[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 62 (Monday, April 1, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12231-12232]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-06211]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Multistakeholder Process on Promoting Software Component 
Transparency

AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 
U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of open meeting.

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SUMMARY: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA) will convene a meeting of a multistakeholder process on 
promoting software component transparency on April 11, 2019.

DATES: The meeting will be held on April 11, 2019, from 10:00 a.m. to 
4:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

[[Page 12232]]


ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the American Institute of 
Architects, 1735 New York Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allan Friedman, National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 4725, Washington, DC 20230; 
telephone: (202) 482-4281; email: [email protected]. Please direct 
media inquiries to NTIA's Office of Public Affairs: (202) 482-7002; 
email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    This National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
cybersecurity multistakeholder process focuses on promoting software 
component transparency. Most modern software is not written completely 
from scratch, but includes existing components, modules, and libraries 
from the open source and commercial software world. Modern development 
practices such as code reuse, and a dynamic IT marketplace with 
acquisitions and mergers, make it challenging to track the use of 
software components. The Internet of Things compounds this phenomenon, 
as new organizations, enterprises, and innovators take on the role of 
software developer to add ``smart'' features or connectivity to their 
products. While the majority of libraries and components do not have 
known vulnerabilities, many do, and the sheer quantity of software 
means that some software products ship with vulnerable or out-of-date 
components.
    The first meeting of this multistakeholder process was held on July 
19, 2018, in Washington, DC.\1\ Stakeholders presented multiple 
perspectives, and identified several inter-related work streams: 
Understanding the Problem, Use Cases and State of Practice, Standards 
and Formats, and Healthcare Proof of Concept. Since then, stakeholders 
have scoped their work streams and have begun developing products such 
as guidance documents. NTIA acts as the convener, but stakeholders 
drive the outcomes. Success of the process will be evaluated by the 
extent to which broader findings on software component transparency are 
implemented across the ecosystem.
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    \1\ Notes, presentations, and a video recording of the July 19, 
2018, kickoff meeting are available at: https://www.ntia.gov/SoftwareTransparency.
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    The main objectives of the April 11, 2019, meeting are to share 
progress from the working groups and hear feedback from the broader 
stakeholder community. Stakeholders will also discuss how the outputs 
of the different work streams can complement each other, and identify 
further issues to pursue. More information about stakeholders' work is 
available at: https://www.ntia.gov/SoftwareTransparency.
    Time and Date: NTIA will convene the next meeting of the 
multistakeholder process on Software Component Transparency on April 
11, 2019, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. Please refer to 
NTIA's website, https://www.ntia.gov/SoftwareTransparency, for the most 
current information.
    Place: The meeting will be held at the American Institute of 
Architects, 1735 New York Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20006. The location 
of the meeting is subject to change. Please refer to NTIA's website, 
https://www.ntia.gov/SoftwareTransparency, for the most current 
information.
    Other Information: The meeting is open to the public and the press 
on a first-come, first-served basis. Space is limited.
    The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Allan Friedman at (202) 482-4281 or 
[email protected] at least seven (7) business days prior to each 
meeting. The meetings will also be webcast. Requests for real-time 
captioning of the webcast or other auxiliary aids should be directed to 
Allan Friedman at (202) 482-4281 or [email protected] at least seven 
(7) business days prior to each meeting. There will be an opportunity 
for stakeholders viewing the webcast to participate remotely in the 
meetings through a moderated conference bridge, including polling 
functionality. Access details for the meetings are subject to change. 
Please refer to NTIA's website, https://www.ntia.gov/SoftwareTransparency, for the most current information.

    Dated: March 27, 2019.
Kathy Smith,
Chief Counsel, National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2019-06211 Filed 3-29-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-60-P