A bill to amend the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to codify the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences, to direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to establish an initiative to support the development of emergency communication and tracking technologies, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · July 13, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
This bill formally establishes the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences as an official federal research center within the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The Institute will operate as a laboratory to study radio frequency emissions, spectrum propagation, electromagnetic spectrum sharing between federal and non-federal users, and interference issues affecting federal communication systems. Additionally, the bill directs the Commerce Department to launch a new initiative through the Institute to develop emergency communication and tracking technologies that can work in environments where standard radio signals don't penetrate well, such as underground mines, collapsed buildings, and other shielded spaces. The Institute is authorized to enter into partnerships with private companies and other federal agencies to assess technical needs and develop specifications for these emergency technologies. Within 18 months of the bill's enactment, the Commerce Department must report to Congress on its assessment of what improvements are needed to make emergency communication and tracking systems more reliable and effective.
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