[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 93 (Tuesday, May 14, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28237-28238]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-11324]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Docket No. DHS-2013-0022]


President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory 
Committee

AGENCY: National Protection and Programs Directorate, DHS.

ACTION: Committee Management; Notice of Partially Closed Federal 
Advisory Committee Meeting.

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SUMMARY: The President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory 
Committee (NSTAC) will meet on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, in Washington, 
DC. The meeting will be partially closed to the public.

DATES: The NSTAC will meet in a closed session on Wednesday, May 22, 
2013, from 9:40 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. and

[[Page 28238]]

in an open session on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, from 12:40 p.m. to 4:00 
p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Eisenhower Executive Office 
Building, Washington, DC. Due to limited seating, the public portion of 
the meeting will be streamed via webcast at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live. For information on facilities or services for individuals with 
disabilities or to request special assistance at the meeting, contact 
[email protected] as soon as possible. We are inviting public comment on 
the issues the committee will consider, as listed in the 
``Supplementary Information'' section below. Associated briefing 
materials that will be discussed at the meeting will be available at 
www.dhs.gov/nstac for review as of May 6, 2013. Comments must be 
submitted in writing no later than May 13, 2013 and must be identified 
by DHS-2013-0022 and may be submitted by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Email: [email protected]. Include the docket number in the 
subject line of the message.
     Fax: 703-235-4941, Attn: Helen Jackson.
     Mail: Alternate Designated Federal Officer, National 
Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, National Protection and 
Programs Directorate, Department of Homeland Security, 245 Murray Lane, 
Mail Stop 0615, Arlington, VA 20598-0615.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the words 
``Department of Homeland Security'' and the docket number for this 
action. Comments received will be posted without alteration at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received by the NSTAC, go to http://www.regulations.gov.
    A public comment period will be held during the open portion of the 
meeting on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, from 2:25 p.m. to 2:55 p.m., and 
speakers are requested to limit their comments to three minutes. Please 
note that the public comment period may end before the time indicated, 
following the last call for comments. Contact Helen Jackson at 703-235-
5321 to register as a speaker by close of business on May 15, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Echols, NSTAC Alternate 
Designated Federal Officer, Department of Homeland Security, telephone 
(703) 235-5469.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice of this meeting is given under the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. (Pub. L. 92-463). The 
NSTAC advises the President on matters related to national security and 
emergency preparedness (NS/EP) telecommunications policy.
    Agenda: The committee will meet in open session to receive a 
briefing on the Federal Government's current research and development 
priorities as they relate to cybersecurity and NS/EP communications. 
Additionally, there will be a panel discussion on the nationwide public 
safety broadband network (NPSBN). Panelists will discuss the current 
implementation status of the NPSBN, including current initiatives 
underway with the First Network Authority Board. The NSTAC members will 
deliberate and vote on their report, NSTAC Report to the President on 
the National Security and Emergency Preparedness Implications of the 
Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, and will be briefed on the 
committee's progress regarding its report on secure government 
communications. Lastly, the NSTAC will receive feedback from the 
Executive Office of the President regarding the progress of the 
Government's implementation of NSTAC recommendations from the 2012 
NSTAC Report to the President on Cloud Computing.
    The committee will meet in a closed session to hear a classified 
briefing regarding cybersecurity threats and to discuss future studies 
based on Government's security priorities and perceived 
vulnerabilities.
    Basis for Closure: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552b(c), Government 
in the Sunshine Act, it has been determined that two agenda items 
require closure as the disclosure of the information would not be in 
the public interest.
    The first of these agenda items, the classified briefing, will 
provide members with context on nation-state capabilities and strategic 
threats. Such threats target national communications infrastructure and 
impact industry's long-term competitiveness and growth, as well as the 
Government's ability to mitigate threats. Disclosure of these threats 
would provide criminals who wish to intrude into commercial and 
Government networks with information on potential vulnerabilities and 
mitigation techniques, weakening existing cybersecurity defense 
tactics. This briefing will be classified at the Top Secret level, 
thereby exempting disclosure of the content by statute. Therefore, this 
portion of the meeting is required to be closed pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 
Sec.  552b(c)(1)(A).
    The second agenda item, the discussion of potential NSTAC study 
topics, will address areas of critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities 
and priorities for Government. Government officials will share data 
with NSTAC members on initiatives, assessments, and future security 
requirements across public and private networks. The data to be shared 
includes specific vulnerabilities within cyberspace that affect the 
nation's communications and information technology infrastructures and 
proposed mitigation strategies. Disclosure of this information to the 
public would provide criminals with an incentive to focus on these 
vulnerabilities to increase attacks on our cyber and communications 
networks. Therefore, this portion of the meeting is likely to 
significantly frustrate implementation of proposed DHS actions and is 
required to be closed pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(9)(B).
    The FACA requires that notices of meetings of advisory committees 
be announced in the Federal Register 15 days prior to the meeting date. 
However, this notice of the NSTAC meeting is being published in the 
Federal Register on May 10, 2013, 12 days prior to the meeting due to 
the immediate need for NSTAC's members to receive a cyber-threat 
briefing. Notwithstanding the difficulties that delayed publication, 
this NSTAC meeting must occur. The national security threat that 
Distributed Denial of Service/Destructive Malware represent is 
increasing in sophistication and severity and the timing of this 
information is critical. Although the meeting notice was published in 
the Federal Register late, the agenda will be published on the DHS Web 
site: www.dhs.gov/nstac and an email will be sent out to the NSTAC 
Members.

    Dated: May 8, 2013.
Michael A. Echols,
Alternate Designated Federal Officer for the NSTAC.
[FR Doc. 2013-11324 Filed 5-13-13; 8:45 am]
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