[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 86 (Thursday, May 24, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6862-S6863]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. INOUYE (for himself and Mr. Stevens):
  S. 1493. A bill to promote innovation and basic research in advanced 
information and communications technologies that will enhance or 
facilitate the availability and affordability of advanced 
communications services to all Americans; to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation.
  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, the telecommunications industry started in 
this country as a series of wires criss-crossing the country to provide 
simple telegraph service. The telegraph allowed people to communicate 
from coast to coast in a matter of minutes, which was a marked 
improvement over the days required to deliver postal correspondence via 
the pony express. The industry quickly evolved from those initial 
telegraph lines with Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the 
telephone. This revolutionized telecommunications and created a multi-
billion dollar industry.
  Today, telecommunications accounts for 3 percent of this country's 
gross domestic income, or roughly $335 billion. It employs over 1.25 
million U.S. workers. The industry is a critical driver of U.S. 
economic growth and innovation. Historically, advances in 
telecommunications resulted from AT&T's steady funding of Bell 
Laboratories, the world-famous research facility that discovered the 
transistor, the laser, radar and sonar, digital signal processors, 
cellular telephone technology, and data-networking technology. Indeed, 
research in this last field, data-networking, is the basis of the 21st 
century's greatest resource, the Internet.
  However, today, the pace of innovation in the United States is no 
longer as swift or as certain. For example, much of the world's 
wireless technologies come from Europe, and many of the handsets are 
designed and manufactured in other countries like China and South 
Korea. Part of the problem is the decline of Bell Labs, but financial 
pressures from Wall Street to perform in the short-term are also partly 
to blame. Companies can no longer afford to invest in basic, 
fundamental telecommunications research with project horizons beyond 5 
years. Unless we can reverse this trend, I fear that the United States 
may fall permanently behind in the telecommunications innovation race.
  That is why I am here today, to introduce the advanced Information 
and Communications Technology Research Act. By rededicating our efforts 
to the pursuit of innovation through basic, fundamental research, we 
can begin to restore our Nation's historic leadership in this critical 
industry. Toward that end, the legislation that I am introducing today 
will establish a telecommunications program within the National Science 
Foundation to focus research on the development of affordable advanced 
communications services in America. It would authorize $40 million in 
fiscal year 2008, increasing in $5 million increments to reach $60 
million in FY 2012. The bill would also establish a Federal Advanced 
Information and Communications Technology Board within NSF to advise 
the program on appropriate research topics. Finally, the bill would 
accelerate efforts initiated almost 4 years ago to promote spectrum 
sharing technologies. It would require NTIA and the FCC to initiate a 
pilot program within 1 year that would make a small portion of spectrum 
available for shared use between Federal and nonFederal government 
users.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues on this legislation in 
the weeks ahead.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1493

       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 ``Advanced Information and 
     Communications Technology Research Act''.

     SEC. 2. SPECTRUM-SHARING INNOVATION TESTBED.

       (a) Spectrum-sharing Plan.--Within 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Federal Communications Commission 
     and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications 
     and Information, in coordination with other Federal agencies, 
     shall--
       (1) develop a plan to increase sharing of spectrum between 
     Federal and non-Federal government users; and
       (2) establish a pilot program for implementation of the 
     plan.
       (b) Technical Specifications.--The Commission and the 
     Assistant Secretary--
       (1) shall each identify a segment of spectrum of equal 
     bandwidth within their respective jurisdiction for the pilot 
     program that is approximately 10 megaHertz in width for 
     assignment on a shared basis to Federal and non-Federal 
     government use; and
       (2) may take the spectrum for the pilot program from bands 
     currently allocated on either an exclusive or shared basis.
       (c) Report.--The Commission and the Assistant Secretary 
     shall transmit a report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, 
     Science, and Transportation and the House of Representatives 
     Committee on Energy and Commerce 2 years after the inception 
     of the pilot program describing the results of the program 
     and suggesting appropriate procedures for expanding the 
     program as appropriate.

     SEC. 3. TELECOMMUNICATIONS INNOVATION ACCELERATION.

       (a) Program.--In order to accelerate the pace of innovation 
     with respect to telecommunications services (as defined in 
     section 3(46) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
     153(46)), equipment, and technology, the Director of the 
     National Institute of Standards and Technology shall--
       (1) establish a program linked to the goals and objectives 
     of the measurement laboratories, to be known as the 
     `Telecommunications Standards and Technology Acceleration 
     Research Program', to support and promote innovation in the 
     United States through high-risk, high-reward 
     telecommunications research; and
       (2) set aside, from funds available to the measurement 
     laboratories, an amount equal to not less than 8 percent of 
     the funds available to the Institute each fiscal year for 
     such Program.
       (b) External Funding.--The Director shall ensure that at 
     least 80 percent of the funds available for such Program 
     shall be used to award competitive, merit-reviewed grants, 
     cooperative agreements, or contracts to public or private 
     entities, including businesses and universities. In selecting 
     entities to receive such assistance, the Director shall 
     ensure that the project proposed by an entity has scientific 
     and technical merit and that any resulting intellectual 
     property shall vest in a United States entity that can 
     commercialize the technology in a timely manner. Each 
     external project shall involve at least one small or medium-
     sized business and the Director shall give priority to joint 
     ventures between small or medium-sized businesses and 
     educational institutions. Any grant shall be for a period not 
     to exceed 3 years.
       (c) Competitions.--The Director shall solicit proposals 
     annually to address areas of national need for high-risk, 
     high-reward telecommunications research, as identified by the 
     Director.
       (d) Annual Report.--Each year the Director shall issue an 
     annual report describing the program's activities, including 
     include a description of the metrics upon which grant funding 
     decisions were made in the previous fiscal year, any proposed 
     changes to those metrics, metrics for evaluating the success 
     of ongoing and completed grants, and an evaluation of ongoing 
     and completed grants. The first annual report shall include 
     best practices for management of programs to stimulate high-
     risk, high-reward telecommunications research.
       (e) Administrative Expenses.--No more than 5 percent of the 
     finding available to the program may be used for 
     administrative expenses.
       (f) High-Risk, High-Reward Telecommunications Research 
     Defined.--In this section, the term ``high-risk, high-reward 
     telecommunications research'' means research that--
       (1) has the potential for yielding results with far-ranging 
     or wide-ranging implications;
       (2) addresses critical national needs related to 
     measurement standards and technology; and
       (3) is too novel or spans too diverse a range of 
     disciplines to fare well in the traditional peer review 
     process.

     SEC. 4. ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES FOR ALL AMERICANS.

       The Director of the National Institute of Standards and 
     Technology shall continue to support research and support 
     standards development in advanced information and 
     communications technologies focused on enhancing or 
     facilitating the availability and affordability of advanced 
     communications services to all Americans, in order to 
     implement the Institute's responsibilities under section 
     2(c)(12) of the National Institute of Standards and 
     Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 272(c)(12)). The Director shall 
     support intramural research and cooperative research with 
     institutions of higher education (as defined in section 
     101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     1001(a)) and industry.

     SEC. 5. ADVANCED INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY 
                   RESEARCH.

       (a) Information and Communications Technology Research.--
     The Director of the National Science Foundation shall 
     establish a program of basic research in advanced information 
     and communications technologies focused on enhancing or 
     facilitating the availability and affordability of advanced 
     communications services to all Americans.

[[Page S6863]]

      In developing and carrying out the program, the Director 
     shall consult with the Board established under subsection 
     (b).
       (b) Federal Advanced Information and Communications 
     Technology Research Board.--There is established within the 
     National Science Foundation a Federal Advanced Information 
     and Communications Technology Board which shall advise the 
     Director of the National Science Foundation in carrying out 
     the program authorized by subsection (a). The Board Shall be 
     composed of individuals with expertise in information and 
     communications technologies, including representatives from 
     the National Telecommunications and Information 
     Administration, the Federal Communications Commission, the 
     National Institute of Standards and Technology, the 
     Department of Defense, and representatives from industry and 
     educational institutions.
       (c) Grant Program.--The Director, in consultation with the 
     Board, shall award grants for basic research into advanced 
     information and communications technologies that will 
     contribute to enhancing or facilitating the availability and 
     affordability of advanced communications services to all 
     Americans. Areas of research to be supported through these 
     grants include--
       (1) affordable broadband access, including wireless 
     technologies;
       (2) network security and reliability;
       (3) communications interoperability;
       (4) networking protocols and architectures, including 
     resilience to outages or attacks;
       (5) trusted software;
       (6) privacy;
       (7) nanoelectronics for communications applications;
       (8) low-power communications electronics;
       (9) such other related areas as the Director, in 
     consultation with the Board, finds appropriate; and
       (10) implementation of equitable access to national 
     advanced fiber optic research and educational networks, 
     including access in noncontiguous States.
       (d) Centers.--The Director shall award multiyear grants, 
     subject to the availability of appropriations, to 
     institutions of higher education (as defined in section 
     101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     1001(a)), nonprofit research institutions affiliated with 
     institutions of higher education, or consortia thereof to 
     establish multidisciplinary Centers for Communications 
     Research. The purpose of the Centers shall be to generate 
     innovative approaches to problems in communications and 
     information technology research, including the research areas 
     described in subsection (c). Institutions of higher 
     education, nonprofit research institutions affiliated with 
     institutions of higher education, or consortia receiving such 
     grants may partner with 1 or more government laboratories or 
     for-profit entities, or other institutions of higher 
     education or nonprofit research institutions.
       (e) Applications.--The Director, in consultation with the 
     Board, shall establish criteria for the award of grants under 
     subsections (c) and (d). Grants shall be awarded under the 
     program on a merit-reviewed competitive basis. The Director 
     shall give priority to grants that offer the potential for 
     revolutionary rather than evolutionary breakthroughs.
       (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated to the National Science Foundation to 
     carry out this section--
       (1) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
       (2) $45,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
       (3) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
       (4) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
       (5) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.
                                 ______