Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
The Open RAN Outreach Act directs the Assistant Secretary of Commerce (through the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth) to conduct outreach and provide technical assistance to small communications network providers about Open RAN and other open network architectures. The outreach must raise awareness of uses, benefits, and challenges of Open RAN and explain participation in the Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Grant Program under section 9202(a)(1) of the FY2021 NDAA.
Degree of federal involvement and resource needs
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill imposes a narrowly defined administrative duty on a named Commerce official and provides basic definitions, but it lacks necessary operational detail on funding, timelines, methods, and oversight.
The Open RAN Outreach Act directs the Assistant Secretary of Commerce (through the Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth) to conduct outreach and provide technical assistance to small communications network providers about Open RAN and other open network architectures.
The outreach must raise awareness of uses, benefits, and challenges of Open RAN and explain participation in the Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Grant Program under section 9202(a)(1) of the FY2021 NDAA.
The bill defines "Assistant Secretary," "open network architecture," and "Open RAN network."
Technocratic, narrow measure with low fiscal impact and broad potential support; passage most likely unless procedural hurdles or substantive amendments arise.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill imposes a narrowly defined administrative duty on a named Commerce official and provides basic definitions, but it lacks necessary operational detail on funding, timelines, methods, and oversight.
Degree of federal involvement and resource needs
These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.
Degree of federal involvement and resource needs
Likely supportive: it aids small, often rural or minority-owned providers and promotes competition and interoperable networks.
They will view outreach as a modest federal role to diversify supply chains and lower barriers to entry.
Generally favorable but pragmatic: supports technical assistance that increases competition and efficient use of grants, while wanting clarity on costs and implementation.
Will want measurable goals and accountability for federal outreach.
Cautiously receptive: the bill is limited and administrative, but may raise concerns about expanded federal involvement and potential regulatory encouragement of specific technologies.
Will scrutinize costs and federal overreach.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Technocratic, narrow measure with low fiscal impact and broad potential support; passage most likely unless procedural hurdles or substantive amendments arise.
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Degree of federal involvement and resource needs
Technocratic, narrow measure with low fiscal impact and broad potential support; passage most likely unless procedural hurdles or substanti…
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill imposes a narrowly defined administrative duty on a named Commerce official and provides basic definitions, but it lacks necessary operational detail on funding, time…
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.