NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act

The bill would create the Office of Policy Development and Cybersecurity within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), headed by a redesignated Associate Administrator for Policy Development and Cybersecurity who would report to the NTIA Assistant Secretary. The office would be responsible for analyzing and developing national communications and information policies for the internet and communications technologies.

The Associate Administrator would carry out 14 enumerated duties: developing market-based policies for communications, media, and technology markets; studying how Americans access the internet and digital services; coordinating multistakeholder cybersecurity and privacy guidance; promoting collaboration between security researchers and communications providers; advocating for secure supply chains; presenting digital economy cybersecurity policy to Congress and regulators; supporting innovation and commercialization of communications technologies; and soliciting input from small and rural providers. The bill also automatically redesignates the existing Associate Administrator for Policy Analysis and Development into the new role upon enactment.

The NTIA and its existing Associate Administrator for Policy Analysis and Development — who would be redesignated automatically — are directly affected. Communications service providers (especially small and rural operators), security researchers, software developers, and businesses in the communications technology sector would interact with the new office's policy, coordination, and commercialization work.

By giving the office a statutory foundation, the bill would lock in specific cybersecurity and internet policy duties for NTIA that currently rest on administrative discretion. Small and rural communications providers are explicitly named as stakeholders the office must consult, and the coordination mandate across Commerce, state agencies, and other federal bodies could affect how cybersecurity policy is developed across the federal government.

The bill is largely self-executing: upon enactment, the existing Associate Administrator is redesignated and the office is formally created with no rulemaking required. Going forward, the Associate Administrator would carry out duties as directed by the NTIA Assistant Secretary, coordinate multistakeholder processes for cybersecurity guidance, conduct studies delegated by the Assistant Secretary or required by Congress, and collaborate with other Commerce Department offices, state agencies, the Federal Communications Commission, and other federal agencies. The office would also provide public access to relevant data and research on communications technology innovation, consistent with classified-information protections.