[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 137 (Monday, August 2, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5603-S5604]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2178. Mr. WICKER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to
amendment SA 2137 proposed by Mr. Schumer (for Ms. Sinema (for herself,
Mr. Portman, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Cassidy, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Collins, Mr.
Tester, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Romney)) to the bill H.R.
3684, to authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety
programs, and transit programs, and for other purposes; which was
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the appropriate place in division F, insert the
following:
SEC. _____. OPEN NETWORK ARCHITECTURE.
(a) Open Network Architecture Testbed.--
(1) Definitions.--In this subsection--
(A) the term ``Applied Research Open-RAN testbed'' means
the testbed established under paragraph (2);
(B) the term ``Assistant Secretary'' means the Assistant
Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information; and
(C) the term ``NTIA'' means the National Telecommunications
and Information Administration.
(2) Establishment.--The Assistant Secretary shall establish
an applied research open network architecture testbed at the
Institute for Telecommunication Sciences of the NTIA to
develop and demonstrate network architectures and
applications, equipment integration and interoperability at
scale, including--
(A) Open Radio Access Network (commonly known as ``Open-
RAN'') technology;
(B) Virtualized Radio Access Network (commonly known as
``vRAN'') technology; and
(C) cloud native technologies that replicate
telecommunications hardware as software-based virtual network
elements and functions.
(3) Focus; considerations.--In establishing the Applied
Research Open-RAN testbed pursuant to this subsection, the
Assistant Secretary shall ensure that such testbed evaluates
issues related to deployment and operation of open network
architectures in rural areas.
(4) Cooperative research and development agreements.--The
Assistant Secretary shall enter into cooperative research and
development agreements as appropriate to obtain equipment,
devices, and expertise for the Applied Research Open-RAN
testbed, in accordance with section 12 of the Stevenson-
Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a).
(5) Private sector contributions.--The Assistant Secretary
may accept private contributions to the Applied Research
Open-RAN testbed in the form of network equipment or devices
for testing purposes.
[[Page S5604]]
(6) Partnership with government entities.--
(A) Establishment.--In establishing the Applied Research
Open-RAN testbed, the Assistant Secretary shall--
(i) consult with the Federal Communications Commission,
including with respect to ongoing work by the Commission to
develop other testbeds, including private sector testbeds,
related to Open-RAN technologies; and
(ii) ensure that the work on the testbed is coordinated
with the responsibilities of the Assistant Secretary under
any relevant memorandum of understanding with the Federal
Communications Commission and the National Science Foundation
related to spectrum.
(B) Operations.--In operating the Applied Research Open-RAN
testbed, the Assistant Secretary shall, in consultation with
the Federal Communications Commission, partner with--
(i) the First Responder Network Authority of the NTIA (also
known as ``FirstNet'') and the Public Safety Communications
Research Division of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology to examine use cases and applications for Open-RAN
technologies in a public safety network;
(ii) other Federal agencies, as appropriate to examine use
cases and applications for Open-RAN technologies in other
areas of interest to such agencies; and
(iii) international partners, as appropriate.
(7) Stakeholder input.--The Assistant Secretary shall seek
input from stakeholders regarding the establishment and
operation of the Applied Research Open-RAN testbed.
(8) Implementation deadline.--Not later than 180 days after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary
shall--
(A) define metrics and parameters for the Applied Research
Open-RAN testbed, including functionality, project
configuration and capacity, performance, security
requirements, and quality assurance;
(B) adopt any rules as necessary, in consultation with the
Federal Communications Commission; and
(C) begin the development of the Applied Research Open-RAN
testbed, including seeking stakeholder input as required by
paragraph (7).
(9) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall submit
to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of
the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the
House of Representatives a report on the findings of the
testbed and any recommendations for additional legislative or
regulatory actions relating to the work of the testbed.
(10) Authorization of appropriations.--
(A) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated
for the administration of the Applied Research Open-RAN
testbed $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2022, to remain available
until expended.
(B) Rule of construction.--Nothing in paragraph (6) shall
be construed to obligate FirstNet or any other Federal entity
to pay for the cost of the Applied Research Open-RAN testbed
established under this subsection in the absence of the
appropriation of amounts under this paragraph.
(C) Authorization for voluntary support.--A Federal entity,
including FirstNet, may voluntarily enter into an agreement
with NTIA to provide monetary or nonmonetary support for the
Applied Research Open-RAN testbed.
(b) Participation in Standards-setting Bodies.--
(1) Definitions.--In this subsection--
(A) the term ``Assistant Secretary'' means the Assistant
Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information;
(B) the term ``eligible standards-setting body''--
(i) means a standards-setting body, participation in which
may be funded by a grant awarded under paragraph (2), as
determined by the Assistant Secretary; and
(ii) includes--
(I) the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (commonly known
as ``3GPP'');
(II) the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions
(commonly known as ``ATIS'');
(III) the International Telecommunications Union (commonly
known as ``ITU'');
(IV) the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(commonly known as ``IEEE'');
(V) the World Radiocommunications Conferences (commonly
known as the ``WRC'') of the ITU;
(VI) the Internet Engineering Task Force (commonly known as
the ``IETF'');
(VII) the International Organization for Standardization
(commonly known as the ``ISO'') and the International
Electrotechnical Commission (commonly known as the ``IEC'');
(VIII) the O-RAN Alliance;
(IX) the Telecommunications Industry Association (commonly
known as ``TIA''); and
(X) any other standards-setting body identified under
paragraph (4);
(C) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Commerce;
and
(D) the term ``standards-setting body'' means an
international body that develops the standards for open
network architecture technologies.
(2) Grant program.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary, in collaboration with the
Assistant Secretary, shall award grants to private sector
entities based in the United States to participate in
eligible standards-setting bodies.
(B) Prioritization.--The Secretary shall prioritize grants
awarded under this subsection to private sector entities that
would not otherwise be able to participate in eligible
standards-setting bodies without the grant.
(3) Grant criteria.--Not later than 180 days after the date
on which amounts are appropriated under paragraph (5), the
Secretary, in collaboration with the Assistant Secretary,
shall establish criteria for the grants awarded under
paragraph (2).
(4) Consultation with federal communications commission.--
The Secretary shall consult with the Federal Communications
Commission in--
(A) determining criteria for the grants awarded under
paragraph (2); and
(B) determining which standards-setting bodies, if any, in
addition to the standards-setting bodies listed in paragraph
(1)(B)(ii) are eligible standards-setting bodies.
(5) Authorization of appropriations.--
(A) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated
for grants under paragraph (2) $30,000,000 in total for
fiscal years 2022 through 2025, to remain available until
expended.
(B) Administrative costs.--The Secretary may use not more
than 2 percent of any funds appropriated under this paragraph
for the administration of the grant program established under
this subsection.
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