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Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 21, 2025
Digital Economy Cybersecurity Advisory Act of 2025
This bill establishes a Digital Economy and Cybersecurity Board of Advisors within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
The board must provide the NTIA with recommendations for (1) technical cybersecurity best practices to drive economic growth while securing information and communications networks; (2) policies to support the development and implementation of cybersecurity practices with respect to the internet and information and communications networks; (3) policies that promote security and resilience to cybersecurity incidents; and (4) policies to remove barriers to trust, security, innovation, and commercialization; among other topics.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
The board must be composed of between 5 and 25 members, each of whom must have appropriate cybersecurity expertise. The NTIA must ensure board members provide balanced representation among specified sectors and positions, including chief cybersecurity officers, individuals who operate or maintain communications networks, software and equipment vendors, and individuals who operate or maintain internet applications. Board members must serve without compensation.
The board must terminate four years after the bill’s enactment.
People & committees
Rep. Pfluger, August [R-TX-11] · R–TX
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jun 23, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-21 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This bill would create a cybersecurity advisory board within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The board would recommend ways to protect internet and communications networks, secure their supply chains, and support innovation and economic growth. Its advice would go to the Assistant Secretary for possible implementation or referral to other entities. The board would end four years after enactment.
There is established within the NTIA a Digital Economy and Cybersecurity Board of Advisors
The Board shall provide to the Assistant Secretary recommendations (for implementation by the Assistant Secretary or that the Assistant Secretary could recommend for implementation by other appropriate entities)
Technical cybersecurity best practices regarding how to drive economic growth while securing information and communications networks
Policies that promote the security and resilience to cybersecurity incidents of information and communications networks while fostering innovation, including policies that promote secure supply chains for information and communications networks.
the Board shall terminate on the date that is 4 years after the date of the enactment of this section.
Section 1 would name the legislation the Digital Economy Cybersecurity Advisory Act of 2025.
This Act may be cited as the Digital Economy Cybersecurity Advisory Act of 2025.
Section 2 would add the board to the agency's organizing law. Its required work would be to provide recommendations to the Assistant Secretary.
Part A of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 901 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 106. Digital Economy and Cybersecurity Board of Advisors
The Board shall provide to the Assistant Secretary recommendations
The board would recommend technical security practices, including ways to secure the Border Gateway Protocol used by federal and nonfederal entities. That protocol lets independently managed internet networks exchange information about which network destinations can be reached.
Technical cybersecurity best practices regarding how to drive economic growth while securing information and communications networks, including how to secure the Border Gateway Protocol used by Federal and non-Federal entities.
The term Border Gateway Protocol means the routing protocol used to exchange network layer reachability information among independently managed networks on the internet.
The board would also recommend policies for internet and network cybersecurity practices, resilience to cybersecurity incidents, secure supply chains, and removing barriers to trust, security, innovation, and bringing products or services to market. These are subjects for advice, not established outcomes.
(2) Cybersecurity policies to support the development and implementation of cybersecurity practices with respect to the internet and information and communications networks. (3) Policies that promote the security and resilience to cybersecurity incidents of information and communications networks while fostering innovation, including policies that promote secure supply chains for information and communications networks. (4) Policies to remove barriers to trust, security, innovation, and commercialization with respect to information and communications networks.
The Assistant Secretary would appoint between 5 and 25 members. Each would need technical, policy, or business management expertise in cybersecurity or supply chain security.
The Board shall be composed of not fewer than 5, and not more than 25, members appointed by the Assistant Secretary.
Each member of the Board shall have cybersecurity or supply chain security technical expertise, cybersecurity or supply chain security policy expertise, or expertise in running the cybersecurity or supply chain security functions of a business.
Appointments would have to balance representation among public and private sector cybersecurity professionals, network operators, equipment and software vendors, and internet application operators. People registered as lobbyists under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 could not serve.
the Assistant Secretary shall ensure that the members appointed provide a balanced representation of the following: (i) Chief cybersecurity officers or other qualified individuals employed in cybersecurity positions, representing both the public and private sectors. (ii) Persons who operate or maintain information and communications networks. (iii) Vendors that produce or provide equipment used in information and communications networks. (iv) Vendors that produce or provide software used in information and communications networks. (v) Persons who operate or maintain internet applications.
An individual who is a registered lobbyist under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) may not serve as a member of the Board.
The Assistant Secretary would set member terms of no more than two years and could reappoint or remove members. A replacement for a member who leaves early would serve only the remainder of that term and would be appointed through the original appointment process.
Except as provided in subparagraphs (C) and (D), each member of the Board shall be appointed for a term of a length not to exceed 2 years, to be determined by the Assistant Secretary.
A member of the Board, including a member appointed to fill a vacancy as provided in subparagraph (D), may be reappointed for 1 or more additional terms by the Assistant Secretary.
The Assistant Secretary may remove a member of the Board at the discretion of the Assistant Secretary.
Any member of the Board appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term for which the predecessor of the member was appointed shall be appointed only for the remainder of such term. A vacancy in the Board shall be filled in the manner in which the original appointment was made.
The agency's Associate Administrator for Policy Analysis and Development would chair the board. Board members would serve without compensation.
The Chair of the Board shall be the Associate Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration for Policy Analysis and Development.
The members of the Board shall serve without compensation.
The board could create subgroups with the Assistant Secretary's approval when that official determines they are necessary for the board's duties. Subgroups would report to the board and could not send advice or other work directly to the Assistant Secretary.
Subject to the approval of the Assistant Secretary, as the Assistant Secretary determines necessary for the performance by the Board of the duties described in subsection (b), the Board may establish subcommittees, working groups, standing committees, ad hoc groups, task groups, or other subgroups of the Board.
Any subcommittee, working group, standing committee, ad hoc group, task group, or other subgroup of the Board established under paragraph (1) shall report to the Board and may not provide any advice, recommendation, or other work product directly to the Assistant Secretary.
The board would terminate four years after the new section's enactment, notwithstanding the separately referenced provision in title 5 of the United States Code. This sets a deadline relative to enactment, not a fixed calendar date.
Notwithstanding section 1013 of title 5, United States Code, the Board shall terminate on the date that is 4 years after the date of the enactment of this section.
The bill would define covered information and communications networks by reference to an existing statutory definition of advanced telecommunications capability. That outside definition is not reproduced in the supplied text.
The term information and communications network means a network that provides advanced telecommunications capability (as defined in section 706(d) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (47 U.S.C. 1302(d))).
The official-actions snapshot updated June 23, 2025, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on February 21, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2025-06-23T13:31:37Z. 2025-02-21: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 2025-02-21: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-21. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for a particular recipient or place was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow benefit, special exemption, or preferential treatment warranting a finding was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. Board representation and qualification rules concern ordinary advisory administration. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Jun 23, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI