15 U.S.C. § 278t — Advanced communications research activities

(a) Advanced communications research (1) In general: The Director must run a research program that develops ways to measure advanced communications technology. The Director works with the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, the Director of the National Science Foundation, and other federal agencies as needed. (2) Research areas: The research can cover radio frequency emissions and interference (and ways to reduce them); advanced antenna arrays and the artificial intelligence systems that run them; artificial intelligence for internet-of-things networks, immersive technology, and similar tools; technology that senses and monitors networks; technology that makes the radio spectrum more flexible and adaptable; optical and quantum communications technology; security for advanced communications systems; public safety communications; internet-of-things applications that help manufacturing keep working under stress; and any other area the Director decides is needed. (3) Testbeds: Working with the Assistant Secretary, the private sector, and other agencies, the Director may build and run testbeds to research and develop advanced communications technology — but must avoid duplicating testbeds that already exist elsewhere. (4) Outreach: The Director must keep asking other federal agencies and private companies for input, including through workshops, to help set research priorities. (5) Technical roadmaps: The Director must bring together industry, colleges and universities, nonprofits, federal labs, and other agencies working on advanced communications. Together they build — and regularly update — coordinated technical roadmaps for priority research areas like the ones listed above. (b) National Advanced Spectrum and Communications Test Network (1) In general: Working with the head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and other agencies as needed, the Director must run a nationwide network of government, academic, and commercial test facilities. This network is called NASCTN. (2) Purposes: NASCTN exists to bring together brainpower, modeling and simulation tools, and lab and test facilities to meet the country's needs on radio spectrum. That includes measuring and analyzing how radio waves travel and how radio systems behave, coordinated with related work at other agencies; researching telecommunications science to support the Institute's mission and other government agencies; building methods for testing, measuring, and setting guidelines about interference; running interference tests to understand how current and proposed federal and commercial spectrum use affects things; researching and testing ways to make systems more tolerant of interference, more flexible, and better at avoiding interference; and any other activity the Director decides is needed.