This bill adds a new section to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) statute to create the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) as a federal test center. ITS will be the executive branch’s primary laboratory for studying radio frequency emissions, radio propagation, spectrum sharing, interference tolerance, and related activities. The Assistant Secretary may delegate functions to ITS and may enter into agreements under several existing authorities.
The bill also requires ITS to set up an Emergency Communication and Tracking Technologies Initiative. That initiative will support development of technologies to locate trapped people in confined or shielded places (for example, underground mines, high-rise buildings, or collapsed structures). ITS must do a needs assessment on measurements, technical specifications, and conformity needs, help develop technical specifications and conformance architecture, work with private companies and federal agencies, and deliver a public report to Congress within 18 months.
No publicly available information on costs, budgetary changes, or appropriations is included in the bill text or metadata.
The bill’s findings say the NTIA test center is the government’s premier laboratory for spectrum research and that understanding radio propagation and interference is critical for spectrum decisions. Supporters would point to ITS as necessary for engineering studies, spectrum sharing tests, and to improve emergency communication and tracking technologies.
No publicly available information on opponents’ views or formal objections is included in the bill text or metadata.