[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 1, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19081-19082]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-09234]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Docket ID DHS-2018-0019]


The President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory 
Committee

AGENCY: National Protection and Programs Directorate, Department of 
Homeland Security.

ACTION: Committee management; notice of federal advisory committee 
meeting.

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SUMMARY: The President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory 
Committee (NSTAC) will meet on Thursday, May 17, 2018, in Washington, 
DC. The meeting will be partially closed to the public.

DATES: The NSTAC will meet on Thursday, May 17, 2018, from 9:30 a.m. to 
3:30 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). Please note that the meeting may close 
early if the committee has completed its business.

ADDRESSES: The May 2018 NSTAC Meeting will be held at the Eisenhower 
Executive Office Building, Washington, DC. Due to limited seating, 
requests to attend in person will be accepted and processed in the 
order in which they are received. The meeting's proceedings will also 
be available via Webcast at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live, for those 
who cannot attend in person. Individuals who intend to participate in 
the meeting will need to register by sending an email to 
[email protected] by 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, May 11, 2018. For 
information on facilities or services for individuals with 
disabilities, or to request special assistance at the meeting, or to 
attend in person, contact [email protected] as soon as possible. Members 
of the public are invited to provide comment on the issues that will be 
considered by the committee as listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section below. Associated briefing materials that participants may 
discuss during the meeting will be available at www.dhs.gov/nstac for 
review as of Friday, May 4, 2018. Comments may be submitted at any time 
and must be identified by docket number DHS-2018-0019. Comments may be 
submitted by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Please follow the instructions for submitting written comments.
     Email: [email protected]. Include the docket number DHS-
2018-0019 in the subject line of the email.

[[Page 19082]]

     Fax: (703) 705-6190, ATTN: Sandy Benevides.
     Mail: Helen Jackson, Designated Federal Officer, 
Stakeholder Engagement and Critical Infrastructure Resilience Division, 
National Protection and Programs Directorate, Department of Homeland 
Security, 245 Murray Lane, Mail Stop 0612, Arlington, VA 20598-0612.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the words 
``Department of Homeland Security'' and the docket number DHS-2018-
0019. Comments received will be posted without alteration at 
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
    Docket: For access to the docket and comments received by the 
NSTAC, please go to www.regulations.gov and enter docket number DHS-
2018-0019.
    A public comment period will be held during the meeting on 
Thursday, May 17, 2018, from 2:40 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET. Speakers who 
wish to participate in the public comment period must register in 
advance by no later than Friday, May 11, 2018, at 5:00 p.m. ET by 
emailing [email protected]. Speakers are requested to limit their 
comments to three minutes and will speak in order of registration. 
Please note that the public comment period may end before the time 
indicated, following the last request for comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Helen Jackson, NSTAC Designated 
Federal Officer, Department of Homeland Security, (703) 705-6276 
(telephone) or [email protected] (email).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice of this meeting is given under the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. Appendix (Pub. L. 92-463). The 
NSTAC advises the President on matters related to national security and 
emergency preparedness (NS/EP) telecommunications and cybersecurity 
policy.
    Agenda: The committee will meet in an open session on May 17, 2018, 
receive remarks from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leadership 
and other senior Government officials regarding the Government's 
current cybersecurity initiatives and NS/EP priorities. The meeting 
will include a keynote address and a debate consisting of great 
thinkers in cybersecurity. NSTAC members will also receive a status 
update on the NSTAC Cybersecurity Moonshot Subcommittee's examination 
of concepts related to a Cybersecurity Moonshot, which has two primary 
objectives: (1) Defining an ambitious but achievable outcome-focused 
end goal for the cybersecurity environment; and (2) defining the 
structure and process necessary to successfully execute against the 
identified end goal.
    The committee will also meet in a closed session to receive a 
classified briefing regarding cybersecurity threats and discuss future 
studies based on the Government's NS/EP priorities and perceived 
vulnerabilities.
    Basis for Closure: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552b(c), The 
Government in the Sunshine Act, it has been determined that two agenda 
items require closure, as the disclosure of the information discussed 
would not be in the public interest. The first of these agenda items, 
the classified briefing, will provide members with a cybersecurity 
threat briefing on vulnerabilities related to the communications 
infrastructure. Disclosure of these threats would provide criminals who 
seek to compromise commercial and Government networks with information 
on potential vulnerabilities and mitigation techniques, weakening the 
Nation's cybersecurity posture. This briefing will be classified at the 
top secret/sensitive compartmented information 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. 552b(c)(1)(A) & 
(B). The second agenda item, a 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 sector networks. The information 
will include specific vulnerabilities within cyberspace that affect the 
United States' information and communications 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 the Nation's 
critical infrastructure and communications networks. As disclosure of 
this portion of the meeting is likely to significantly frustrate 
implementation of proposed DHS actions, it is required to be closed 
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(9)(B).

Helen Jackson,
Designated Federal Officer for the NSTAC.
[FR Doc. 2018-09234 Filed 4-30-18; 8:45 am]
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