82 FR 20485 - The President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 83 (May 2, 2017)

The President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) will meet on Thursday, May 18, 2017, in Washington, DC. The meeting will be partially closed to the public.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 2, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20485-20486]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-08823]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Docket No. DHS-2017-0018]


The President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory 
Committee

AGENCY: Department of Homeland Security.

ACTION: Committee management; notice of partially closed Federal 
Advisory Committee meeting.

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SUMMARY: The President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory 
Committee (NSTAC) will meet on Thursday, May 18, 2017, in Washington, 
DC. The meeting will be partially closed to the public.

DATES: The NSTAC will meet on Thursday, May 18, 2017, from 9:00 a.m. to 
3:05 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). Please note that the meeting may 
close early if the committee has completed its business.

ADDRESSES: The May 2017 NSTAC Meeting's open session will be held at 
the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Washington, DC. Due to 
limited seating, requests to attend in person will be accepted and 
processed in the order in which they are received. The meeting's 
proceedings will also be available via Webcast at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live, for those who cannot attend in person. 
Individuals who intend to participate in the meeting will need to 
register by sending an email to [email protected] by 5:00 p.m. EST on 
Friday, May 12, 2017. For information on facilities or services for 
individuals with disabilities, or to request special assistance at the 
meeting, please contact [email protected] as soon as possible.
    Members of the public are invited to provide comment on the issues 
to be considered by the committee as listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section below. Associated briefing materials to be 
discussed at the meeting will be available at www.dhs.gov/nstac for 
review on Friday, May 5, 2017. Comments may be submitted at any time 
and must be identified by docket number DHS-2017-0018.
    Comments may be submitted by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Please follow the instructions for submitting written comments.
     Email: [email protected]. Include the docket number DHS-
2017-0018 in the subject line of the email message.
     Fax: (703) 235-5962, ATTN: Sandy Benevides.
     Mail: Designated Federal Officer, Stakeholder Engagement 
and Critical Infrastructure Resilience Division, National Protection 
and Programs Directorate, Department of Homeland Security, 245 Murray 
Lane, Mail Stop 0604, Arlington, VA 20598-0604.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the words 
``Department of Homeland Security'' and the docket number for this 
action. Comments received will be posted without alteration at 
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
    Docket: For access to the docket and comments received by the 
NSTAC, please go to www.regulations.gov and enter docket number DHS-
2017-0018.
    A public comment period will be held during the meeting from 2:15 
p.m. to 2:35 p.m. Speakers who wish to participate in the public 
comment period must register in advance and can do so by emailing 
[email protected] no later than Friday, May 12, 2017, at 5:00 p.m. EST. 
Speakers are requested to limit their comments to three minutes. Please 
note that the public comment period may end before the time indicated, 
following the last call for comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Helen Jackson, NSTAC Designated 
Federal Officer, Department of Homeland Security, (703) 235-5321 
(telephone) or [email protected] (email).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice of this meeting is given under the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. Appendix (Pub. L. 92-463). The 
NSTAC advises the President on matters related to national security and 
emergency preparedness (NS/EP) telecommunications policy.
    Agenda: The committee will meet in an open session on May 18, 2017, 
to receive remarks from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 
leadership and other senior Government officials regarding the 
Government's current cybersecurity initiatives and NS/EP priorities. 
Additionally, the committee will receive an overview of the 
Administration's NS/EP communications and cybersecurity priorities. 
Finally, the NSTAC members will deliberate and vote on the NSTAC 
Emerging Technologies Strategic Vision Subcommittee's study of the 
near- and long-term NS/EP implications of emergent and expected 
information and communications technologies.
    The committee will also meet in a closed session to receive a 
classified briefing regarding cybersecurity threats and discuss future 
studies based on the Government's NS/EP priorities and perceived 
vulnerabilities.
    Basis for Closure: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552b(c), The 
Government in the Sunshine Act, it has been determined that two agenda 
items require closure, as the disclosure of the information discussed 
would not be in the public interest.
    The first of these agenda items, the classified briefing, will 
provide members with a cybersecurity threat briefing on vulnerabilities 
related to the communications infrastructure. Disclosure of these 
threats would provide criminals who seek to compromise commercial and 
Government networks with information on potential vulnerabilities and 
mitigation techniques, weakening the Nation's cybersecurity posture. 
This briefing will be classified at the top secret level, thereby 
exempting disclosure of the content by statute. Therefore, this portion 
of the meeting is required to be closed pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 
552b(c)(1)(A) & (B).

[[Page 20486]]

    The second agenda item, a discussion of potential NSTAC study 
topics, will address areas of critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities 
and priorities for Government. Government officials will share data 
with NSTAC members on initiatives, assessments, and future security 
requirements across public and private sector networks. The information 
will include specific vulnerabilities within cyberspace that affect the 
United States' information and communication technology infrastructures 
and proposed mitigation strategies. Disclosure of this information to 
the public would provide criminals with an incentive to focus on these 
vulnerabilities to increase attacks on the Nation's critical 
infrastructure and communications networks. As disclosure of this 
portion of the meeting is likely to significantly frustrate 
implementation of proposed DHS actions, it is required to be closed 
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(9)(B).

    Dated: April 21, 2017.
Helen Jackson,
Designated Federal Officer for the NSTAC.
[FR Doc. 2017-08823 Filed 5-1-17; 8:45 am]
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