Review – HR 1766 Introduced – NTIA Cybersecurity

Earlier this month Rep Obernolte (R,CA) introduced HR 1766, the NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act. The bill would transform the current NTIA Office of Policy Analysis and Development (OPAD) into the Office of Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination. No new funding is authorized by this legislation.

The bill would amend the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act by adding a new §106, Office of Policy Development and Cybersecurity.

The bill is essentially the same as the version of HR 1345 that was passed in the House in July 2023 by a voice vote. No action was taken in the Senate. A substantially similar bill (S 1526) was introduced last session by Sen Hickenlooper (D,CO), but no action was taken on that bill in the Senate either.

Moving Forward

On March 4^th, 2025 the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a business meeting to consider twelve pieces of legislation, including HR 1766. The Committee agreed to final passage of the bill by a voice vote. Once the report is published, the bill will be cleared for consideration by the full House, probably under the suspension of the rules process. I would expect the bill to pass with substantial bipartisan support.

Commentary

What is not clear currently is how this proposed reorganization within the NTIA would fit into the Trump reorganization effort. As described in this bill, the OPCD would have no specific regulatory responsibilities, but there are two provisions within the proposed language for §106(c)(2) {see subparagraphs (E) and (I)} that could see the reorganized Office being assigned such responsibilities.

 

For more information on the provisions of this bill, including some additional commentary, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/hr-1766-introduced - subscription required.