This bill would add a new Office of Policy Development and Cybersecurity inside the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The office would be led by an Associate Administrator who reports to the NTIA Assistant Secretary. The bill lists many specific duties for the office, including: developing and advocating for market-based approaches to support innovation, competition, consumer access, digital inclusion, workforce development, and economic growth in communications and technology markets; studying how people access and use the internet, phone service, media, and other digital services; coordinating multistakeholder processes to guide cybersecurity and privacy for the internet and communications networks; encouraging collaboration between security researchers and service or software providers; working on the NTIA role under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019; promoting secure and resilient communications networks and supply chains; advising the Assistant Secretary and, when directed, presenting cybersecurity issues before the Federal Communications Commission, Congress, or others; supporting commercialization and innovation; identifying barriers to trust, security, and commercialization; sharing research and data publicly where allowed; and seeking feedback from small and rural communications providers. The bill also renames the existing Associate Administrator for Policy Analysis and Development to the new title and provides that the person now in that job will continue in the redesigned position.
If enacted, the bill would create a dedicated NTIA office focused on internet and communications policy and cybersecurity. The office’s listed duties involve work that touches users, service providers, security researchers, small and rural providers, and technology developers through studies, guidance, coordination efforts, and public data. The bill text does not include details about specific rules, programs, or actions the office would take, so the exact effects on any individual or organization are not specified in the bill text.
No publicly available information.
The bill was introduced by Senators John Hickenlooper, Shelley Capito, John Curtis, and Lisa Blunt Rochester. No publicly available information on proponents’ statements or detailed arguments is included in the bill text.
No publicly available information.