[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3781 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3781

To amend the National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
    Organization Act to codify the Institute for Telecommunication 
      Sciences, to direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for 
 Communications and Information to establish an initiative to support 
 the development of emergency communication and tracking technologies, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

             February 8 (legislative day, February 7), 2024

Ms. Duckworth (for herself and Mrs. Blackburn) 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 codify the Institute for Telecommunication 
      Sciences, to direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for 
 Communications and Information to establish an initiative to support 
 the development of emergency communication and tracking technologies, 
                        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 ``Institute for Telecommunication 
Sciences Codification Act'' or the ``ITS Codification Act''.

SEC. 2. INSTITUTE FOR TELECOMMUNICATION SCIENCES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The test center within the National Telecommunications 
        and Information Administration (referred to in this subsection 
        as the ``NTIA'') represents executive branch agencies on 
        spectrum issues before the Federal Communications Commission.
            (2) Understanding radio frequency propagation 
        characteristics and modeling is a critical component of making 
        spectrum decisions.
            (3) Federal agencies rely on expert engineering studies, 
        simulations, and analyses to make determinations about how to 
        make spectrum available for commercial use, including through 
        system relocations and identifying spectrum sharing 
        opportunities through the NTIA.
            (4) Clearing of Federal spectrum, when feasible, is the 
        priority action to take to make Federal spectrum available for 
        commercial uses, as required by section 113(j)(1) of the 
        National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
        Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 923(j)(1)).
            (5) Sharing of Federal spectrum between Federal entities 
        and commercial entities provides access to Federal spectrum for 
        commercial uses in circumstances where clearing is not 
        feasible.
            (6) The test center within the NTIA is the Federal 
        Government's premier expert laboratory for spectrum research 
        activities, spectrum sharing innovation and testing, spectrum 
        interference studies, and all activities related to advancing 
        next generation wireless technologies.
            (7) The test center within the NTIA is critical for 
        undertaking engineering studies and analyses that inform 
        clearing or sharing opportunities and facilitate policy 
        decisions to maximize the efficient use of spectrum resources.
    (b) Operation of Test Center.--Part A 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. INSTITUTE FOR TELECOMMUNICATION SCIENCES.

    ``(a) Establishment.--
            ``(1) Definition.--In this subsection, the term `Federal 
        spectrum' means frequencies assigned on a primary basis to a 
        Federal entity, as defined in section 113(l).
            ``(2) Operation.--Under the authority provided to the 
        Assistant Secretary under section 103, the Assistant Secretary 
        shall operate a test center to be known as the Institute for 
        Telecommunication Sciences (referred to in this section as 
        `ITS').
            ``(3) Functions.--
                    ``(A) In general.--In addition to any functions 
                delegated by the Assistant Secretary under subparagraph 
                (B), ITS shall serve as the primary laboratory for the 
                executive branch of the Federal Government to--
                            ``(i) study radio frequency emissions, 
                        including technologies and techniques to 
                        control those emissions and interference caused 
                        by those emissions;
                            ``(ii) determine spectrum propagation 
                        characteristics;
                            ``(iii) conduct tests on technology that 
                        enhances the sharing of electromagnetic 
                        spectrum between Federal and non-Federal users;
                            ``(iv) improve the interference tolerance 
                        of Federal systems operating with, or using, 
                        Federal spectrum;
                            ``(v) promote activities relating to access 
                        to Federal spectrum by non-Federal users and 
                        the sharing of Federal spectrum between Federal 
                        and non-Federal users; and
                            ``(vi) conduct such other activities 
                        determined necessary by the Assistant 
                        Secretary.
                    ``(B) Additional functions.--The Assistant 
                Secretary may delegate to ITS any of the functions 
                assigned to the Assistant Secretary under section 
                103(b)(1).
            ``(4) Agreements and transactions.--In carrying out the 
        functions described in paragraph (3), the Assistant Secretary, 
        acting through the head of ITS, may enter into agreements, as 
        provided under the following authorities:
                    ``(A) Sections 11 and 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler 
                Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710, 
                3710a).
                    ``(B) Section 1535 of title 31, United States Code.
                    ``(C) Sections 207 and 209 of title 35, United 
                States Code.
                    ``(D) Section 103(b)(2) of this Act.
                    ``(E) Section 113(g) of this Act.
                    ``(F) The first undesignated section of the Act 
                entitled `An Act to authorize the Department of 
                Commerce to make special studies, to provide services, 
                and to engage in joint projects, and for other 
                purposes', approved September 25, 1970 (Public Law 91-
                412).
                    ``(G) As authorized in any other provision of 
                Federal law.
    ``(b) Emergency Communication and Tracking Technologies 
Initiative.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Assistant Secretary, acting 
        through the head of ITS, shall establish an initiative to 
        support the development of emergency communication and tracking 
        technologies for use in locating trapped individuals in 
        confined spaces (such as underground mines) and other shielded 
        environments (such as high-rise buildings or collapsed 
        structures) where conventional radio communication is limited.
            ``(2) Activities.--In order to carry out this subsection, 
        the Assistant Secretary, acting through the head of ITS, shall 
        work with private sector entities and the heads of appropriate 
        Federal agencies to--
                    ``(A) perform a needs assessment to identify and 
                evaluate the measurement, technical specifications, and 
                conformity assessment needs required to improve the 
                operation and reliability of emergency communication 
                and tracking technologies described in paragraph (1); 
                and
                    ``(B) support the development of technical 
                specifications and conformance architecture to improve 
                the operation and reliability of emergency 
                communication and tracking technologies described in 
                paragraph (1).
            ``(3) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
        enactment of this section, the Assistant Secretary shall submit 
        to Congress, and make publicly available, a report on the 
        assessment performed under paragraph (2)(A).''.
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