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Core Policy Mechanism Top 2
Codify ITS as Federal Telecom Research Lab
Formally establishes the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) in federal law as a government test center studying radio frequency use, spectrum sharing, and interference between federal and non-federal users.
- Population Scope Low Directly affects a narrow set of federal spectrum users, telecommunications researchers, and agencies engaged in spectrum management — a small fraction of the U.S. population or entity universe.
- Budgetary Magnitude Low No funds are authorized or appropriated; Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) operates under existing Assistant Secretary authority with no independent budgetary line.
- Legal / Regulatory Depth Medium Creates a new statutory section formally establishing ITS with enumerated functions and cooperative-agreement authorities, converting an administratively created lab into a statutory entity — a durable procedural and organizational change but not a new substantive mandate on the regulated public.
- Degree of Discretion Granted Medium The Assistant Secretary retains broad latitude to direct ITS activities and may (not shall) delegate specific communications functions to ITS and authorize cooperative agreements across multiple legal frameworks.
- Implementation & Enforcement Burden Low Creates no new enforcement mechanisms, penalties, or compliance obligations on any external party; the burden is limited to internal agency operation of a research facility.
- Temporal Commitment High ITS is established as a permanent statutory entity with no expiry date, review trigger, or reauthorization requirement, persisting indefinitely until Congress acts to repeal it.
No signal yet
Core Policy Mechanism Top 2
Emergency Communication and Tracking Technologies Initiative
Directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to launch an initiative improving communication and tracking technologies for locating people trapped in mines, collapsed buildings, or other shielded environments where normal radio fails.
- Population Scope Low Directly affects a narrow set of first responders, mine workers, emergency technology developers, and relevant federal agencies — a small fraction of the U.S. population.
- Budgetary Magnitude Low No funds are authorized or appropriated; the initiative is carried out through Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) under existing National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) authority with no named dollar amount.
- Legal / Regulatory Depth Medium Imposes a new statutory duty on the Assistant Secretary to establish an initiative, conduct a needs assessment, and report to Congress — a new procedural mandate on agency conduct rather than a substantive right or prohibition binding the regulated public.
- Degree of Discretion Granted Medium Core obligations (establish initiative, conduct needs assessment, submit report) use mandatory 'shall' language, but the selection of private sector partners and federal agencies to engage is left to the Assistant Secretary's judgment.
- Implementation & Enforcement Burden Low Imposes no enforcement mechanisms or penalties; the only compliance obligation is an internal government reporting deadline and coordination requirement with no external compliance load.
- Temporal Commitment High The initiative is permanent upon enactment with no sunset or reauthorization requirement; the 18-month report deadline is a procedural milestone, not a program expiry, so the mandate persists indefinitely unless Congress acts.
No signal yet
No possible riders have been surfaced for this bill.
Summary
This bill formally establishes the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) in federal law as a research and testing center within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). ITS studies radio frequency use, spectrum sharing between government and private users, and interference issues. The bill also directs ITS to create an initiative to improve communication and tracking technologies that help locate people trapped in mines, collapsed buildings, and other hard-to-reach places.
AI-generated summary, pending human review.
| Version | Event | Date | User support | Your vote | Roll calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original |
Initial publication
Jul 13, 2026
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Jul 13, 2026 | No votes yet | — | — |
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Core Policy Mechanism Top 2
Codify ITS as Federal Telecom Research Lab
Formally establishes the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) in federal law as a government test center studying radio frequency use, spectrum sharing, and interference between federal and non-federal users.
- Population Scope Low Directly affects a narrow set of federal spectrum users, telecommunications researchers, and agencies engaged in spectrum management — a small fraction of the U.S. population or entity universe.
- Budgetary Magnitude Low No funds are authorized or appropriated; Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) operates under existing Assistant Secretary authority with no independent budgetary line.
- Legal / Regulatory Depth Medium Creates a new statutory section formally establishing ITS with enumerated functions and cooperative-agreement authorities, converting an administratively created lab into a statutory entity — a durable procedural and organizational change but not a new substantive mandate on the regulated public.
- Degree of Discretion Granted Medium The Assistant Secretary retains broad latitude to direct ITS activities and may (not shall) delegate specific communications functions to ITS and authorize cooperative agreements across multiple legal frameworks.
- Implementation & Enforcement Burden Low Creates no new enforcement mechanisms, penalties, or compliance obligations on any external party; the burden is limited to internal agency operation of a research facility.
- Temporal Commitment High ITS is established as a permanent statutory entity with no expiry date, review trigger, or reauthorization requirement, persisting indefinitely until Congress acts to repeal it.
No signal yet
Core Policy Mechanism
Codify ITS as Federal Telecom Research Lab
Core Policy Mechanism Top 2
Emergency Communication and Tracking Technologies Initiative
Directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to launch an initiative improving communication and tracking technologies for locating people trapped in mines, collapsed buildings, or other shielded environments where normal radio fails.
- Population Scope Low Directly affects a narrow set of first responders, mine workers, emergency technology developers, and relevant federal agencies — a small fraction of the U.S. population.
- Budgetary Magnitude Low No funds are authorized or appropriated; the initiative is carried out through Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) under existing National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) authority with no named dollar amount.
- Legal / Regulatory Depth Medium Imposes a new statutory duty on the Assistant Secretary to establish an initiative, conduct a needs assessment, and report to Congress — a new procedural mandate on agency conduct rather than a substantive right or prohibition binding the regulated public.
- Degree of Discretion Granted Medium Core obligations (establish initiative, conduct needs assessment, submit report) use mandatory 'shall' language, but the selection of private sector partners and federal agencies to engage is left to the Assistant Secretary's judgment.
- Implementation & Enforcement Burden Low Imposes no enforcement mechanisms or penalties; the only compliance obligation is an internal government reporting deadline and coordination requirement with no external compliance load.
- Temporal Commitment High The initiative is permanent upon enactment with no sunset or reauthorization requirement; the 18-month report deadline is a procedural milestone, not a program expiry, so the mandate persists indefinitely unless Congress acts.
No signal yet
Core Policy Mechanism
Emergency Communication and Tracking Technologies Initiative
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