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 
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 
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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. 
(7) The National Institute of Standards and 
Technology is well-positioned to draft mining com-
munications standards given the extensive work that 
the organization has done in the field of emergency 
communications to develop standards and tech-
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nologies for interoperable wireless telecommuni-
cations and information systems. 
(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 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 availability of grants 
where appropriate, to accelerate the development of next 
generation mine communications and tracking technology 
systems. 
(b) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this section, the 
Director shall work with relevant Federal agencies and in-
dustry to evaluate areas of research and development that 
will be most promising in protecting miner safety. 
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(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. 
SEC. 4. STANDARDS REGARDING UNDERGROUND COMMU-
NICATIONS. 
The Director of the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology shall work with industry and relevant 
Federal agencies to develop consensus industry standards 
and standard reference materials for wireless communica-
tions in underground mines. In their efforts to help de-
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velop these standards and reference materials, the fol-
lowing 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 
fiscal years 2009 and 2010, to be derived from amounts 
authorized under section 3001 of the America COM-
PETES Act. 
Æ 
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