[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1493 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
1st Session
S. 1493
To promote innovation and basic research in advanced information and
communications technologies that will enhance or facilitate the
availability and affordability of advanced communications services to
all Americans.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 24, 2007
Mr. Inouye (for himself and Mr. Stevens) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To promote innovation and basic research in advanced information and
communications technologies that will enhance or facilitate the
availability and affordability of advanced communications services to
all Americans.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Advanced Information and
Communications Technology Research Act''.
SEC. 2. SPECTRUM-SHARING INNOVATION TESTBED.
(a) Spectrum-Sharing Plan.--Within 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Federal Communications Commission and the
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, in
coordination with other Federal agencies, shall--
(1) develop a plan to increase sharing of spectrum between
Federal and non-Federal government users; and
(2) establish a pilot program for implementation of the
plan.
(b) Technical Specifications.--The Commission and the Assistant
Secretary--
(1) shall each identify a segment of spectrum of equal
bandwidth within their respective jurisdiction for the pilot
program that is approximately 10 megaHertz in width for
assignment on a shared basis to Federal and non-Federal
government use; and
(2) may take the spectrum for the pilot program from bands
currently allocated on either an exclusive or shared basis.
(c) Report.--The Commission and the Assistant Secretary shall
transmit a report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and
Commerce 2 years after the inception of the pilot program describing
the results of the program and suggesting appropriate procedures for
expanding the program as appropriate.
SEC. 3. TELECOMMUNICATIONS INNOVATION ACCELERATION.
(a) Program.--In order to accelerate the pace of innovation with
respect to telecommunications services (as defined in section 3(46) of
the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153(46)), equipment, and
technology, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology shall--
(1) establish a program linked to the goals and objectives
of the measurement laboratories, to be known as the
``Telecommunications Standards and Technology Acceleration
Research Program'', to support and promote innovation in the
United States through high-risk, high-reward telecommunications
research; and
(2) set aside, from funds available to the measurement
laboratories, an amount equal to not less than 8 percent of the
funds available to the Institute each fiscal year for such
Program.
(b) External Funding.--The Director shall ensure that at least 80
percent of the funds available for such Program shall be used to award
competitive, merit-reviewed grants, cooperative agreements, or
contracts to public or private entities, including businesses and
universities. In selecting entities to receive such assistance, the
Director shall ensure that the project proposed by an entity has
scientific and technical merit and that any resulting intellectual
property shall vest in a United States entity that can commercialize
the technology in a timely manner. Each external project shall involve
at least one small or medium-sized business and the Director shall give
priority to joint ventures between small or medium-sized businesses and
educational institutions. Any grant shall be for a period not to exceed
3 years.
(c) Competitions.--The Director shall solicit proposals annually to
address areas of national need for high-risk, high-reward
telecommunications research, as identified by the Director.
(d) Annual Report.--Each year the Director shall issue an annual
report describing the program's activities, including include a
description of the metrics upon which grant funding decisions were made
in the previous fiscal year, any proposed changes to those metrics,
metrics for evaluating the success of ongoing and completed grants, and
an evaluation of ongoing and completed grants. The first annual report
shall include best practices for management of programs to stimulate
high-risk, high-reward telecommunications research.
(e) Administrative Expenses.--No more than 5 percent of the finding
available to the program may be used for administrative expenses.
(f) High-Risk, High-Reward Telecommunications Research Defined.--In
this section, the term ``high-risk, high-reward telecommunications
research'' means research that--
(1) has the potential for yielding results with far-ranging
or wide-ranging implications;
(2) addresses critical national needs related to
measurement standards and technology; and
(3) is too novel or spans too diverse a range of
disciplines to fare well in the traditional peer review
process.
SEC. 4. ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES FOR ALL AMERICANS.
The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
shall continue to support research and support standards development in
advanced information and communications technologies focused on
enhancing or facilitating the availability and affordability of
advanced communications services to all Americans, in order to
implement the Institute's responsibilities under section 2(c)(12) of
the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C.
272(c)(12)). The Director shall support intramural research and
cooperative research with institutions of higher education (as defined
in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1001(a)) and industry.
SEC. 5. ADVANCED INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH.
(a) Information and Communications Technology Research.--The
Director of the National Science Foundation shall establish a program
of basic research in advanced information and communications
technologies focused on enhancing or facilitating the availability and
affordability of advanced communications services to all Americans. In
developing and carrying out the program, the Director shall consult
with the Board established under subsection (b).
(b) Federal Advanced Information and Communications Technology
Research Board.--There is established within the National Science
Foundation a Federal Advanced Information and Communications Technology
Board which shall advise the Director of the National Science
Foundation in carrying out the program authorized by subsection (a).
The Board Shall be composed of individuals with expertise in
information and communications technologies, including representatives
from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration,
the Federal Communications Commission, the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, the Department of Defense, and
representatives from industry and educational institutions.
(c) Grant Program.--The Director, in consultation with the Board,
shall award grants for basic research into advanced information and
communications technologies that will contribute to enhancing or
facilitating the availability and affordability of advanced
communications services to all Americans. Areas of research to be
supported through these grants include--
(1) affordable broadband access, including wireless
technologies;
(2) network security and reliability;
(3) communications interoperability;
(4) networking protocols and architectures, including
resilience to outages or attacks;
(5) trusted software;
(6) privacy;
(7) nanoelectronics for communications applications;
(8) low-power communications electronics;
(9) such other related areas as the Director, in
consultation with the Board, finds appropriate; and
(10) implementation of equitable access to national
advanced fiber optic research and educational networks,
including access in noncontiguous States.
(d) Centers.--The Director shall award multiyear grants, subject to
the availability of appropriations, to institutions of higher education
(as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001(a)), nonprofit research institutions affiliated with
institutions of higher education, or consortia thereof to establish
multidisciplinary Centers for Communications Research. The purpose of
the Centers shall be to generate innovative approaches to problems in
communications and information technology research, including the
research areas described in subsection (c). Institutions of higher
education, nonprofit research institutions affiliated with institutions
of higher education, or consortia receiving such grants may partner
with 1 or more government laboratories or for-profit entities, or other
institutions of higher education or nonprofit research institutions.
(e) Applications.--The Director, in consultation with the Board,
shall establish criteria for the award of grants under subsections (c)
and (d). Grants shall be awarded under the program on a merit-reviewed
competitive basis. The Director shall give priority to grants that
offer the potential for revolutionary rather than evolutionary
breakthroughs.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the National Science Foundation to carry out this
section--
(1) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
(2) $45,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
(3) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
(4) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
(5) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.
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