S. 4950

119 S4950 IS: Institute for Telecommunication Sciences Codification Act
 U.S. Senate
 2026-07-13
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 II  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  S. 4950  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   July 13, 2026   Ms. Duckworth  introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the  Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation    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.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Institute for Telecommunication Sciences Codification Act   or the   ITS Codification Act  .
2.
Institute for Telecommunication Sciences
Part A of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act ( 47 U.S.C. 901 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following:
106.
Institute for Telecommunication Sciences
(a)
Establishment
(1)
Definition
In this subsection, the term  Federal spectrum  means frequencies assigned on a primary basis to a Federal entity, as defined in section 113(l).
(2)
Operation
Under the authority provided to the Assistant Secretary under section 103, the Assistant Secretary shall operate a test center to be known as the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (referred to in this section as  ITS ).
(3)
Functions
(A)
In general
In addition to any functions delegated by the Assistant Secretary under subparagraph (B), ITS shall serve as a laboratory for the executive branch of the Federal Government to—
(i)
study radio frequency emissions, including technologies and techniques to control those emissions and interference caused by those emissions;
(ii)
study spectrum propagation characteristics;
(iii)
conduct tests on technology that enhances the sharing of electromagnetic spectrum between Federal and non-Federal users;
(iv)
examine the interference tolerance of Federal systems operating with, or using, Federal spectrum, in collaboration with other Federal laboratories examining such issues;
(v)
analyze activities relating to access to Federal spectrum by non-Federal users and the sharing of Federal spectrum between Federal and non-Federal users; and
(vi)
conduct such other activities determined necessary by the Assistant Secretary.
(B)
Additional functions
The Assistant Secretary may delegate to ITS the specific functions assigned to the Assistant Secretary under section 103(b)(1), as they relate to the responsibility for the performance of the communications and information functions of the Secretary, pursuant to that section.
(4)
Agreements and transactions
In carrying out the functions described in paragraph (3), the Assistant Secretary, acting through the head of ITS, may enter into agreements, as provided under the following authorities:
(A)
Sections 11 and 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 ( 15 U.S.C. 3710 , 3710a).
(B)
Section 1535 of title 31, United States Code.
(C)
Sections 207 and 209 of title 35, United States Code.
(D)
The first undesignated section of the Act entitled  An Act to authorize the Department of Commerce to make special studies, to provide services, and to engage in joint projects, and for other purposes , approved September 25, 1970 ( Public Law 91–412 ).
(b)
Emergency communication and tracking technologies initiative
(1)
Establishment
The Assistant Secretary, acting through the head of ITS, shall establish an initiative to support the development of emergency communication and tracking technologies for use in locating trapped individuals in confined spaces (such as underground mines) and other shielded environments (such as high-rise buildings or collapsed structures) where conventional radio communication is limited.
(2)
Activities
In order to carry out this subsection, the Assistant Secretary, acting through the head of ITS, shall work with private sector entities and the heads of appropriate Federal agencies to—
(A)
perform a needs assessment to identify and evaluate the measurement, technical specifications, and conformity assessment needs required to improve the operation and reliability of emergency communication and tracking technologies described in paragraph (1); and
(B)
support the development of technical specifications and conformance architecture to improve the operation and reliability of emergency communication and tracking technologies described in paragraph (1).
(3)
Report
Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this section, the Assistant Secretary shall submit to Congress, and make publicly available, a report on the assessment performed under paragraph (2)(A).
 .