§278t Advanced Communications Research Activities

Summary

The Director must run a measurement research program on advanced communications. The Director must work with the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, the National Science Foundation Director, and other federal agencies when needed. The research can cover radio frequency emissions and ways to reduce interference; advanced antenna arrays and AI for them; AI for Internet of Things, immersive tech, and other advanced communications; network sensing and monitoring; tools for more flexible and agile use of spectrum; optical and quantum communications; security; public safety communications; resilient IoT for advanced manufacturing; and any other areas the Director finds necessary. The Director may set up and manage testbeds with the Assistant Secretary, the private sector, and other agencies, but should avoid duplicating existing testbeds. The Director must get regular input from agencies and industry through workshops and other meetings and must gather industry, universities, nonprofits, federal labs, and agencies to create and update coordinated technical roadmaps for priority research. The National Advanced Spectrum and Communications Test Network (NASCTN) is a national network of government, academic, and commercial test capabilities and facilities. The Director, coordinating with the NTIA Administrator and other agencies as appropriate, must operate NASCTN to share expertise, modeling, labs, and test facilities to meet national spectrum needs. NASCTN’s work includes measuring electromagnetic propagation and radio system behavior; doing telecommunications research to support the Institute and other agencies; developing test methods and interference guidelines; running interference tests; researching ways to improve interference tolerance, flexibility, agility, and mitigation; and other activities the Director finds necessary.