Title 15, Commerce and TradeRelease 119-102

§5502 Purposes

Title 15 › CHAPTER 81 — HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING › § 5502

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Helps keep the United States a leader in networking and information technology by guiding federal research, development, and use of these technologies. It directs the federal government to expand training and access for researchers, teachers, and students; build an Internet-based information infrastructure of databases, services, access tools, and research facilities; speed up work on high-end computing hardware, subsystems, and software; apply networking and IT to Grand Challenges; invest in basic research and education and bring networking and IT into schools; and boost cooperation among government, labs, industry, computing centers, and universities. It also improves coordination across federal agencies, pushes wider development and sharing of network tools, and encourages quick use of open network standards.

Full Legal Text

Title 15, §5502

Commerce and Trade, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The purposes of this chapter are to help ensure the continued leadership of the United States in networking and information technology and its applications by—
(1)supporting Federal research, development, and application of networking and information technology in order to—
(A)expand the number of researchers, educators, and students with training in networking and information technology and access to networking and information technology resources;
(B)promote the further development of an information infrastructure of data bases, services, access mechanisms, and research facilities available for use through the Internet;
(C)stimulate research on and promote more rapid development of high-end computing systems software and applications software;
(D)accelerate the development of high-end computing systems and subsystems;
(E)provide for the application of networking and information technology to Grand Challenges;
(F)invest in basic research and education, and promote the inclusion of networking and information technology into educational institutions at all levels; and
(G)promote greater collaboration among government, Federal laboratories, industry, high-end computing centers, and universities;
(2)improving the interagency planning and coordination of Federal research and development on networking and information technology and maximizing the effectiveness of the Federal Government’s networking and information technology research and development programs;
(3)promoting the more rapid development and wider distribution of networking management and development tools; and
(4)promoting the rapid adoption of open network standards.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2017—Pub. L. 114–329, § 105(c)(1), substituted “networking and information technology” for “high-performance computing” in introductory provisions. Par. (1). Pub. L. 114–329, § 105(c)(2)(A), substituted “supporting Federal research, development, and application of networking and information technology” for “expanding Federal support for research, development, and application of high-performance computing” in introductory provisions. Par. (1)(A). Pub. L. 114–329, § 105(c)(2)(B), substituted “networking and information technology” for “high-performance computing” in two places. Par. (1)(C). Pub. L. 114–329, § 105(c)(2)(C), (D), added subpar. (C) and struck out former subpar. (C) which read as follows: “stimulate research on software technology;”. Par. (1)(D). Pub. L. 114–329, § 105(c)(2)(C), (E), (F), redesignated subpar. (E) as (D), inserted “high-end” after “the development of”, and struck out former subpar. (D) which read as follows: “promote the more rapid development and wider distribution of computing software tools and applications software;”. Par. (1)(E), (F). Pub. L. 114–329, § 105(c)(2)(E), (G), redesignated subpars. (F) and (G) as (E) and (F), respectively, and substituted “networking and information technology” for “high-performance computing”. Former subpar. (E) redesignated (D). Par. (1)(G), (H). Pub. L. 114–329, § 105(c)(2)(E), (H), redesignated subpar. (H) as (G) and substituted “high-end” for “high-performance”. Former subpar. (G) redesignated (F). Par. (2). Pub. L. 114–329, § 105(c)(3), substituted “networking and information technology and” for “high-performance computing and” and “networking and information technology” for “high-performance computing network”. 1998—Pub. L. 105–305, § 3(b)(1), substituted “Purposes” for “Purpose” as section catchline. Pub. L. 105–305, § 3(b)(2), substituted “purposes of this chapter are” for “purpose of this chapter is” in introductory provisions. Par. (1)(A). Pub. L. 105–305, § 3(b)(3), redesignated subpar. (B) as (A) and struck out former subpar. (A) which read as follows: “establish a high-capacity and high-speed National Research and Education Network;”. Par. (1)(B). Pub. L. 105–305, § 3(b)(3), (4), redesignated subpar. (C) as (B) and substituted “Internet” for “Network”. Former subpar. (B) redesignated (A). Par. (1)(C) to (I). Pub. L. 105–305, § 3(b)(3), (5), redesignated subpars. (D) to (I) as (C) to (H), respectively, and struck out “and” at end of par. (H). Par. (2). Pub. L. 105–305, § 3(b)(6), substituted “network research and development programs;” for “efforts.” Pars. (3), (4). Pub. L. 105–305, § 3(b)(7), added pars. (3) and (4).

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

15 U.S.C. § 5502

Title 15, Commerce and Trade

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102