Bill Summary
The Spectrum IT Modernization Act of 2020 is a bill that requires the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to create a plan for updating the information technology systems of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). This plan must be submitted to Congress and will also include ways to improve the management of Federal spectrum and increase efficiency and accuracy. The bill also requires collaboration between different agencies and oversight by the Comptroller General to ensure successful implementation.
Possible Impacts
1. The Spectrum IT Modernization Act of 2020 could affect people who work for covered agencies, such as the Department of Defense, as they would be required to report on their plans to modernize their infrastructure for managing federal spectrum. This could potentially result in changes to their job responsibilities and processes.
2. The Act could also affect people who use federal spectrum for their personal or professional purposes, as the modernization efforts may result in changes to how the spectrum is managed and allocated. This could potentially impact their ability to access and use the spectrum.
3. The Act could also affect taxpayers, as the cost of modernizing and maintaining the infrastructure of the NTIA and covered agencies would be paid for by government funds. This could potentially lead to changes in budget allocations and priorities for other government programs.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7310 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7310
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 18, 2020
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and
Information to submit to Congress a plan for the modernization of the
information technology systems of the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration, and for other purposes.
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 ``Spectrum IT Modernization Act of
2020''.
SEC. 2. MODERNIZATION EFFORT.
(a) Definitions.--In this section--
(1) the term ``Assistant Secretary'' means the Assistant
Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information;
(2) the term ``covered agency''--
(A) means any Federal entity that the Assistant
Secretary determines is appropriate; and
(B) includes the Department of Defense;
(3) the term ``Federal entity'' has the meaning given the
term in section 113(l) of the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 923(l));
(4) the term ``Federal spectrum'' means frequencies
assigned on a primary basis to a covered agency;
(5) the term ``infrastructure'' means information
technology systems and information technologies, tools, and
databases; and
(6) the term ``NTIA'' means the National Telecommunications
and Information Administration.
(b) Initial Interagency Spectrum Information Technology
Coordination.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Assistant Secretary, in consultation with the Policy and
Plans Steering Group, shall identify a process to establish goals,
including parameters to measure the achievement of those goals, for the
modernization of the infrastructure of covered agencies relating to
managing the use of Federal spectrum by those agencies, which shall
include--
(1) the standardization of data inputs, modeling
algorithms, modeling and simulation processes, analysis tools
with respect to Federal spectrum, assumptions, and any other
tool to ensure interoperability and functionality with respect
to that infrastructure;
(2) other potential innovative technological capabilities
with respect to that infrastructure, including cloud-based
databases, artificial intelligence technologies, automation,
and improved modeling and simulation capabilities;
(3) ways to improve the management of covered agencies' use
of Federal spectrum through that infrastructure, including by--
(A) increasing the efficiency of that
infrastructure;
(B) addressing validation of usage with respect to
that infrastructure;
(C) increasing the accuracy of that infrastructure;
(D) validating models used by that infrastructure;
and
(E) monitoring and enforcing requirements that are
imposed on covered agencies with respect to the use of
Federal spectrum by covered agencies;
(4) ways to improve the ability of covered agencies to meet
mission requirements in congested environments with respect to
Federal spectrum, including as part of automated adjustments to
operations based on changing conditions in those environments;
(5) the creation of a time-based automated mechanism--
(A) to share Federal spectrum between covered
agencies to collaboratively and dynamically increase
access to Federal spectrum by those agencies; and
(B) that could be scaled across Federal spectrum;
and
(6) the collaboration between covered agencies necessary to
ensure the interoperability of Federal spectrum.
(c) Spectrum Information Technology Modernization.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 240 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall submit to
Congress a report that contains the plan of the NTIA to
modernize and automate the infrastructure of the NTIA relating
to managing the use of Federal spectrum by covered agencies so
as to more efficiently manage that use.
(2) Contents.--The report required under paragraph (1)
shall include--
(A) an assessment of the current, as of the date on
which the report is submitted, infrastructure of the
NTIA described in that paragraph;
(B) an acquisition strategy for the modernized
infrastructure of the NTIA described in that paragraph,
including how that modernized infrastructure will
enable covered agencies to be more efficient and
effective in the use of Federal spectrum;
(C) a timeline for the implementation of the
modernization efforts described in that paragraph;
(D) plans detailing how the modernized
infrastructure of the NTIA described in that paragraph
will--
(i) enhance the security and reliability of
that infrastructure so that such infrastructure
satisfies the requirements of the Federal
Information Security Management Act of 2002
(Public Law 107-296; 116 Stat. 2135);
(ii) improve data models and analysis tools
to increase the efficiency of the spectrum use
described in that paragraph;
(iii) enhance automation and workflows, and
reduce the scope and level of manual effort, in
order to--
(I) administer the management of
the spectrum use described in that
paragraph; and
(II) improve data quality and
processing time; and
(iv) improve the timeliness of spectrum
analyses and requests for information,
including requests submitted pursuant to
section 552 of title 5, United States Code;
(E) an operations and maintenance plan with respect
to the modernized infrastructure of the NTIA described
in that paragraph;
(F) a strategy for coordination between the covered
agencies within the Policy and Plans Steering Group,
which shall include--
(i) a description of--
(I) those coordination efforts, as
in effect on the date on which the
report is submitted; and
(II) a plan for coordination of
those efforts after the date on which
the report is submitted, including with
respect to the efforts described in
subsection (d);
(ii) a plan for standardizing--
(I) electromagnetic spectrum
analysis tools;
(II) modeling and simulation
processes and technologies; and
(III) databases to provide
technical interference assessments that
are usable across the Federal
Government as part of a common spectrum
management infrastructure for covered
agencies;
(iii) a plan for each covered agency to
implement a modernization plan described in
subsection (d)(1) that is tailored to the
particular timeline of the agency;
(G) identification of manually intensive processes
involved in managing Federal spectrum and proposed
enhancements to those processes;
(H) metrics to evaluate the success of the
modernization efforts described in that paragraph and
any similar future efforts; and
(I) an estimate of the cost of the modernization
efforts described in that paragraph and any future
maintenance with respect to the modernized
infrastructure of the NTIA described in that paragraph,
including the cost of any personnel and equipment
relating to that maintenance.
(d) Interagency Inputs.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the head of each covered agency shall
submit to the Assistant Secretary and the Policy and Plans
Steering Group a report that describes the plan of the agency
to modernize the infrastructure of the agency with respect to
the use of Federal spectrum by the agency so that such
modernized infrastructure of the agency is interoperable with
the modernized infrastructure of the NTIA, as described in
subsection (c).
(2) Contents.--Each report submitted by the head of a
covered agency under paragraph (1) shall--
(A) include--
(i) an assessment of the current, as of the
date on which the report is submitted,
management capabilities of the agency with
respect to the use of frequencies that are
assigned to the agency, which shall include a
description of any challenges faced by the
agency with respect to that management;
(ii) a timeline for completion of the
modernization efforts described in that
paragraph;
(iii) a description of potential innovative
technological capabilities for the management
of frequencies that are assigned to the agency,
as determined under subsection (b);
(iv) identification of agency-specific
requirements or constraints relating to the
infrastructure of the agency;
(v) identification of any existing, as of
the date on which the report is submitted,
systems of the agency that are duplicative of
the modernized infrastructure of the NTIA, as
proposed under subsection (c); and
(vi) with respect to the report submitted
by the Secretary of Defense--
(I) a strategy for the integration
of systems or the flow of data among
the Armed Forces, the military
departments, the Defense Agencies and
Department of Defense Field Activities,
and other components of the Department
of Defense;
(II) a plan for the implementation
of solutions to the use of Federal
spectrum by the Department of Defense
involving information at multiple
levels of classification; and
(III) a strategy for addressing,
within the modernized infrastructure of
the Department of Defense described in
that paragraph, the exchange of
information between the Department of
Defense and the NTIA in order to
accomplish required processing of all
Department of Defense domestic spectrum
coordination and management activities;
and
(B) be submitted in an unclassified format, with a
classified annex, as appropriate.
(3) Notification of congress.--Upon submission of the
report required under paragraph (1), the head of each covered
agency shall notify Congress that the head of the covered
agency has submitted the report.
(e) GAO Oversight.--The Comptroller General of the United States
shall--
(1) not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, conduct a review of the infrastructure of covered
agencies, as that infrastructure exists on the date of
enactment of this Act;
(2) after all of the reports required under subsection (d)
have been submitted, conduct oversight of the implementation of
the modernization plans submitted by the NTIA and covered
agencies under subsections (c) and (d), respectively;
(3) not later than 1 year after the date on which the
Comptroller General begins conducting oversight under paragraph
(2), and annually thereafter, submit a report regarding that
oversight to--
(A) with respect to the implementation of the
modernization plan of the Department of Defense, the
Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the
Committee on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives; and
(B) with respect to the implementation of the
modernization plans of all covered agencies, including
the Department of Defense, the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the
Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives; and
(4) provide regular briefings to--
(A) with respect to the application of this section
to the Department of Defense, the Committee on Armed
Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed
Services of the House of Representatives; and
(B) with respect to the application of this section
to all covered agencies, including the Department of
Defense, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on
Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives.
Passed the House of Representatives November 17, 2020.
Attest:
CHERYL L. JOHNSON,
Clerk.