IIB 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3877 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
OCTOBER 30, 2007 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions 
AN ACT 
To require the Director of the National Institute of Stand-
ards and Technology to establish an initiative to promote 
the research, development, and demonstration of miner 
tracking and communications systems and to promote 
the establishment of standards and other measurement 
services regarding underground communications to pro-
tect miners in the United States. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:25 Oct 31, 2007
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6652
E:\BILLS\H3877.RFS
H3877
bajohnson on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
HR 3877 RFS
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Mine Communications 
Technology Innovation Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The failure of miner tracking and commu-
nications devices or lack thereof in mines severely 
hampers rescue efforts in the event of emergencies. 
(2) Mines, particularly underground mines, 
have properties that present unique technical chal-
lenges for the integration of currently available 
tracking and communications systems. These prop-
erties include the lack of a clear path or open air 
which is required for radio signals and WiFi. Addi-
tionally, because coal is an absorptive material, less 
than 10 percent of the radio spectrum that is used 
above ground can be used underground. A fraction 
of that (only about 1 percent) radio spectrum is ac-
tually allocated for commercial communications pur-
poses. As a consequence, the availability of miner 
communication equipment is severely limited. 
(3) Research and experience have shown that 
communications and tracking systems may not work 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:25 Oct 31, 2007
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3877.RFS
H3877
bajohnson on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
HR 3877 RFS
equally well in every mine or in every emergency sit-
uation, and therefore several different systems may 
be necessary for development and integration. 
(4) Because of the serious challenges of the 
mine environment and the limited market provided 
by the mining industry, much needed technology has 
not yet been developed by the private sector or is not 
commercially available in the United States. 
(5) Furthermore, due to the regulatory struc-
ture of the industry and the lengthy approval proc-
ess for mine tracking and communications systems, 
research must be accelerated so that next generation 
technology can be quickly and efficiently integrated 
into mines to protect the safety of miners. 
(6) The National Institute of Standards and 
Technology is well positioned to help accelerate the 
development of mining tracking and communications 
technology. The National Institute of Standards and 
Technology has a long history of working in conjunc-
tion with industry to invest in longer-term, high-risk 
research which yields national benefits far beyond 
private payoff. Further, the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology builds partnerships with 
industry to leverage existing research and develop-
ment to drive next generation technology. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:25 Oct 31, 2007
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3877.RFS
H3877
bajohnson on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
HR 3877 RFS
(7) The National Institute of Standards and 
Technology is well-positioned to accelerate develop-
ment of consensus mining communications standards 
given the extensive work that the organization has 
done in the field of emergency communications to 
develop standards and technologies for interoperable 
wireless telecommunications and information sys-
tems. 
(8) In developing such standards, the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology should work 
in cooperation with the National Institute for Occu-
pational Safety and Health and the Mine Safety and 
Health Administration, and other relevant public 
and private stakeholders, to build on existing tech-
nology and knowledge regarding mine communica-
tions systems. 
SEC. 3. MINE COMMUNICATIONS AND TRACKING RE-
SEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AU-
THORIZATION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director of the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology shall provide for 
the establishment of a program of research, development, 
and demonstration that includes the establishment of best 
practices, adaptation of existing technology, and efforts to 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:25 Oct 31, 2007
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3877.RFS
H3877
bajohnson on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
HR 3877 RFS
accelerate the development of next generation technology 
and tracking systems for mine communications. 
(b) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this section, the 
Director shall coordinate with relevant Federal agencies 
and industry to evaluate areas of research and develop-
ment and best practices that will be most promising in 
protecting miner safety. 
(c) OPTIONAL FOCUS.—In establishing this program, 
the Director may focus on the following communications 
and tracking system characteristics: 
(1) Systems that are likely to work in emer-
gency situations. 
(2) Systems that work in coal mines, with spe-
cial attention paid to deep underground coal mines. 
(3) Systems that provide coverage throughout 
all areas of the mine. 
(4) Hybrid systems that use both wireless and 
infrastructure based systems. 
(5) Functionality for 2-way and voice commu-
nications. 
(6) Systems that serve emergency and routine 
communications needs. 
(7) The ability to work with existing legacy sys-
tems and to be quickly integrated. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:25 Oct 31, 2007
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3877.RFS
H3877
bajohnson on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
HR 3877 RFS
(8) Propagation environment characterization, 
performance metrics, and independently derived vali-
dation tests to verify performance for standards de-
velopment. 
SEC. 4. STANDARDS REGARDING UNDERGROUND COMMU-
NICATIONS. 
Consistent with Office of Management and Budget 
Circular A–119, the Director of the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology shall work with industry and 
relevant Federal agencies to develop consensus industry 
standards for communications in underground mines. The 
Director shall also develop and provide any needed meas-
urement services to support implementation of these 
standards. In their efforts to help develop these standards 
and related measurement services, the following issues 
should be addressed: 
(1) The appropriate use of frequency bands and 
power levels. 
(2) Matters related to interoperability of sys-
tems, applications, and devices. 
(3) Technology to prevent interference. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Direc-
tor of the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
such sums as are necessary for carrying out this Act for 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:25 Oct 31, 2007
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3877.RFS
H3877
bajohnson on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
HR 3877 RFS
fiscal years 2009 and 2010, to be derived from amounts 
authorized under section 3001 of the America COM-
PETES Act. 
Passed the House of Representatives October 29, 
2007. 
Attest: 
LORRAINE C. MILLER, 
Clerk. 
VerDate Aug 31 2005 
00:25 Oct 31, 2007
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3877.RFS
H3877
bajohnson on PROD1PC69 with BILLS