What This Bill Does
This bill creates a new Office of Policy Development and Cybersecurity within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (a federal agency that handles communications policy). The office will develop policies for internet and communications technology, handle cybersecurity guidance, and promote innovation in the communications industry.
Who It Affects
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, communications service providers, software developers, security researchers, small businesses, rural communities, and federal agencies involved in communications and cybersecurity policy.
Key Provisions
• An Associate Administrator for Policy Development and Cybersecurity will lead the new office and report to the Assistant Secretary (Sec. 106(b))
• The Associate Administrator will develop market-based policies that promote innovation, competition, consumer access, digital inclusion, workforce development, and economic growth in communications and technology markets (Sec. 106(c)(2)(A))
• The office will coordinate processes to create guidance for cybersecurity and privacy policies for the internet and communications networks (Sec. 106(c)(2)(C))
• The office will promote collaboration between security researchers and communications service providers and software developers (Sec. 106(c)(2)(D))
• The office will identify barriers to trust, security, innovation, and commercialization in communications technologies and recommend ways to overcome them (Sec. 106(c)(2)(K))
What Changes
The existing position of Associate Administrator for Policy Analysis and Development becomes the Associate Administrator for Policy Development and Cybersecurity. The person currently holding that position automatically becomes the new Associate Administrator under the new title (Sec. 2(b)(1)).
Important Definitions
The bill defines NTIA as the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The Office is referred to as the "Office" and the head of the office is referred to as the "Associate Administrator."
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
IIB
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1345
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
JULY 26, 2023
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation
AN ACT
To amend the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration Organization Act to establish the Office
of Policy Development and Cybersecurity, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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HR 1345 RFS
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘NTIA Policy and Cy-
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bersecurity Coordination Act’’.
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SEC. 2. POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND CYBERSECURITY.
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(a) OFFICE OF POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND CYBER-
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SECURITY.—Part A of the National Telecommunications
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and Information Administration Organization Act (47
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U.S.C. 901 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
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following:
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‘‘SEC. 106. OFFICE OF POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND CYBER-
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SECURITY.
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‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There shall be within the
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NTIA an office to be known as the Office of Policy Devel-
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opment and Cybersecurity (in this section referred to as
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the ‘Office’).
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‘‘(b) ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR.—The head of the
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Office shall be an Associate Administrator for Policy De-
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velopment and Cybersecurity (in this section referred to
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as the ‘Associate Administrator’), who shall report to the
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Assistant Secretary.
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‘‘(c) DUTIES.—
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‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Associate Adminis-
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trator shall oversee and conduct national commu-
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nications and information policy analysis and devel-
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opment for the internet and communications tech-
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nologies.
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HR 1345 RFS
‘‘(2) PARTICULAR
DUTIES.—In carrying out
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paragraph (1), the Associate Administrator shall—
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‘‘(A) develop, analyze, and advocate for
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market-based policies that promote innovation,
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competition, consumer access, digital inclusion,
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workforce development, and economic growth in
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the communications, media, and technology
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markets;
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‘‘(B) conduct studies, as delegated by the
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Assistant Secretary or required by Congress, on
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how individuals in the United States access and
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use the internet, wireline and wireless teleph-
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ony, mass media, other digital services, and
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video services;
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‘‘(C) coordinate transparent, consensus-
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based, multistakeholder processes to create
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guidance for and to support the development
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and implementation of cybersecurity and pri-
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vacy policies with respect to the internet and
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other communications networks;
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‘‘(D) promote increased collaboration be-
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tween security researchers and providers of
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communications services and software system
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developers;
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‘‘(E) perform such duties as the Assistant
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Secretary considers appropriate relating to the
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program for preventing future vulnerabilities es-
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tablished under section 8(a) of the Secure and
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Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019
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(47 U.S.C. 1607(a));
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‘‘(F) advocate for policies that promote the
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security and resilience to cybersecurity incidents
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of communications networks while fostering in-
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novation, including policies that promote secure
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communications network supply chains;
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‘‘(G) at the direction of the Assistant Sec-
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retary, present security of the digital economy
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and infrastructure and cybersecurity policy ef-
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forts before the Commission, Congress, and
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elsewhere;
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‘‘(H) provide advice and assistance to the
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Assistant Secretary in carrying out the policy
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responsibilities of the NTIA with respect to cy-
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bersecurity policy matters, including the evalua-
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tion of the impact of cybersecurity matters
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pending before the Commission, other Federal
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agencies, and Congress;
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‘‘(I) in addition to the duties described in
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subparagraph (H), perform such other duties
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HR 1345 RFS
regarding the policy responsibilities of the
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NTIA with respect to cybersecurity policy mat-
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ters as the Assistant Secretary considers appro-
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priate;
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‘‘(J) develop policies to accelerate innova-
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tion and commercialization with respect to ad-
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vances in technological understanding of com-
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munications technologies;
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‘‘(K) identify barriers to trust, security, in-
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novation, and commercialization with respect to
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communications technologies, including access
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to capital and other resources, and ways to
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overcome such barriers;
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‘‘(L) provide public access to relevant data,
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research, and technical assistance on innovation
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and commercialization with respect to commu-
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nications technologies, consistent with the pro-
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tection of classified information;
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‘‘(M) strengthen collaboration on and co-
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ordination of policies relating to innovation and
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commercialization with respect to communica-
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tions technologies, including policies focused on
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the needs of small businesses and rural commu-
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nities—
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HR 1345 RFS
‘‘(i) within the Department of Com-
1
merce;
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‘‘(ii) between the Department of Com-
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merce and State government agencies, as
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appropriate; and
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‘‘(iii) between the Department of
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Commerce and the Commission or any
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other Federal agency the Assistant Sec-
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retary determines to be necessary; and
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‘‘(N) solicit and consider feedback from
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small and rural communications service pro-
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viders, as appropriate.’’.
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(b) TRANSITIONAL RULES.—
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(1) REDESIGNATION
OF
ASSOCIATE
ADMINIS-
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TRATOR; CONTINUATION OF SERVICE.—
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(A) REDESIGNATION.—The position of As-
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sociate Administrator for Policy Analysis and
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Development at the NTIA is hereby redesig-
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nated as the position of Associate Adminis-
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trator for Policy Development and Cybersecu-
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rity.
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(B) CONTINUATION OF SERVICE.—The in-
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dividual serving as Associate Administrator for
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Policy Analysis and Development at the NTIA
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on the date of the enactment of this Act shall
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HR 1345 RFS
become, as of such date, the Associate Adminis-
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trator for Policy Development and Cybersecu-
2
rity.
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(2) NTIA DEFINED.—In this subsection, the
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term ‘‘NTIA’’ means the National Telecommuni-
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cations and Information Administration.
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Passed the House of Representatives July 25, 2023.
Attest:
KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,
Clerk.
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