NPPD Announces NSTAC Meeting – 5-22-13

Today the DHS National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) published a meeting notice in the Federal Register (78 FR 28237-28238) concerning an upcoming meeting of the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC). Portions of the May 22^nd meeting in Washington, D.C. will be closed to the public.

Agenda

The Committee will receive briefings on:

• The Federal Government's current research and development priorities as they relate to cybersecurity and national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) communications;

• The committee's progress regarding its report on secure government communications;

• The progress of the Government's implementation of NSTAC recommendations from the 2012 NSTAC Report to the President on Cloud Computing; and

• Cybersecurity threats (classified/closed).

The agenda also includes Committee discussions about:

• The current implementation status of the national public safety broadband network (NPSBN), including current initiatives underway with the First Network Authority Board;

• The Committee report, NSTAC Report to the President on the National Security and Emergency Preparedness Implications of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network; and

• Future studies based on Government's security priorities and perceived vulnerabilities (classified/closed).

Late Notice

NPPD is seven days shy (the notice says 3-days, but they expected this to be published last Friday) of their legal requirement to normally provide 15-day notice of the meeting of a federal advisory committee. They note that this is “due to the immediate need for NSTAC's members to receive a cyber-threat briefing”. The timing of this notice may indicate that the referenced cyber-threat may have something to do with the energy sector control system threat I mentioned Sunday.

Interestingly, according to the NSTAC web site, the classified portion of this meeting will be held in the White House Situation Room. Either the private sector members of the Committee are being seriously schmoozed, or this briefing is really serious; this is Washington, it could be either.

Public Comments

There will be a 30-minute public comment period midway through the public afternoon session of the meeting. People wishing to make a presentation (limited to 3 minutes) during that period need to contact  Helen Jackson (703-235-5321) by COB on May 15^th (tomorrow???) to assure a place in the cue. Written comments may be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal (www.Regulations.gov; Docket # DHS-2013-0022) though a time machine will be required as they were required to be submitted no later than yesterday.