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.

Summary: Advanced Information and Communications Technology Research Act - Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to develop a plan to increase sharing of spectrum between federal and nonfederal government users and establish a implementation pilot program.

Requires the director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish the Telecommunications Standards and Technology Acceleration Research Program to support and promote innovation in the United States through high-risk, high-reward telecommunications research.

Requires the director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to 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. Requires related grants.

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.