Title 6, Domestic SecurityRelease 119-110

§195a Emergency Communications Interoperability Research and Development

Title 6 › CHAPTER 1 — HOMELAND SECURITY ORGANIZATION › SUBCHAPTER III — SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN SUPPORT OF HOMELAND SECURITY › § 195a

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Under Secretary for Science and Technology must create a research and development program, run through the Director of the Office for Interoperability and Compatibility. The program must help emergency responders and government officials keep communicating during natural disasters, terrorist acts, and other man-made disasters, and it must promote interoperable communications. It must support competitive research (including work by the Directorate of Science and Technology and the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency) and may create a Center of Excellence under the Department of Homeland Security Centers of Excellence Program. The program’s goals are to fund research, testing, and evaluation; find strengths and weaknesses in public safety communications; study how current and new technology can help Federal, State, local, and tribal agencies work together efficiently; explore long-term advanced technologies and major system changes; and validate and help deploy interoperable solutions. The term “interoperable” has the meaning given in section 578 of this title.

Full Legal Text

Title 6, §195a

Domestic Security, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general

The Under Secretary for Science and Technology, acting through the Director of the Office for Interoperability and Compatibility, shall establish a comprehensive research and development program to support and promote—

(1)the ability of emergency response providers and relevant government officials to continue to communicate in the event of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters; and

(2)interoperable emergency communications capabilities among emergency response providers and relevant government officials, including by—

(A)supporting research on a competitive basis, including through the Directorate of Science and Technology and Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency; and

(B)considering the establishment of a Center of Excellence under the Department of Homeland Security Centers of Excellence Program focused on improving emergency response providers’ communication capabilities.

(b)Purposes

The purposes of the program established under subsection (a) include—

(1)supporting research, development, testing, and evaluation on emergency communication capabilities;

(2)understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the public safety communications systems in use;

(3)examining how current and emerging technology can make emergency response providers more effective, and how Federal, State, local, and tribal government agencies can use this technology in a coherent and cost-effective manner;

(4)investigating technologies that could lead to long-term advancements in emergency communications capabilities and supporting research on advanced technologies and potential systemic changes to dramatically improve emergency communications; and

(5)evaluating and validating advanced technology concepts, and facilitating the development and deployment of interoperable emergency communication capabilities.

(c)Definitions

For purposes of this section, the term “interoperable”, with respect to emergency communications, has the meaning given the term in section 578 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

6 U.S.C. § 195a

Title 6, Domestic Security

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110