HR1766-119

What This Bill Does

The NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act adds a new Office of Policy Development and Cybersecurity inside the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The office is led by an Associate Administrator for Policy Development and Cybersecurity who reports to the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information. The bill redesignates the existing Associate Administrator for Policy Analysis and Development into that new role. The office must oversee national communications and information policy analysis and development for the internet and communications technologies. Its duties include developing market-based policies for innovation, competition, consumer access, digital inclusion, workforce development, and economic growth; conducting studies on how people in the United States access and use the internet, wireline and wireless telephony, mass media, digital services, and video services; coordinating transparent consensus-based multistakeholder processes for cybersecurity and privacy guidance; promoting collaboration between security researchers, communications service providers, and software developers; supporting the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act vulnerability-prevention program; advocating secure and resilient communications-network supply chains; presenting digital-economy security and cybersecurity policy before the FCC, Congress, and elsewhere; advising on cybersecurity matters pending before the FCC, other agencies, and Congress; developing policies to accelerate communications-technology innovation and commercialization; identifying barriers to trust, security, innovation, and commercialization such as access to capital; providing public data, research, and technical assistance; coordinating with Commerce, state agencies, FCC, and other federal agencies; and soliciting feedback from small and rural communications service providers.

Who Benefits and How

Small communications service providers, rural broadband providers, telecommunications carriers, software system developers, cybersecurity service providers, security researchers, communications equipment vendors, digital-inclusion advocates, workforce-development programs, state communications agencies, FCC staff, Commerce Department policy offices, and technology startups benefit from a dedicated NTIA office focused on market-based communications policy, cybersecurity guidance, secure supply chains, commercialization barriers, public data, technical assistance, and small-provider feedback.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, NTIA Assistant Secretary, Associate Administrator for Policy Development and Cybersecurity, Commerce Department staff, cybersecurity policy analysts, communications policy analysts, public-data staff, stakeholder-engagement staff, small and rural provider outreach staff, FCC coordination staff, and state agency liaisons must stand up the office, manage multistakeholder processes, conduct studies, provide technical assistance, coordinate across governments, and absorb expanded cybersecurity and commercialization duties.

Key Provisions

• Establishes the NTIA Office of Policy Development and Cybersecurity.
• Redesignates the Associate Administrator for Policy Analysis and Development as Associate Administrator for Policy Development and Cybersecurity.
• Requires policy development on communications markets, innovation, competition, consumer access, digital inclusion, workforce development, and economic growth.
• Requires cybersecurity and privacy guidance through transparent multistakeholder processes and collaboration with researchers and providers.
• Requires work on secure supply chains, vulnerability prevention, commercialization barriers, public data, technical assistance, and small and rural provider feedback.