15 U.S.C. § 278n–1 — Emergency communication and tracking technologies research initiative

(a) Establishment: The Director must set up a research initiative to develop emergency communication and tracking technology for finding trapped people in confined spaces — like underground mines — and other shielded places, like high-rise buildings or collapsed structures, where normal radio communication doesn't work well. (b) Activities: To do this, the Director must work with private industry and relevant federal agencies to: assess what's needed to improve these technologies' measurement, technical standards, and conformity testing; support developing technical standards and a conformance framework to make these technologies work better and more reliably; and build on existing reports and studies about improving emergency communications. (c) Report: Within 18 months of January 4, 2011, the Director had to send Congress, and make public, a report describing the needs assessment from (b)(1) and recommending research priorities to fill the gaps it found in measurement, technical standards, and conformity assessment.