ITS Codification Act

The ITS Codification Act would formally establish and codify the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) as a primary laboratory within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). ITS would serve as the executive branch’s lead lab for spectrum research, including studying radio frequency emissions, spectrum propagation, and technologies that enable sharing of spectrum between federal and non-federal users. It would also be authorized to enter into various interagency and public-private agreements to carry out its functions and would define “Federal spectrum” for purposes of its work. In addition, the bill creates a new Emergency Communication and Tracking Technologies Initiative under ITS. This initiative would coordinate with private sector partners and federal agencies to identify measurement and conformity needs, develop technical specifications and conformance architectures to improve emergency communication and tracking in environments where conventional radio communication is limited (e.g., underground mines, tall buildings, collapsed structures), and require a public report to Congress within 18 months of enactment.