PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

The Foundation must fund basic research to help make advanced communications services more available and affordable for all people in the United States. Research may cover things like affordable broadband (including wireless), network security and reliability, making different systems work together, networking protocols and designs (including resistance to outages or attacks), trusted software, privacy, nanoelectronics and low-power communications electronics, fair access to national fiber optic research and education networks in noncontiguous States, and other related areas the Director chooses. The Director must award multiyear, merit-reviewed grants (if money is available) to colleges, universities, affiliated nonprofit research groups, or consortia of those institutions to create multidisciplinary Centers for Communications Research. These centers can partner with government labs, for-profit firms, or other research institutions. The Director must increase funding for the listed basic research and the Centers in proportion to increases in the Foundation’s research appropriations for fiscal years 2008 through 2010. The Director must also include, in the President’s annual budget submission under section 1105 of title 31, a report showing amounts spent that fiscal year and the proposed levels for the next fiscal year.

Title 42, §1862o–10

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(1)As part of the Program described in title I of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5511 et seq.), the Foundation shall support basic research related to advanced information and communications technologies that will contribute to enhancing or facilitating the availability and affordability of advanced communications services for all people of the United States. Areas of research to be supported may include research on—

(A)affordable broadband access, including wireless technologies;

(B)network security and reliability;

(C)communications interoperability;

(D)networking protocols and architectures, including resilience to outages or attacks;

(E)trusted software;

(F)privacy;

(G)nanoelectronics for communications applications;

(H)low-power communications electronics;

(I)implementation of equitable access to national advanced fiber optic research and educational networks in noncontiguous States; and

(J)such other related areas as the Director finds appropriate.

(2)The Director shall award multiyear grants, subject to the availability of appropriations and on a merit-reviewed competitive basis, to institutions of higher education, nonprofit research institutions affiliated with institutions of higher education, or consortia of either type of institution to establish multidisciplinary Centers for Communications Research. The purpose of the Centers shall be to generate innovative approaches to problems in information and communications technology research, including the research areas described in paragraph (1). Institutions of higher education, nonprofit research institutions affiliated with institutions of higher education, or consortia receiving such grants may partner with 1 or more government laboratories, for-profit entities, or other institutions of higher education or nonprofit research institutions.

(3)The Director shall increase funding for the basic research activities described in paragraph (1), which shall include support for the Centers described in paragraph (2), in proportion to the increase in the total amount appropriated to the Foundation for research and related activities for the fiscal years 2008 through 2010.

(4)The Director shall transmit to Congress, as part of the President’s annual budget submission under section 1105 of title 31, a report on the amounts allocated for support of research under this section for the fiscal year during which such report is submitted and the levels proposed for the fiscal year with respect to which the budget submission applies.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The High-Performance Computing Act of 1991, referred to in par. (1), is Pub. L. 102–194, Dec. 9, 1991, 105 Stat. 1594. Title I of the Act is classified generally to subchapter I (§ 5511 et seq.) of chapter 81 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 5501 of Title 15 and Tables. Codification Section was enacted as part of the America COMPETES Act, also known as the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act, and not as part of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 which comprises this chapter.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Definitions For definitions of terms used in this section, see section 7001 of Pub. L. 110–69, set out as a note under section 1862o of this title.

§1862o–10 Advanced Information and Communications Technology Research