The bill
NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act
HR. 1766, 119th Congress — read as touching Cybersecurity.
Sponsored by
Rep. Obernolte, Jay [R-CA-23]
ID: O000019
Follow the money
The bill
HR. 1766, 119th Congress — read as touching Cybersecurity.
The sponsor
Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.
The money
30 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.
The alignment
This bill's text tracks the "Introduction" section, p. 720-722 of the Mandate for Leadership.
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
July 14, 2025
📍 Current Status
Next: Both chambers must agree on the same version of the bill.
1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Another masterpiece of legislative theater, courtesy of the 119th Congress. Let's dissect this farce and expose the underlying disease.
**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act (HR 1766) claims to establish an Office of Policy Development and Cybersecurity within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The stated goal is to promote innovation, competition, consumer access, digital inclusion, workforce development, and economic growth in the communications, media, and technology markets. How quaint.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill creates a new office with an Associate Administrator for Policy Development and Cybersecurity, who will oversee national communications and information policy analysis and development. The office's duties include:
* Developing market-based policies (read: corporate-friendly regulations) * Conducting studies on internet access and usage (because we don't already have enough data collection) * Coordinating multistakeholder processes for cybersecurity and privacy policies (a euphemism for "industry-dominated roundtables") * Promoting collaboration between security researchers and service providers (because that's not already happening)
The bill also redesignates an existing position, the Associate Administrator for Policy Analysis and Development, to this new role. How convenient.
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects:
* The NTIA, which will now have a shiny new office with a fancy title * Telecommunications companies, who will likely benefit from the "market-based policies" and "industry-dominated roundtables" * Cybersecurity firms, which might see increased collaboration opportunities (and profits) * Consumers, who will be told they're getting better protection and innovation, but in reality, will just get more of the same old corporate-friendly regulations
**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill is a classic case of " regulatory capture" – where industry interests hijack the policymaking process to serve their own needs. The creation of this new office will likely lead to:
* More watered-down regulations that benefit corporations, not consumers * Increased data collection and surveillance under the guise of "cybersecurity" * Further consolidation of power within the NTIA, making it even more difficult for smaller players to compete
In short, HR 1766 is a Trojan horse for corporate interests, masquerading as a bill that promotes innovation and consumer protection. Don't be fooled – this is just another example of the revolving door between government and industry, where politicians and bureaucrats serve their true masters: the corporations that line their pockets.
Diagnosis: Terminal case of Regulatory Capture-itis, with symptoms including corporate-friendly regulations, data collection, and a complete disregard for consumer welfare. Prognosis: Poor, unless we can somehow manage to excise this tumor from our legislative system.
Rep. Obernolte, Jay [R-CA-23]
Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle
No PAC contributions found
No committee contributions found
This bill has 1 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.
ID: M001227
Top Contributors
10
Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.
Showing 49 nodes and 33 connections (66 secondary connections hidden)
Total contributions: $103,800
Showing top 21 donors by contribution amount
Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 3 helped.
Section 2(a) creates an Office focused on cybersecurity policy, including duties to coordinate transparent multistakeholder processes for cybersecurity and privacy policies (subsection (c)(2)(C)), promote security and resilience of communications networks (subsection (c)(2)(F)), and evaluate cybersecurity matters pending before agencies (subsection (c)(2)(H)). This directly benefits cybersecurity firms through policy development and coordination.
Section 2(a) establishes the Office of Policy Development and Cybersecurity within NTIA, with duties including developing market-based policies to promote innovation, competition, consumer access, and economic growth in communications, media, and technology markets (subsection (c)(2)(A)), and coordinating cybersecurity and privacy policies (subsection (c)(2)(C)). This benefits telecommunications industry by fostering policy environment supportive of innovation and security.
Section 2(a)(c)(2)(J) includes duty to develop policies to accelerate innovation and commercialization with respect to advances in technological understanding of communications technologies, which encompasses AI and cloud infrastructure as part of communications technology innovation.
For each industry this bill affects, here's what the sponsor (Rep. Obernolte, Jay [R-CA-23])received from donors associated with that industry during the 2022–present cycles. Donations are not proof of intent — they are a record of who funds the people writing the law.
This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document.
— 687 — Department of Commerce that do not allow open access to their markets should not be setting the standards for markets that do allow open access. The incoming Administration should consider increased government-sponsored participation by private companies and government employees with relevant expertise. NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SERVICE The independent National Telecommunications and Information Service (NTIS) is charged with ensuring that federally funded research and data are accessible to the public. NTIS operates through user fees but is largely obsolete due to modern usage of the internet by federal agencies and researchers. NTIS’s functions should be moved to NIST and consolidated with the Tech Transfer and ROI initiatives. NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION The National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) is the exec- utive branch’s statutory lead on telecommunications and information policy. It focuses on broadband access, spectrum utilization, and other issues that are crucial to the high-tech economy. For decades, NTIA has suffered from organizational malaise and will require strong and energetic leadership by political appointees to implement conservative policies. The next Administration will face the primary challenge of rapidly deploying 5G without compromising other priorities. Further recommendations include: l Support free speech and hold big tech accountable. Immediately conduct a thorough review of federal policy regarding free speech online and provide policy solutions to address big tech’s censorship of speech. l Utilize new tools to eliminate threats to national security. Fully implement the Trump Administration’s Information and Communications Technology and Services (ICTS) Executive Order authorities in a way that ensures long-term success and the legal viability of this new national security tool.9 l Expand utilization of federal spectrum. Begin short term, temporary leasing of government allocated spectrum to ensure optimum utilization while preserving federal agency use rights. l Support the commercial space industry. Advocate for licensing decisions at the Federal Communications Commission that continue to enable U.S. dominance in the commercial space industry.
— 687 — Department of Commerce that do not allow open access to their markets should not be setting the standards for markets that do allow open access. The incoming Administration should consider increased government-sponsored participation by private companies and government employees with relevant expertise. NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SERVICE The independent National Telecommunications and Information Service (NTIS) is charged with ensuring that federally funded research and data are accessible to the public. NTIS operates through user fees but is largely obsolete due to modern usage of the internet by federal agencies and researchers. NTIS’s functions should be moved to NIST and consolidated with the Tech Transfer and ROI initiatives. NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION The National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) is the exec- utive branch’s statutory lead on telecommunications and information policy. It focuses on broadband access, spectrum utilization, and other issues that are crucial to the high-tech economy. For decades, NTIA has suffered from organizational malaise and will require strong and energetic leadership by political appointees to implement conservative policies. The next Administration will face the primary challenge of rapidly deploying 5G without compromising other priorities. Further recommendations include: l Support free speech and hold big tech accountable. Immediately conduct a thorough review of federal policy regarding free speech online and provide policy solutions to address big tech’s censorship of speech. l Utilize new tools to eliminate threats to national security. Fully implement the Trump Administration’s Information and Communications Technology and Services (ICTS) Executive Order authorities in a way that ensures long-term success and the legal viability of this new national security tool.9 l Expand utilization of federal spectrum. Begin short term, temporary leasing of government allocated spectrum to ensure optimum utilization while preserving federal agency use rights. l Support the commercial space industry. Advocate for licensing decisions at the Federal Communications Commission that continue to enable U.S. dominance in the commercial space industry. — 688 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise l Defend U.S. interests in international bodies. Strong representation at the International Telecommunication Union should protect the interests of both private and government users of spectrum. The U.S. has differing needs from many other countries, for instance, because of U.S. government satellites and commercial space industry. NTIA should work with the U.S. delegation to ensure maximum adoption of the U.S. position. l Set fresh priorities in broadband grant programs. Reevaluate broadband grant programs and, when possible, establish Administration priorities in how each grant is structured. First and foremost, widespread deployment of infrastructure is needed for 5G adoption in rural and exurban areas, which will be a key factor in future economic competitiveness for these under-served communities. l Review FirstNet. Evaluate the performance and long-term value proposition of FirstNet in view of modern technologies that will render it obsolete. CONCLUSION The above policies, strategies, and tactics will set a new Administration on firm footing that allows the Department of Commerce to assist the President in implementing a bold agenda that delivers economic prosperity and strong national security to the American people. While many of the department’s functions fall outside the remit of the federal government, its unique authorities in diverse areas provide critical tools that can and should be brought to bear in implementing a conservative governing philosophy that keeps Americans safe and provides oppor- tunity for all. AUTHOR’S NOTE: This chapter includes invaluable input from over a dozen alumni of the Department of Commerce and numerous other members of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project. All contributors to this chapter are listed at the front of this volume, but James Rockas, Nazak Nikakhtar, Louis Heinzer, Robert Burkett, Iain Murray, Michael Gonzalez, David Legates, and Kristen Eichamer deserve special recognition. The author alone assumes responsibility for the content of this chapter, and no views expressed herein should be attributed to any other individual.
Policy matches are calculated using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text. A score of 60% or higher indicates meaningful thematic overlap. This does not imply direct causation or intent, but highlights areas where legislation aligns with Project 2025 policy objectives.