HR 7630 Introduced
ANCHOR Act
Last month, Rep Garcia (R,CA) introduced HR 7630, the Accelerating Networking, Cyberinfrastructure, and Hardware for Oceanic Research (ANCHOR) Act. The bill would require the National Science Foundation (NSF) to submit a plan to improve the cybersecurity and telecommunications of the Academic Research Fleet. No new funding is authorized by the legislation.
Definitions
Section 2 of the bill provides the definitions of three key terms used in the bill. It does not include any technical terms related to cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity Plan
Section 3 establishes the requirement for NSF to submit to Congress a “a plan to improve the cybersecurity and telecommunications of the Academic Research Fleet.” The plan would include:
An assessment of the telecommunications and networking needs of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet,
An assessment of cybersecurity needs appropriate for the typical research functions and topics of such vessels,
An assessment of the costs necessary to meet those needs,
An assessment of the time required to implement any upgrades required to meet those needs,
A proposal for the adoption of common solutions or consortial licensing agreements, and
A spending plan to provide funding to cover the costs described above.
In preparing the plan, the NSF would consider the network capabilities, including speed and bandwidth targets, necessary to meet the scientific mission needs of each class of vessel within the Fleet for such purposes as:
Executing the critical functions and communications of each vessel,
Providing network access for the health and well-being of deployed personnel,
Uploading any scientific data to a shoreside server,
Conducting real-time streaming to enable shore-based observers to participate in ship-based maintenance or research activities,
Real-time coordinated viewing of scientific instrumentation so that it is possible to conduct scientific surveys and seafloor mapping with fully remote subject matter experts,
Real-time coordinated viewing of critical operational technology by manufacturers and vendors so that it is possible to carry out maintenance and repairs to systems with limited expertise on each vessel, and
As appropriate, enabling video communications to allow improved outreach to, and other educational services for, K–12 students, including occasional remote classroom teaching for instructors at sea to improve oceanographic access for students.
In consultation with CISA and NIST, the plan’s cybersecurity considerations would address:
The cybersecurity recommendations in the report on “Cybersecurity at NSF Major Facilities” (JSR–21–10E),
Alignment with international standards and guidance for information security,
Facilitation of access to cybersecurity personnel and training of research and support personnel, and
The requirements for the protection of controlled unclassified or classified information.
Moving Forward
Both Garcia and his sole cosponsor {Rep Stevens (D,MI)} are members of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee to which this bill was assigned for consideration. This means that there may be sufficient influence to see the bill considered in Committee. I see nothing in this bill, especially since it contains no new funding or regulatory requirements, that would engender any organized opposition to the legislation. I suspect that there would be bipartisan support for the bill. That support should be large enough to allow consideration of the bill under the suspension of the rules process.