II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 3014 

To establish the Next Generation Telecommunications Council, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 20, 2021 

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO (for herself, Mr. WICKER, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. THUNE, 

and Mr. LUJA ́N) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To establish the Next Generation Telecommunications 

Council, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Next Generation Tele5 communications Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. 6G AND ADVANCED WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES 

7 COUNCIL. 

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a Coun9 cil, to be known as the ‘‘Next Generation Telecommuni10 cations Council’’ (referred to in this section as the ‘‘CounVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:10 Oct 21, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3014.IS S3014

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1 cil’’), to advise Congress on 6G advancements and other 

2 advanced wireless communications technologies, including 

3 the use of such technologies for smart cities or commu4 nities. 

5 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

6 (1) COMPOSITION.— 

7 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara8 graph (B), the Council shall be composed of the 

9 following members: 

10 (i) The Deputy Secretary of Com11 merce. 

12 (ii) The Assistant Secretary of Com13 merce for Communications and Informa14 tion. 

15 (iii) The Undersecretary of the Na16 tional Institute of Standards. 

17 (iv) The Chairperson of the Federal 

18 Communications Commission. 

19 (v) The Director of the National 

20 Science Foundation. 

21 (vi) Three members appointed by the 

22 majority leader of the Senate, in consulta23 tion with the Chairman of the Committee 

24 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

25 of the Senate, 1 of whom shall be a memVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:10 Oct 21, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3014.IS S3014

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1 ber of the Senate and 2 of whom shall not 

2 be. 

3 (vii) Two members appointed by the 

4 minority leader of the Senate, in consulta5 tion with the Ranking Member of the Com6 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Trans7 portation of the Senate, 1 of whom shall be 

8 a member of the Senate and 1 of whom 

9 shall not be. 

10 (viii) Three members appointed by the 

11 Speaker of the House of Representatives, 

12 in consultation with the Chairman of the 

13 Committee on Energy and Commerce of 

14 the House of Representatives, 1 of whom 

15 shall be a member of the House of Rep16 resentatives and 2 of whom shall not be. 

17 (ix) Two members appointed by the 

18 minority leader of the House of Represent19 atives, in consultation with the Ranking 

20 Member of the Committee on Energy and 

21 Commerce of the House of Representa22 tives, 1 of whom shall be a member of the 

23 House of Representatives and 1 of whom 

24 shall not be. 


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1 (B) REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN MEM2 BERS.— 

3 (i) IN GENERAL.—The members of 

4 the Council who are not members of Con5 gress and who are appointed under clauses 

6 (iv) through (vii) of subparagraph (A) shall 

7 be individuals who are nationally recog8 nized for expertise, knowledge, or experi9 ence in— 

10 (I) telecommunications, spectrum 

11 policy, and standards organizations; 

12 (II) cybersecurity and innovation; 

13 or 

14 (III) the implementation, fund15 ing, or oversight of national security 

16 and information sharing. 

17 (ii) LIMITATION ON APPOINTMENTS.— 

18 An official who appoints members of the 

19 Council may not appoint an individual as 

20 a member of the Council if such individual 

21 possesses any personal or financial interest 

22 in the discharge of any of the duties of the 

23 Council. 

24 (iii) REQUIREMENT.—All members of 

25 the Council described in clause (i) shall 


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1 possess an appropriate security clearance 

2 in accordance with applicable provisions of 

3 law concerning the handling of classified 

4 information. 

5 (2) CO-CHAIRS.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall have 

7 2 co-chairs selected from among the members 

8 of the Council, of which— 

9 (i) one co-chair of the Council shall be 

10 a member of the Democratic Party; and 

11 (ii) one co-chair shall be a member of 

12 the Republican Party. 

13 (B) REQUIREMENT.—The individuals who 

14 serve as the co-chairs of the Council shall be 

15 jointly agreed upon by the President, the major16 ity leader of the Senate, the minority leader of 

17 the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Rep18 resentatives, and the minority leader of the 

19 House of Representatives. 

20 (c) APPOINTMENT; INITIAL MEETING.— 

21 (1) APPOINTMENT.—Members of the Council 

22 shall be appointed not later than 45 days after the 

23 date of the enactment of this Act. 


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1 (2) INITIAL MEETING.—The Council shall hold 

2 its initial meeting on or before the date that is 60 

3 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

4 (d) MEETINGS; QUORUM; VACANCIES.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—After its initial meeting, the 

6 Council shall meet upon the call of the co-chairs of 

7 the Council. 

8 (2) QUORUM.—Seven members of the Council 

9 shall constitute a quorum for purposes of conducting 

10 business, except that 2 members of the Council shall 

11 constitute a quorum for purposes of receiving testi12 mony. 

13 (3) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the Council 

14 shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in the 

15 same manner in which the original appointment was 

16 made. 

17 (4) QUORUM WITH VACANCIES.—If vacancies in 

18 the Council occur on any day after 45 days after the 

19 date of the enactment of this Act, a quorum shall 

20 consist of a majority of the members of the Council 

21 as of such day. 

22 (e) ACTIONS OF COUNCIL.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall act by res24 olution agreed to by a majority of the members of 

25 the Council voting and present. 


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1 (2) PANELS.—The Council may establish panels 

2 composed of less than the full membership of the 

3 Council for purposes of carrying out the duties of 

4 the Council under this section. The actions of any 

5 such panel shall be subject to the review and control 

6 of the Council. Any findings and determinations 

7 made by such a panel shall not be considered the 

8 findings and determinations of the Council unless 

9 approved by the Council. 

10 (3) DELEGATION.—Any member, agent, or staff 

11 of the Council may, if authorized by the co-chairs of 

12 the Council, take any action which the Council is au13 thorized to take pursuant to this section. 

14 (f) DUTIES.—The duties of the Council are to review 

15 past actions of the processes and procedures used to ad16 vance wireless communication deployment, including 5G 

17 technology, and advise Congress on 6G advancements, ex18 isting gaps in the standardization and development of 6G, 

19 and other advanced wireless communications technologies. 

20 (g) STRATEGY.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall develop 

22 and submit to Congress recommendations for how 

23 the Federal Government can support— 

24 (A) the development and adoption of 6G 

25 and other advanced wireless communications 


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1 technologies, including ensuring digital inclu2 sion and equity in access to such technologies 

3 for communities of color, those underserved, 

4 and rural communities; 

5 (B) assessment of roles and responsibilities 

6 within the Federal Government and how the 

7 Federal Government can better coordinate func8 tions to ensure timely decisions and needed ac9 tions; 

10 (C) research and development into, and 

11 standards for, 6G and other advanced wireless 

12 communications technologies, including collabo13 ration with the private sector and United States 

14 allies; and 

15 (D) the promotion of international co16 operation, including security cooperation, with 

17 respect to 6G and other wireless communica18 tions technologies. 

19 (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing the strat20 egy under this subsection, the Council shall consider 

21 the following issues: 

22 (A) Access to adequate spectrum resources 

23 to support 6G and other advanced wireless com24 munications technologies. 


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1 (B) Assessment of the Federal Govern2 ment’s function as regulator of electromagnetic 

3 spectrum, including but not limited to, testing 

4 capabilities, proper access to timely and rel5 evant information, the Interdepartment Radio 

6 Advisory Committee and interagency coopera7 tion, and communication with Federal and com8 mercial license holders. 

9 (C) Supply chain resiliency and security, 

10 including vendor diversity, for 6G and other ad11 vanced wireless communications technologies. 

12 (D) Assessment of the workforce needs in 

13 order to build, maintenance, and utilize 6G net14 works, including the necessary diversity within 

15 each of these areas. 

16 (E) Ensure greater collaboration and infor17 mation sharing to make certain advanced net18 works, including those utilized by first respond19 ers, remain secure and resilient in the face of 

20 cyber intrusions and natural disasters. 

21 (F) Other issues identified as important to 

22 the successful development and deployment of 

23 6G and other advanced wireless communica24 tions technologies, such as artificial intelligence 


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1 and machine learning, satellite and fixed wire2 less broadband, and open RAN technologies. 

3 (h) POWERS OF COUNCIL.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Council or, on the au5 thorization of the Council, any subcommittee or 

6 member thereof, may, for the purpose of carrying 

7 out the provisions of this section hold such hearings 

8 and sit and act at such times and places, take such 

9 testimony, receive such evidence, and administer 

10 such oaths. 

11 (2) CONTRACTING.—The Council may, to such 

12 extent and in such amounts as are provided in ad13 vance in appropriation Acts, enter into contracts to 

14 enable the Council to discharge its duties under this 

15 section. 

16 (3) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Council may se18 cure directly from any executive department, 

19 agency, bureau, board, council, office, inde20 pendent establishment, or instrumentality of the 

21 Government information, suggestions, esti22 mates, and statistics for the purposes of this 

23 section. 

24 (B) REQUIREMENT TO SHARE INFORMA25 TION.—Each such department, agency, bureau, 


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1 board, commission, office, establishment, or in2 strumentality shall, to the extent authorized by 

3 law, furnish such information, suggestions, esti4 mates, and statistics directly to the Council, 

5 upon request of the co-chairs of the Council. 

6 (C) TREATMENT OF CLASSIFIED INFORMA7 TION.—The Council shall handle and protect all 

8 classified information provided to it under this 

9 section in accordance with applicable statutes 

10 and regulations. 

11 (4) ASSISTANCE FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Com13 merce, acting through the Assistant Secretary 

14 of Commerce for Communications and Informa15 tion, shall provide to the Council, on a reim16 bursable basis, such administrative services, 

17 funds, staff, facilities, and other support serv18 ices as are necessary for the performance of the 

19 Council’s duties under this section. 

20 (B) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.—The 

21 Chairperson of the Federal Communications 

22 Council may provide the Council, on a reim23 bursable basis, with such administrative serv24 ices, staff, and other support services as the 

25 Council may request. 


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1 (C) ADDITIONAL SUPPORT.—In addition to 

2 the assistance set forth in paragraphs (1) and 

3 (2), other departments and agencies of the Fed4 eral Government may provide the Council such 

5 services, funds, facilities, staff, and other sup6 port as such departments and agencies consider 

7 advisable and as may be authorized by law. 

8 (D) COOPERATION AMONG AGENCIES.— 

9 The Council shall receive the full and timely co10 operation of any official, department, or agency 

11 of the Federal Government, including from the 

12 Department of State, Department of Defense, 

13 and the Office of the United States Trade Rep14 resentative, whose assistance is necessary, as 

15 jointly determined by the co-chairs selected 

16 under subsection (b)(2), for the fulfillment of 

17 the duties of the Council, including the provi18 sion of full and current briefings and analyses. 

19 (5) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Council may use 

20 the United States Postal Service in the same man21 ner and under the same conditions as the depart22 ments and agencies of the Federal Government. 

23 (6) GIFTS.—No member or staff of the Council 

24 may receive a gift or benefit by reason of the service 

25 of such member or staff to the Council. 


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1 (i) STAFF OF COUNCIL.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.— 

3 (A) APPOINTMENT OF STAFF DIRECTOR

4 AND OTHER PERSONNEL.—The co-chairs of the 

5 Council, in accordance with rules agreed upon 

6 by the Council, shall appoint and fix the com7 pensation of a staff director and such other per8 sonnel as may be necessary to enable the Coun9 cil to carry out its duties, without regard to the 

10 provisions of title 5, United States Code, gov11 erning appointments in the competitive service, 

12 and without regard to the provisions of chapter 

13 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such 

14 title relating to classification and General 

15 Schedule pay rates, except that no rate of pay 

16 fixed under this subsection may exceed the 

17 equivalent of that payable to a person occu18 pying a position at level V of the Executive 

19 Schedule under section 5316 of such title 5. 

20 (B) DETAILEES.—Any Federal Govern21 ment employee may be detailed to the Council 

22 without reimbursement from the Council, and 

23 such detailee shall retain the rights, status, and 

24 privileges of his or her regular employment 

25 without interruption. 


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1 (C) REQUIREMENT.—All staff of the Coun2 cil shall possess a security clearance in accord3 ance with applicable laws and regulations con4 cerning the handling of classified information. 

5 (2) CONSULTANT SERVICES.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Council may pro7 cure the services of experts and consultants in 

8 accordance with section 3109 of title 5, United 

9 States Code, but at rates not to exceed the 

10 daily rate paid a person occupying a position at 

11 level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 

12 5315 of such title 5. 

13 (B) REQUIREMENT.—All experts and con14 sultants employed by the Council shall possess 

15 a security clearance in accordance with applica16 ble laws and regulations concerning the han17 dling of classified information. 

18 (j) COMPENSATION AND TRAVEL EXPENSES.— 

19 (1) COMPENSATION.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

21 paragraph (2), each member of the Council may 

22 be compensated at not to exceed the daily 

23 equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay in ef24 fect for a position at level IV of the Executive 

25 Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United 


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1 States Code, for each day during which that 

2 member is engaged in the actual performance of 

3 the duties of the Council under this section. 

4 (B) LIMITATION.—Members of the Council 

5 who are officers or employees of the Federal 

6 Government or Members of Congress shall re7 ceive no additional pay by reason of their serv8 ice on the Council. 

9 (2) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—While away from 

10 their homes or regular places of business in the per11 formance of services for the Council, members of the 

12 Council may be allowed travel expenses, including 

13 per diem in lieu of subsistence, in the same manner 

14 as persons employed intermittently in the Federal 

15 Government are allowed expenses under section 

16 5703 of title 5, United States Code. 

17 (3) ACCESS AFTER TERMINATION OF COUN18 CIL.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 

19 after the termination of the Council under sub20 section (k)(2), only the members and designated 

21 staff of the congressional commerce committees, the 

22 majority leader of the Senate, the minority leader of 

23 the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representa24 tives, and the minority leader of the House of Rep25 resentatives, and such other officials of the executive 


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1 branch as the President may designate, shall have 

2 access to information related to the national security 

3 of the United States that is received, considered, or 

4 used by the Council. 

5 (k) FINAL REPORT; TERMINATION.— 

6 (1) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

7 after the date on which the Council is established, 

8 the Council shall submit to the majority leader of 

9 the Senate, the minority leader of the Senate, the 

10 Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the 

11 minority leader of the House of Representatives, and 

12 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans13 portation of the Senate, the Committee on Appro14 priations of the Senate, the Committee on Energy 

15 and Commerce of the House of Representatives, and 

16 the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 

17 Representatives a final report in compliance with the 

18 duties described in subsection (f) and containing the 

19 strategy described in subsection (g). 

20 (2) TERMINATION.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Council, and all 

22 the authorities of this section, shall terminate 

23 at the end of the 120-day period beginning on 

24 the date on which the final report under para25 graph (1) is submitted to the Committee on 


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1 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

2 Senate, the Committee on Appropriations of the 

3 Senate, the Committee on Energy and Com4 merce of the House of Representatives, and the 

5 Committee on Appropriations of the House of 

6 Representatives. 

7 (B) CONCLUSION OF ACTIVITIES.—The 

8 Council may use the 120-day period referred to 

9 in paragraph (1) for the purposes of concluding 

10 its activities, including providing testimony to 

11 Congress concerning the final report referred to 

12 in that paragraph and disseminating the report. 

13 (l) ASSESSMENTS OF FINAL REPORT.—Not later 

14 than 60 days after receipt of the final report under sub15 section (k)(1), the Secretary of Commerce shall submit to 

16 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

17 of the Senate, the Committee on Appropriations of the 

18 Senate, the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 

19 House of Representatives, the Committee on Appropria20 tions of the House of Representatives, the majority leader 

21 of the Senate, the minority leader of the Senate, the 

22 Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the minority 

23 leader of the House of Representatives, as the case may 

24 be, an assessment of the final report. Each assessment 

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1 ommendations contained in the final report as the Direc2 tor or Secretary, as the case may be, considers appro3 priate. 

4 (m) INAPPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN ADMINISTRATIVE

5 PROVISIONS.— 

6 (1) FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.—The 

7 provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 

8 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the activities of the 

9 Council under this section. 

10 (2) FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.—The pro11 visions of section 552 of title 5, United States Code 

12 (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Freedom of Informa13 tion Act’’), shall not apply to the activities, records, 

14 and proceedings of the Council under this section. 

15 (n) FUNDING.— 

16 (1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

17 There are authorized to be appropriated 

18 $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2022 to carry out this 

19 section. 

20 (2) AVAILABILITY IN GENERAL.—Subject to 

21 paragraph (1), the Secretary of Commerce shall 

22 make available to the Council such amounts as the 

23 Council may require for purposes of the activities of 

24 the Council under this section. 


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1 (3) DURATION OF AVAILABILITY.—Amounts 

2 made available to the Council under paragraph (2) 

3 shall remain available until expended. 

Æ 


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