[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2979 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2979

To amend the National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
  Organization Act to establish the Office of Policy Development and 
                 Cybersecurity, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 7, 2021

Mr. Hickenlooper (for himself and Mrs. Capito) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
  Organization Act to establish the Office of Policy Development and 
                 Cybersecurity, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity 
Coordination Act''.

SEC. 2. POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND CYBERSECURITY.

    (a) Office of Policy Development and Cybersecurity.--Part A of 
title I of the National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 901 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 106. OFFICE OF POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND CYBERSECURITY.

    ``(a) Establishment.--There shall be within the NTIA an office to 
be known as the Office of Policy Development and Cybersecurity (in this 
section referred to as the `Office').
    ``(b) Associate Administrator.--The head of the Office shall be an 
Associate Administrator for Policy Development and Cybersecurity (in 
this section referred to as the `Associate Administrator'), who shall 
report to the Assistant Secretary.
    ``(c) Duties.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Associate Administrator shall 
        oversee and conduct national communications and information 
        policy analysis and development for the internet and 
        communications technologies.
            ``(2) Particular duties.--In carrying out paragraph (1), 
        the Office shall--
                    ``(A) develop, analyze, and advocate for market-
                based policies that promote innovation, competition, 
                consumer access, digital inclusion, workforce 
                development, and economic growth in the communications, 
                media, and technology markets;
                    ``(B) issue studies, as delegated by the Assistant 
                Secretary or required by Congress, on how individuals 
                in the United States access and use the internet, 
                wireline and wireless telephony, mass media, other 
                digital services, and video services;
                    ``(C) coordinate transparent, consensus-based, 
                multistakeholder processes to create guidance or to 
                support the development and implementation of 
                cybersecurity and privacy policies with respect to the 
                internet and other communications networks;
                    ``(D) promote increased collaboration between 
                security researchers and providers of communications 
                services and software system developers;
                    ``(E) perform such duties as the Assistant 
                Secretary considers appropriate relating to the program 
                for preventing future vulnerabilities established under 
                section 8(a) of the Secure and Trusted Communications 
                Networks Act of 2019 (47 U.S.C. 1607(a));
                    ``(F) advocate for policies that promote the 
                security and resilience to cybersecurity incidents of 
                communications networks while fostering innovation, 
                including policies that promote secure communications 
                network supply chains;
                    ``(G) at the direction of the Assistant Secretary, 
                present security of the digital economy and 
                infrastructure and cybersecurity policy efforts before 
                the Commission, Congress, and elsewhere;
                    ``(H) provide advice and assistance to the 
                Assistant Secretary in carrying out the policy 
                responsibilities of the NTIA with respect to 
                cybersecurity policy matters, including the evaluation 
                of the impact of cybersecurity matters pending before 
                the Commission, other Federal agencies, and Congress;
                    ``(I) in addition to the duties described in 
                subparagraph (H), perform such other duties regarding 
                the policy responsibilities of the NTIA with respect to 
                cybersecurity policy matters as the Assistant Secretary 
                considers appropriate;
                    ``(J) develop policies to accelerate innovation and 
                commercialization with respect to advances in 
                technological understanding of communications 
                technologies;
                    ``(K) identify barriers to trust, security, 
                innovation, and commercialization with respect to 
                communications technologies, including access to 
                capital and other resources, and ways to overcome such 
                barriers;
                    ``(L) provide public access to relevant data, 
                research, and technical assistance on innovation and 
                commercialization with respect to communications 
                technologies, consistent with the protection of 
                classified information;
                    ``(M) strengthen collaboration on and coordination 
                of policies relating to innovation and 
                commercialization with respect to communications 
                technologies, including policies focused on the needs 
                of small businesses and rural communities--
                            ``(i) within the Department of Commerce;
                            ``(ii) between the Department of Commerce 
                        and State government agencies, as appropriate; 
                        and
                            ``(iii) between the Department of Commerce 
                        and the Commission or any other Federal agency 
                        the Assistant Secretary determines to be 
                        necessary; and
                    ``(N) solicit and consider feedback from small and 
                rural communications service providers, as 
                appropriate.''.
    (b) Transitional Rules.--
            (1) Redesignation of associate administrator; continuation 
        of service.--
                    (A) Redesignation.--The position of Associate 
                Administrator for Policy Analysis and Development at 
                the NTIA is redesignated as the position of Associate 
                Administrator for Policy Development and Cybersecurity.
                    (B) Continuation of service.--The individual 
                serving as Associate Administrator for Policy Analysis 
                and Development at the NTIA on the day before the date 
                of enactment of this Act shall become, as of such date 
                of enactment, the Associate Administrator for Policy 
                Development and Cybersecurity.
            (2) NTIA defined.--In this subsection, the term ``NTIA'' 
        means the National Telecommunications and Information 
        Administration.
                                 <all>