ANCHOR Act
The ANCHOR Act (Accelerating Networking, Cyberinfrastructure, and Hardware for Oceanic Research Act) requires the National Science Foundation to develop a comprehensive plan to upgrade the cybersecurity and telecommunications systems of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet. This fleet consists of U.S.-flagged oceanographic research vessels operated by universities and laboratories that receive NSF funding and participate in the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System. The bill mandates that within one year of enactment, the NSF Director must submit a detailed plan to Congress that assesses current needs, costs, implementation timelines, and funding strategies for modernizing these vessels' digital infrastructure to support 21st-century scientific research and operations.
Key Points
- 1Requires NSF to create a plan within one year assessing telecommunications and networking needs for the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, including bandwidth requirements for scientific missions
- 2Mandates cybersecurity assessment in consultation with CISA and NIST, addressing vulnerabilities specific to research vessels and their scientific functions
- 3Requires cost analysis for necessary upgrades including satellite communications equipment, computing clusters, software, hardware, and personnel training
- 4Calls for evaluation of implementation timelines under various funding scenarios and exploration of cost-saving measures like consortial licensing or centralized fleet cybersecurity management
- 5Directs development of a collaborative spending plan involving NSF, Office of Naval Research, vessel owners, and fleet users to fund the necessary improvements