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Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 24, 2025
Public Safety Communications Act
This bill provides statutory authority for the Office of Public Safety Communications within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to support efforts related to public safety communications. The duties of the office include (1) administering federal grant programs for Next Generation 9-1-1 systems, which are interoperable Internet Protocol-based systems for receiving 9-1-1 calls; and (2) managing and auditing the First Responder Network Authority (known as FirstNet), which oversees the communications network for emergency responders and the public safety community.
People & committees
Rep. Cammack, Kat [R-FL-3] · R–FL
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
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: Apr 30, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-24 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.
The proposed Public Safety Communications Act would create an Office of Public Safety Communications within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Its leader would administer federal Next Generation 9–1–1 grants, oversee federal public safety communications research and technology work, and manage the First Responder Network Authority. The proposal mainly assigns federal management responsibilities, including an annual audit of that authority.
This Act may be cited as the Public Safety Communications Act.
There is established within the NTIA the Office of Public Safety Communications
administer any grant program of the Federal Government related to Next Generation 9–1–1 on behalf of the Assistant Secretary
be responsible for the oversight of— (A) the studies carried out by the Federal Government relating to enhancing public safety communication; and (B) the prototyping (including leading edge prototyping) and deployment by the Federal Government of advanced communications technologies that enhance public safety communications
manage the First Responder Network Authority
shall annually conduct an audit of the activities of the First Responder Network Authority in accordance with general accounting principles and procedures
The bill would add the office to NTIA's organizing law. An Associate Administrator for Public Safety Communications would lead it in a career Senior Executive Service position—a senior federal management role—and report 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
The head of the Office shall be the Associate Administrator for Public Safety Communications.
The position of Associate Administrator shall be a career position in the Senior Executive Service occupied by a career appointee (as that term is defined in section 3132(a)(4) of title 5, United States Code).
The Associate Administrator shall report to the Assistant Secretary.
The office's leader would administer any federal grant program related to Next Generation 9–1–1 on the Assistant Secretary's behalf. This provision assigns grant administration; it does not itself specify a funding amount or grant eligibility rules.
The Associate Administrator shall— (1) administer any grant program of the Federal Government related to Next Generation 9–1–1 on behalf of the Assistant Secretary
The office's leader would analyze public safety communications policy issues, including obtaining analysis from others. The leader would also advise the Assistant Secretary on NTIA's policy responsibilities and the domestic impact of communications matters pending before the Commission, Congress, or other federal executive entities.
(2) analyze public safety policy communications issues, including by obtaining such analysis; (3) provide to the Assistant Secretary advice and assistance with respect to the Assistant Secretary— (A) carrying out the responsibilities of NTIA related to public safety communications policy; and (B) evaluating the domestic impact of public safety communications matters pending before the Commission, Congress, or other entities of the executive branch of the Federal Government
The bill would assign the office's leader duties established in section 10 of a Commerce Department organizational order effective September 17, 2012. That date identifies the referenced order, not when this bill would take effect.
(4) carrying out any duties established under section 10 of Department Organizational Order 25–7 of the Department of Commerce titled National Telecommunications and Information Administration, effective September 17, 2012
The office's leader would oversee federal studies on improving public safety communications and federal development and deployment of advanced communications technology. This includes prototypes—early versions used for development—and testing methods, models, or simulations used to check the technology.
(5) be responsible for the oversight of— (A) the studies carried out by the Federal Government relating to enhancing public safety communication; and (B) the prototyping (including leading edge prototyping) and deployment by the Federal Government of advanced communications technologies that enhance public safety communications, including through test-protocol, model, or simulation tool for the testing and validation of such technologies
The office's leader would manage the First Responder Network Authority and oversee its performance of its duties and responsibilities.
(6) manage the First Responder Network Authority established under section 6206 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1426), including by being responsible for the oversight of the duties and responsibilities carried out by the First Responder Network Authority
At the Assistant Secretary's direction, the office's leader would communicate public safety communications policies to public or private entities. The Assistant Secretary could also assign additional duties concerning NTIA's public safety communications policy responsibilities.
(7) at the direction of the Assistant Secretary, communicate public safety communications policies to public entities, including the Commission and Congress, or private entities; and (8) carry out any duties regarding the responsibilities of the NTIA with respect to public safety communications policy as the Assistant Secretary may designate.
The office's leader would have to audit the First Responder Network Authority's activities annually under general accounting principles and procedures. The leader could use a contractor for all or part of the audit, with the contractor's services purchased under title 41 of the United States Code.
(d) Audit The Associate Administrator— (1) shall annually conduct an audit of the activities of the First Responder Network Authority in accordance with general accounting principles and procedures; and (2) may conduct such audit (or parts thereof) through a contractor whose services were procured in accordance with title 41, United States Code.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated April 30, 2026, records introduction and referral to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and its Communications and Technology Subcommittee on February 24, 2025. It records a subcommittee markup and forwarding to the full committee by voice vote on January 15, 2026.
Source snapshot updated 2026-04-30T16:27:20Z. 2026-01-15: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote. 2026-01-15: Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held 2025-02-24: Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. 2025-02-24: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 2025-02-24: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-24. 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 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 particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; member requests, disclosures, and committee or conference materials are not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential treatment, exemption, or carve-out 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.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Apr 30, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI