I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3642 
To amend the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to require 
the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
to document operational requirements, assist with national voluntary 
consensus standards, and conduct technology research to advance a na-
tionwide interoperable public safety broadband network, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 13, 2011 
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas (for herself and Ms. EDWARDS) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the National Institute of Standards and Tech-
nology Act to require the Director of the National Insti-
tute of Standards and Technology to document oper-
ational requirements, assist with national voluntary con-
sensus standards, and conduct technology research to 
advance 
a 
nationwide 
interoperable 
public 
safety 
broadband network, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Public Safety 
Broadband Network Enabling Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PUBLIC SAFETY BROADBAND NETWORK STAND-
ARDS AND RESEARCH. 
The National Institute of Standards and Technology 
Act is amended— 
(1) by redesignating section 34 as section 35; 
and 
(2) by inserting after section 33 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 34. PUBLIC SAFETY BROADBAND NETWORK STAND-
ARDS, 
RESEARCH, 
AND 
DEMONSTRATION 
TESTBED. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall— 
‘‘(1) document operational requirements for a 
nationwide interoperable public safety broadband 
network; 
‘‘(2) if necessary and practical, help to accel-
erate the development of national voluntary con-
sensus standards for a nationwide interoperable pub-
lic safety broadband network, including standards 
that address the requirements documented under 
paragraph (1); 
‘‘(3) conduct research and assist with the devel-
opment of technologies and applications to advance 
wireless public safety communications; and 
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‘‘(4) continue to develop and maintain a dem-
onstration testbed for use by manufacturers, pro-
viders of commercial mobile services (as defined in 
section 332 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 332)), and public safety agencies to evaluate 
advanced broadband communications equipment and 
software for use by the public safety community. 
‘‘(b) RESEARCH ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out sub-
section (a)(3), the Director shall— 
‘‘(1) accelerate the development of communica-
tion capabilities between currently deployed public 
safety narrowband systems and a nationwide inter-
operable public safety broadband network; 
‘‘(2) seek to develop technologies, processes, 
and architectures that improve network security, re-
siliency, and trustworthiness; and 
‘‘(3) develop and implement a research road-
map that addresses the wireless communications 
needs of public safety entities beyond what can be 
provided by the current generation of broadband 
technology. 
‘‘(c) COORDINATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the activi-
ties described in this section, the Director shall co-
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ordinate with relevant Federal agencies, the private 
sector, and public safety organizations. 
‘‘(2) WORKING
GROUPS.—The Director shall 
convene working groups of relevant government and 
commercial stakeholders to achieve the requirements 
of this section, as appropriate.’’. 
SEC. 3. SPECTRUM AUCTION PROCEEDS. 
From any trust fund established in the Treasury of 
the United States after October 1, 2011, consisting of pro-
ceeds from the auction of electromagnetic spectrum, there 
shall be made available to the Director of the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology, without further 
appropriation, $300,000,000 to carry out section 34 of the 
National Institute of Standards and Technology Act, as 
amended by section 2. Such amount shall remain available 
until expended. 
Æ 
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