NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1345) to amend the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to establish the Office of Policy Development and Cybersecurity, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1345, the NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act, led by the gentleman from Utah's Third District and the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania's Seventh District.

As our world becomes more increasingly digitized and interconnected, the importance of robust cybersecurity measures cannot be overstated. Cybersecurity threats, whether originating from State actors, criminal organizations, or malicious hackers, pose significant risks to our national security, economy, and the privacy of our citizens.

The increasing frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks underscore the urgency of addressing this ever-evolving challenge. The NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act bolsters our Nation's cybersecurity posture by strengthening the coordination between the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA, and other relevant Federal agency.

The bill renames the existing NTIA Office of Policy and Analysis and Development to the Office of Policy Development and Cybersecurity and codifies the existing activities of the office.

H.R. 1345 seeks to promote effective information sharing, collaboration, and response efforts established in the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act.

Moreover, the legislation facilitates public-private partnerships to develop and implement cybersecurity policies related to the communication networks.

By encouraging collaboration between government agencies and stakeholders, we can work together to address cyber threats and vulnerabilities more effectively.

This bipartisan legislation passed out of the Energy and Commerce Committee by a vote of 44-0, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1345.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Curtis), the sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Fulcher).

Mr. Speaker, as the gentleman just stated, this bill encourages collaboration between government agencies and stakeholders so that we can work together to address cyber threats and vulnerabilities more effectively.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage by the House, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1345, the NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act.

Protecting our Nation's communications networks is of vital importance

to our national security. This is particularly important now when a significant amount of our country's economic and social activity has moved online, and consumers are connecting more devices to these networks. We must build in safeguards to increase the safety of communications networks to protect Americans while also promoting innovation and competition.

H.R. 1345 will help us achieve these goals. This legislation authorizes the existing Office of Policy Analysis and Development at the NTIA and renames it as the Office of Policy Development and Cybersecurity. It also codifies responsibilities of NTIA in administering parts of the Secure and Trusted Communications Network Act and requires the office to coordinate and develop policy initiatives to enhance cybersecurity efforts with respect to our communications networks.

The office will also be tasked with developing and analyzing policies that promote innovation, competition, digital inclusion, and workforce development in the communications, media, and technology markets.

I thank Representatives Wild and Curtis for their bipartisan work on this bill, which will ensure that there is a firm foundation within the Federal Government to oversee the security of our Nation's communications networks.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation that unanimously advanced out of the Energy and Commerce Committee early this year, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I think this is an important bill, and I urge everyone to support it on both sides of the aisle.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1345, the NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act. This bill would promote collaboration between security research and industry development, preventing and mitigating future software vulnerabilities in communications networks.

It is also important to codify NTIA's administering of information sharing established in the Secure and Trusted Communications Network Act. The NTIA is assigned with coordinating policy related to the cybersecurity of communications networks.

These attacks on communications networks include those we have all heard about: unauthorized access; distributed denial of service; man- in-the-middle attacks, where communications traffic is intercepted; and code attacks, where malicious code can be passed to a server to make it vulnerable. This is a serious problem.

Like the Secure and Trusted Communications Network Act, H.R. 1345 passed with unanimous, bipartisan support out of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

We need to address cyberattacks in a more effective and coordinated fashion to go after the bad actors attacking America's communications networks.

I appreciate the good work of my colleagues, Representatives John Curtis and Susan Wild, and I strongly support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, the NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act. This bill would streamline the development of cybersecurity policy at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, NTIA, through the establishment of an office of policy development and cybersecurity.

This office would work with industry and stakeholders to recommend the cybersecurity practices and policies of the internet and communications technology sectors. The office of policy development and cybersecurity would also carry out the communications supply chain risk information partnership to facilitate information sharing on cybersecurity risks to small and rural communities.

State and nonstate actors are working overtime to find vulnerabilities in our networks and infrastructure. We must work even harder to ensure Americans are protected from cyberattacks.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Wild for joining me on this bill in the House and Senator Hickenlooper for leading in the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.