IB 
Union Calendar No. 341 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4990 
[Report No. 117–437] 
To codify the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences and to direct the 
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information 
to establish an initiative to support the development of emergency com-
munication and tracking technologies, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 10, 2021 
Mr. CARTER of Georgia introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
JULY 26, 2022 
Additional sponsor: Mr. O’HALLERAN 
JULY 26, 2022 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on August 10, 2021] 
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A BILL 
To codify the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences and 
to direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Com-
munications and Information to establish an initiative 
to support the development of emergency communication 
and tracking technologies, and for other purposes. 
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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 ‘‘Institute for Tele-
communication Sciences Codification Act’’ or the ‘‘ITS 
Codification Act’’. 
SEC. 2. INSTITUTE FOR TELECOMMUNICATION SCIENCES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The test center within National Tele-
communications and Information Administration (in 
this subsection referred to as the ‘‘NTIA’’) represents 
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 determina-
tions about how to make spectrum available for com-
mercial use, including through system relocations and 
identifying spectrum sharing opportunities through 
the NTIA. 
(4) Clearing of Federal spectrum, when feasible, 
is the priority action to take to make Federal spec-
trum available for commercial uses as required by 
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section 113(j)(1) of the National Telecommunications 
and Information Administration Organization Act 
(47 U.S.C. 923(j)(1)). 
(5) Sharing of Federal spectrum between Federal 
entities and commercial entities provides access to 
Federal spectrum for commercial uses in cir-
cumstances where clearing is not feasible. 
(6) The test center within NTIA, is the Govern-
ment’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 NTIA is critical for 
undertaking engineering studies and analyses that in-
form clearing or sharing opportunities and facilitate 
policy decisions to maximize the efficient use of spec-
trum resources. 
(b) OPERATION OF TEST CENTER.—Part A of the Na-
tional Telecommunications and Information Administra-
tion 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.— 
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‘‘(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.— 
‘‘(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 tolerance 
of Federal systems operating with, or using, 
Federal spectrum; 
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‘‘(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 
‘‘(vi) conduct such other activities as 
determined necessary by the Assistant Sec-
retary. 
‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS.—The Assist-
ant Secretary may delegate to ITS any of the 
functions assigned to the Assistant Secretary 
under section 103(b)(1). 
‘‘(3) AGREEMENTS AND TRANSACTIONS.—The As-
sistant Secretary, acting through the head of ITS, 
may enter into such agreements, including contracts, 
cooperative agreements, and interagency agreements, 
as may be necessary to carry out the functions de-
scribed in paragraph (2). 
‘‘(4) FUNDS FROM FEDERAL AND NON-FEDERAL 
ENTITIES.—In addition to such other sums as may be 
made available to carry out this section, the Assistant 
Secretary, acting through the head of ITS may ac-
cept, hold, administer, and use funds from any Fed-
eral entity or non-Federal entity, including a State 
government, local government, or private sector enti-
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ty, for ITS to perform analysis or conduct a technical 
study on behalf of such entity. 
‘‘(5) FEDERAL
SPECTRUM
DEFINED.—In this 
subsection, the term ‘Federal spectrum’ means fre-
quencies assigned on a primary basis to a Federal en-
tity (as defined in section 113(l) of the National Tele-
communications and Information Administration Or-
ganization Act (47 U.S.C. 923(l))). 
‘‘(b) EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION
AND TRACKING 
TECHNOLOGIES INITIATIVE.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Assistant Secretary, 
acting through the head of ITS, shall establish an ini-
tiative to support the development of emergency com-
munication and tracking technologies for use in locat-
ing trapped individuals in confined spaces, such as 
underground mines, and other shielded environments, 
such as high-rise buildings or collapsed structures, 
where conventional radio communication 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 entities 
and the heads of appropriate Federal agencies, to— 
‘‘(A) perform a needs assessment to identify 
and evaluate the measurement, technical speci-
fications, and conformity assessment needs re-
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quired to improve the operation and reliability 
of such emergency communication and tracking 
technologies; and 
‘‘(B) support the development of technical 
specifications and conformance architecture to 
improve the operation and reliability of such 
emergency communication and tracking tech-
nologies. 
‘‘(3) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after 
the date of the enactment of this section, the Assistant 
Secretary shall submit to Congress, and make pub-
licly available, a report on the assessment performed 
under paragraph (2)(A).’’. 
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Union Calendar No. 341 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4990 
[Report No. 117–437] 
A BILL 
To codify the Institute for Telecommunication 
Sciences and to direct the Assistant Secretary of 
Commerce for Communications and Information 
to establish an initiative to support the develop-
ment of emergency communication and tracking 
technologies, and for other purposes. 
JULY 26, 2022 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed 
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