[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 173 (Friday, September 6, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72828-72829]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-20135]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund Listening Session #2

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

ACTION: Notice of open meeting.

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SUMMARY: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA) will convene its second virtual industry roundtable listening 
session on the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund 
(``Innovation Fund''). The listening session will discuss Innovation 
Fund progress to date and solicit stakeholder input to help inform 
future funding opportunities.

DATES: The listening session will be held on September 26, 2024, from 
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., eastern daylight time.

ADDRESSES: The session will be held virtually, with online slide share 
and dial-in information to be posted at www.ntia.gov/program/innovation-fund.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please direct questions regarding this 
Notice to Richard Upchurch at [email protected], indicating 
``Innovation Fund Listening Session #2'' in the subject line, or if by 
mail, addressed to National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 
NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: 202-482-3806. Please direct media 
inquiries to NTIA's Office of Public Affairs, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background and Authority: On August 9, 2022, President Biden signed 
the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 into law, appropriating $1.5 billion 
for the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund to support the 
promotion and deployment of open, interoperable, and standards-based 
radio access networks (RAN) (Pub. L. 117-167, Div. A, sec. 106, 136 
Stat. 1392). The Innovation Fund is authorized under section 9202(a)(1) 
of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act 
for Fiscal Year 2021 (Pub. L. 116-283; 47 U.S.C. 906(a)(1)). This 
historic investment aims to support U.S. leadership in the global 
telecommunications ecosystem, foster competition, lower costs for 
consumers and network operators, and strengthen our supply chain. The 
Secretary of Commerce, acting through the NTIA Administrator, shall 
establish criteria for grants awarded to support the following:
    (i) Promoting and deploying technology, including software, 
hardware, and microprocessing technology, that will enhance 
competitiveness in the fifth-generation (commonly known as ``5G'') and 
successor wireless technology supply chains that use open and 
interoperable interface radio access networks.
    (ii) Accelerating commercial deployments of open interface 
standards-based compatible, interoperable equipment, such as equipment 
developed pursuant to the standards set forth by organizations such as 
the O-RAN Alliance, the Telecom Infra Project, 3GPP, the Open-RAN 
Software Community, or any successor organizations.
    (iii) Promoting and deploying compatibility of new 5G equipment 
with future open standards-based, interoperable equipment.
    (iv) Managing integration of multi-vendor network environments.
    (v) Identifying objective criteria to define equipment as compliant 
with open standards for multi-vendor network equipment 
interoperability.
    (vi) Promoting and deploying security features enhancing the 
integrity and availability of equipment in multi-vendor networks.
    (vii) Promoting and deploying network function virtualization to 
facilitate multi-vendor interoperability and a more diverse vendor 
market.
    In accordance with the above statute, NTIA issued two Notice of 
Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) based on stakeholder feedback.
    NTIA's first NOFO was released in August 2023, which awarded more 
than $140 million to 17 grantees. This first funding opportunity 
focused on advancing two key areas:
    1. Testing and Evaluation (T&E): Projects aimed at expanding 
industry-accepted T&E, within the United States and its territories and 
possessions, to test, evaluate, facilitate, and assess, the 
interoperability, performance, and/or security of open and 
interoperable, standards-based 5G radio access networks.
    2. Research and Design (R&D) into Testing Methods: R&D projects 
aimed at addressing needs not currently met by industry-accepted tests 
and best practices. These projects fall into two categories: (1) 
developing new and emerging performance indicators and/or (2) 
developing enhanced methods for existing test criteria that make 
material improvements on current methods needed to assess 
interoperability, performance, and/or security on these networks and 
their component parts.
    NTIA's second NOFO was released in May 2024 with up to $420 million 
allocated for awards. NTIA anticipates beginning to award grants this 
fall. This second NOFO focuses on:
    1. Open Radio Unit (RU) Commercialization: Projects aimed at 
accelerating the development of open RU products to the point where 
they meet carrier needs and are ready for commercial trials. NTIA seeks 
to accelerate mobile network operator (MNO) adoption by requiring 
suppliers and MNOs to partner on the development of open RU products 
that meet operators' performance and feature requirements.
    2. Open Radio Unit (RU) Innovation: Projects aimed at improving the 
overall performance and capabilities of open RUs through targeted 
research and development. NTIA seeks to drive RU innovation that 
results in advanced performance and features--in turn accelerating the 
adoption of open and interoperable networks.
    Considering the research focus areas undertaken to date, NTIA 
invites input from all interested stakeholders--including private 
industry, academia, civil society, and other experts--on the following 
topics, among others, to help inform the future of the Innovation Fund:
    (a) Ongoing barriers to Open RAN adoption, including for example, 
technology gaps and market challenges, among others, and opportunities 
to address such barriers;
    (b) Anticipated use cases for open and interoperable standards-
based networks in public and private 5G networks; and
    (c) Desired outcomes from industry, including relevant trials, 
deployment models, or proofs of concept.
    Time and Date: NTIA will convene the public listening session on 
September 26, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. eastern daylight time. 
The exact time of the meeting is subject to change. Please refer to 
NTIA's website, www.ntia.gov/program/innovation-fund for the most 
current information.

[[Page 72829]]

    Place: The meeting will be held virtually, with online slide share 
and dial-in information to be posted at https://www.ntia.gov/program/innovation-fund. Please refer to NTIA's website, for the most current 
information.
    Other Information: The meeting is open to the public and the press 
on a first-come, first-served basis. The virtual meeting is accessible 
to people with disabilities. Individuals requiring accommodations such 
as real-time captioning, sign language interpretation or other 
ancillary aids should notify the Department at [email protected] 
at least seven (7) business days prior to the meeting. Access details 
for the meeting are subject to change. Please refer to NTIA's website, 
https://www.ntia.gov/program/innovation-fund for the most current 
information.

Stephanie Weiner,
Chief Counsel, National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-20135 Filed 9-5-24; 8:45 am]
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