The ANCHOR Act directs the Director of the National Science Foundation to develop a comprehensive plan for improving the cybersecurity and telecommunications capabilities of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, a group of oceanographic research vessels operated by universities and laboratories that receive NSF funding. Within one year of the bill becoming law, the Director must work with federal agencies, universities, and laboratories that own or operate these vessels to assess current technology needs, cybersecurity gaps, and associated costs, then submit the plan to relevant congressional committees. The plan must address network speed and bandwidth requirements for scientific missions, crew health communications, real-time data transmission, remote research collaboration, and educational outreach, while also considering federal cybersecurity guidance and standards. It must include cost estimates for necessary equipment and personnel, a timeline for implementation under different funding levels, and a proposed spending plan involving the NSF, the Office of Naval Research, and vessel owners to cover these improvements. The bill primarily affects the scientific research community, particularly institutions operating research vessels, and aims to modernize ship-to-shore communications and protect sensitive research data from cybersecurity threats.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.