ITS Codification Act

The bill would codify the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) into federal law by adding a new section to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act. It would formally designate ITS as the primary laboratory for the executive branch on spectrum matters, assigning it functions that include studying radio frequency emissions, determining spectrum propagation characteristics, testing spectrum-sharing technologies between federal and commercial users, and improving interference tolerance of federal systems. The bill would also authorize ITS to enter agreements with private sector and other federal entities under several existing legal authorities.

Separately, the bill would direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, acting through ITS, to establish an emergency communication and tracking technologies initiative. That initiative would focus on locating trapped individuals in confined spaces — such as underground mines, collapsed structures, and high-rise buildings — where conventional radio communication does not function. ITS would be required to conduct a needs assessment and support development of technical specifications, then submit a report to Congress within 18 months.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration and its ITS laboratory, which would gain a formal statutory charter and expanded responsibilities. Federal agencies that rely on ITS for spectrum engineering studies and analyses would be affected, as would private sector entities — particularly wireless technology firms — that partner with ITS on spectrum-sharing work. First responders, mine safety agencies, and the workers and communities that depend on emergency communication in confined spaces could ultimately benefit from the initiative.

Without a statutory basis, ITS has operated under delegated administrative authority, leaving its mission and role vulnerable to reorganization. Codification would lock in its functions and agreements authority. The emergency communication initiative could spur development of technologies that help rescue workers locate miners, trapped disaster survivors, and others in environments where GPS and conventional radio fail — a persistent gap in emergency response capability.

The Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information would operate ITS under the new statutory section. For the emergency initiative, ITS would work with private sector partners and other federal agencies to perform a needs assessment covering measurement, technical specifications, and conformity requirements for emergency communication and tracking technologies. It would then support development of technical specifications and conformance architecture. Within 18 months of enactment, the Assistant Secretary must submit a report to Congress on the needs assessment and make it publicly available. ITS may also enter agreements under several enumerated existing authorities, including the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act, to carry out its functions.