SEC. 2. INSTITUTE FOR TELECOMMUNICATION SCIENCES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The test center within the National Tele-
communications and Information Administration (in 
this subsection referred to as the ‘‘NTIA’’) rep-
resents executive branch agencies on spectrum issues 
before the Federal Communications Commission. 
(2) Understanding radio frequency propagation 
characteristics and modeling is a critical component 
of making spectrum decisions. 
(3) Federal agencies rely on expert engineering 
studies, simulations, and analyses to make deter-
minations about how to make spectrum available for 
commercial use, including through system reloca-
tions and identifying spectrum sharing opportunities 
through the NTIA. 
(4) Clearing of Federal spectrum, when fea-
sible, is the priority action to take to make Federal 
spectrum available for commercial uses as required 
by section 113(j)(1) of the National Telecommuni-
cations and Information Administration Organiza-
tion Act (47 U.S.C. 923(j)(1)). 
(5) Sharing of Federal spectrum between Fed-
eral entities and commercial entities provides access 
to Federal spectrum for commercial uses in cir-
cumstances where clearing is not feasible. 
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(6) The test center within the NTIA is the Gov-
ernment’s premier expert laboratory for spectrum re-
search activities, spectrum sharing innovation and 
testing, spectrum interference studies, and all activi-
ties related to advancing next generation wireless 
technologies. 
(7) The test center within the NTIA is critical 
for undertaking engineering studies and analyses 
that inform clearing or sharing opportunities and fa-
cilitate policy decisions to maximize the efficient use 
of spectrum resources. 
(b) OPERATION OF TEST CENTER.—Part A of the 
National Telecommunications and Information Adminis-
tration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 901 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 
106. 
INSTITUTE 
FOR 
TELECOMMUNICATION 
SCIENCES. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Under the authority pro-
vided to the Assistant Secretary under section 103, 
the Assistant Secretary shall operate a test center to 
be known as the Institute for Telecommunication 
Sciences (in this section referred to as ‘ITS’). 
‘‘(2) FUNCTIONS.— 
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‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—In addition to any 
functions delegated by the Assistant Secretary 
under subparagraph (B), ITS shall serve as the 
primary laboratory for the executive branch of 
the Federal Government to— 
‘‘(i) study radio frequency emissions, 
including technologies and techniques to 
control such emissions and interference 
caused by such emissions; 
‘‘(ii) determine spectrum propagation 
characteristics; 
‘‘(iii) conduct tests on technology that 
enhances the sharing of electromagnetic 
spectrum between Federal and non-Federal 
users; 
‘‘(iv) improve the interference toler-
ance of Federal systems operating with, or 
using, Federal spectrum; 
‘‘(v) promote activities relating to ac-
cess to Federal spectrum by non-Federal 
users and the sharing of Federal spectrum 
between Federal and non-Federal users; 
and 
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‘‘(vi) conduct such other activities as 
determined necessary by the Assistant Sec-
retary. 
‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL
FUNCTIONS.—The As-
sistant Secretary may delegate to ITS any of 
the functions assigned to the Assistant Sec-
retary under section 103(b)(1). 
‘‘(3) AGREEMENTS
AND
TRANSACTIONS.—In 
carrying out the functions described in paragraph 
(2), the Assistant Secretary, acting through the head 
of ITS, may enter into agreements as provided 
under the following authorities: 
‘‘(A) Sections 11 and 12 of the Stevenson- 
Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 
U.S.C. 3710; 3710a). 
‘‘(B) Section 1535 of title 31, United 
States Code. 
‘‘(C) Sections 207 and 209 of title 35, 
United States Code. 
‘‘(D) Section 103(b)(2) of this Act. 
‘‘(E) Section 113(g) of this Act. 
‘‘(F) The first undesignated section of 
Public Law 91–412. 
‘‘(G) Any authorization in any other Fed-
eral statute. 
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‘‘(4) FEDERAL SPECTRUM DEFINED.—In this 
subsection, the term ‘Federal spectrum’ means fre-
quencies assigned on a primary basis to a Federal 
entity (as defined in section 113(l)). 
‘‘(b) EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION AND TRACKING 
TECHNOLOGIES INITIATIVE.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Assistant Sec-
retary, acting through the head of ITS, shall estab-
lish an initiative to support the development of 
emergency communication and tracking technologies 
for use in locating trapped individuals in confined 
spaces, such as underground mines, and other 
shielded environments, such as high-rise buildings or 
collapsed structures, where conventional radio com-
munication is limited. 
‘‘(2) ACTIVITIES.—In order to carry out this 
subsection, the Assistant Secretary, acting through 
the head of ITS, shall work with private sector enti-
ties and the heads of appropriate Federal agencies, 
to— 
‘‘(A) perform a needs assessment to iden-
tify and evaluate the measurement, technical 
specifications, and conformity assessment needs 
required to improve the operation and reliability 
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