, and basic information. Without reliable internet, entire communities are left at a disadvantage.

In too many cases, the problem isn't a lack of interest from providers but, rather, the Federal permitting process.

Today, broadband providers face a system that is slow, opaque, and unpredictable. Applications can sit for months with little to no communication. Providers have no idea where their applications stand, whether more information is needed, or when a decision might come.

That uncertainty makes it harder to plan projects and invest resources, ultimately delaying the delivery of internet access to the communities that need it most.

This permitting morass is exactly how the Biden-Harris administration wasted $42 billion in taxpayer funds to deploy broadband infrastructure across the country and failed to connect a single household.

Throwing money at this problem is not the answer. We need commonsense permitting reform. Representative Cammack's legislation offers a real, straightforward solution to a discrete problem.

By creating online portals for broadband application, agencies can bring transparency and accountability to the permitting process. Applicants will be able to track their submissions, see where they are in the review process, and understand exactly what is needed to move forward.

This kind of transparency is a simple fix that can bring more predictability to developers and help speed deployment. H.R. 1665 will help build essential infrastructure faster, smarter, and with more transparency.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bipartisan legislation, and I commend Representative Cammack for her leadership on this effort.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology,

Washington, DC, January 30, 2026.

Hon. Bruce Westerman,

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Westerman: I write concerning H.R. 2294, To

reauthorize the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation

System Act of 2009, which the Committee on Natural Resources

ordered reported on July 23, 2025.

H.R. 2294 contains provisions within the Committee on

Science, Space, and Technology's Rule X jurisdiction. As a

result of your having consulted with the Committee and to

expedite this bill for floor consideration, the Committee on

Science, Space, and Technology will forego action on the

bill. This is being done based on our mutual understanding

that doing so will not diminish or alter the jurisdiction of

the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology with respect

to the appointment of conferees, or to any future

jurisdictional claim of the subject matters contained in the

bill or similar legislation.

I would appreciate your response to this letter confirming

this understanding and would request that you include a copy

of this letter and your response in the Committee Report and

in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of

this bill. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Brian Babin, D.D.S.,

Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Cammack), the lead sponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I once again thank Representative Cammack for her leadership on the DIGITAL Applications Act. This legislation will help get rural America online to support students, small businesses, farmers, ranchers, and families. It will help constituents in my home State of Arkansas, as well as Americans across the country, who live in remote areas near Federal lands.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1665, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4284) to amend the Small Tract Act of 1983 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to convey, without consideration, certain cemeteries, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4284, the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Representative Leger Fernandez' bill, H.R. 4284, the Small Cemetery Conveyance Act.

Mr. Speaker, all across the West, there are small, historic cemeteries in rural communities that sit on or adjacent to Federal land.

These are places where families and communities have laid their loved ones to rest for generations long before jurisdictional boundaries were drawn on a map. Due to the Federal Government's large footprint all around these large cemeteries, basic access for upkeep, ceremonies, or simply paying respects to loved ones can turn into a bureaucratic mess.

H.R. 4284 is a commonsense fix. It gives the U.S. Forest Service, which administers a significant portion of the lands near or under these cemeteries, clear authority under the Small Tract Act to transfer small cemetery parcels to the people who are best positioned to care for them, the local and Tribal Governments with close connections to those laid to rest.

Rather than going through the lengthy process of requiring an act of Congress to convey each individual parcel on a one-off basis, this bill establishes a legal framework for communities to gain possession of historic cemeteries.

The legislation respects local stewardship and reduces the Federal footprint, all while ensuring safeguards are in place to make sure that these hallowed sites are used as cemeteries in perpetuity.

This bill puts locals in charge of the cemeteries they have maintained for centuries, allowing the Forest Service to focus on their core mission: restoring health and resiliency to our Nation's overgrown, fire-prone Federal lands.

This bill removes red tape from the burdensome process of transferring land in these special cases so that local communities can more easily honor their loved ones and be stewards of the places where their ancestors are at peace.

I support this bipartisan piece of legislation. I thank Representative Leger Fernandez and Representative Hurd for their work together on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

U.S. House of Representatives,

Committee on Agriculture,

Washington, DC, January 13, 2025.

Hon. Bruce Westerman,

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,

Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: This letter confirms our mutual

understanding regarding H.R. 4284, the ``Small Cemetery

Conveyance Act.'' Thank you for collaborating with the

Committee on Agriculture on the matters within our

jurisdiction.

The Committee on Agriculture will forego any further

consideration of this bill. However, by foregoing

consideration at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction

over any subject matter contained in this or similar

legislation. The Committee on Agriculture also reserves the

right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of

conferees, should it become necessary, and ask that you

support such a request.

We would appreciate a response to this letter confirming

this understanding with respect to H.R. 4284 and request a

copy of our letters on this matter be published in the

Congressional Record during Floor consideration.

Sincerely,

Glenn ``GT'' Thompson,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this is a simple, bipartisan measure that serves the spiritual needs of rural, Tribal, and local communities across the West. It lightens the administrative burden on the Forest Service and reduces the Federal footprint. Above all, it returns the protection and care of local cemeteries to those with the closest connections to them.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his support.

Today, I rise in support of H.R. 1665, the DIGITAL Applications Act, legislation that I introduced to modernize how our Federal agencies process applications for communications infrastructure on Federal lands.

At its core, this bill is about something very simple: bringing outdated government processes into the digital age.

Today, companies seeking to deploy broadband infrastructure on Federal lands must often submit a form 299 to the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture to obtain authorization for communication facilities, such as towers or related equipment. These authorizations can take the form of easements, right-of-ways, leases, or licenses.

Despite the importance of these projects, particularly when connectivity is needed more than ever, and public safety is a priority, the application process itself is far too paper-based, fragmented, and slow. In 2026, that just doesn't make sense.

The DIGITAL Applications Act fixes that by requiring the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to establish online portals to accept, process, and manage these forms. These portals will allow applicants to submit materials electronically, track the progress, and improve coordination across agencies. It is a straightforward reform, but one with real impact.

For communities across the country, especially rural communities like the ones I represent in Florida, delays in permitting infrastructure can mean delays in access, weaker wireless coverage, and slower deployment of technologies that are critical to support economic growth and public safety.

When we talk about closing the digital divide, it is not just about funding new networks. It is also about removing unnecessary red tape and bureaucratic barriers that slow down this progress.

This bill does exactly that. By digitizing the application process, we can reduce these administrative delays, increase transparency, and provide applicants with a clear path forward when seeking a path to build infrastructure on these lands.

The DIGITAL Applications Act also reflects strong bipartisan cooperation, and I thank my colleague, Representative Matsui, for working so hard with me on this to advance a commonsense solution.

At a time when Americans expect government to operate with the same efficiency they experience in the private sector, modernizing outdated systems should be something that we can all agree on.

This bill improves government operations, supports broadband, and helps ensure that our communications infrastructure keeps pace with the needs of the 21st century.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the DIGITAL Applications Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4284, the Small Cemetery Conveyance Act, introduced by the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez).

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4284 amends the Small Tract Act of 1983 to allow States, local governments, federally recognized Tribes, and land-grant mercedes to request small conveyances of cemetery land. As the chairman said, this is an important update that sets out to fix a deeply personal problem for many rural communities, particularly in the West.

Land grant and Tribal communities have existed long before the United States of America or the Forest Service were around. Today, many of these communities find their cemeteries located on Forest Service land, and this bill will enhance access and improve stewardship of these important tracts.

While H.R. 4284 waives the need to pay for or exchange land for these sites, this does not signify a giveaway or sell-off of these public lands. This is, rather, about dignity and respect.

Importantly, this bill requires all conveyed lands to be managed as a cemetery in perpetuity, and this ensures an ongoing public purpose and allows communities to take care of their ancestors for generations to come.

I thank the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez) and the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Hurd) for their efforts to return these important burial sites to their constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, again, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1665, the DIGITAL Applications Act, sponsored by my colleagues, Representative Cammack and Representative Matsui, which would promote accessibility and transparency in the permitting process for communications use authorizations.

While many agencies are working to modernize their systems, application processes too often continue to rely on

snail mail or email, which can lead to delays and challenges in submitting and processing.

H.R. 1665 complements ongoing agency efforts to modernize the Federal permitting system by requiring the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service to establish online portals for processing applications to locate or modify communications or broadband equipment and infrastructure on Federal lands.

This is a bipartisan solution to address delays in the permitting process appropriately, while also supporting expanded digital connectivity across our public lands in the year 2026.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Representatives for bringing this commonsense solution. It is about time we bring internet access to every corner of our country. I also thank the bill's sponsor.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of H.R. 1665, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.