Fast-track broadband permits on federal land—but who gets a say?

What it does

This bill requires the Interior Department and Forest Service to create online portals within one year to accept and process Form 299 applications—the standard federal form for placing communications infrastructure (cell towers, fiber lines, etc.) on public lands and national forests. The portals must be linked from a Commerce Department website. The bill streamlines a currently paper-based or fragmented process into a single digital submission system.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core function is to digitize and accelerate the federal permitting process for communications infrastructure on public lands. It is a procedural modernization bill that benefits telecommunications and broadband deployment companies by reducing application friction.

What the text implies

• Accelerating Form 299 processing without mandating concurrent environmental review or public notice may allow communications infrastructure to be sited on sensitive public lands with reduced community input or environmental scrutiny.
• The bill does not establish new standards for siting, environmental impact assessment, or tribal consultation—it only speeds up the existing process, potentially bypassing deliberative safeguards.
• Broadband deployment on federal lands is a public good, but the bill's silence on environmental or community protections suggests the primary beneficiary is the telecommunications industry, not rural communities seeking connectivity.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Citizens benefit from faster broadband and communications infrastructure deployment on federal lands, which can improve rural connectivity and competition. However, the bill does not impose new environmental review, public notice, or community input requirements—it only accelerates the existing Form 299 process. Streamlining permitting without strengthening public participation or environmental safeguards may allow infrastructure placement with less local oversight.

Who stands to gain

• telecommunications companies
• broadband infrastructure developers
• wireless carriers
• fiber-optic deployment firms

Named in the bill

Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, Form 299, Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974

Where it stands

3 cosponsors: 3 Democrats.

• Feb 27, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Feb 27, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Agriculture and House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology”
• Apr 9, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Apr 9, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent”
• Mar 16, 2026 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2511-2512)”
• Mar 16, 2026 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

5 lobbying clients named this bill on 8 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $40,035,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 26 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 78% of bills with at least one filing.

Kat Cammack, the sponsor, reported $799,000 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A. — $36,700,000 on 2 filings
• Verizon Communications Inc and Various Subsidiaries — $3,050,000 on 1 filing
• Wta -- Advocates for Rural Broadband — $225,000 on 2 filings
• Wireless Infrastructure Association — $60,000 on 2 filings
• Telecommunity — $0 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.