82 FR 43555 - Meeting of The President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 179 (September 18, 2017)

The President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) will meet on Wednesday, October 11, 2017, in Washington, DC. The meeting will be partially closed to the public.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 179 (Monday, September 18, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43555-43556]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-19793]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Docket ID DHS-2017-0045]


Meeting of The President's National Security Telecommunications 
Advisory Committee

AGENCY: Department of Homeland Security.

ACTION: Committee management; Notice of Federal Advisory Committee 
meeting.

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SUMMARY: The President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory 
Committee (NSTAC) will meet on Wednesday, October 11, 2017, in 
Washington, DC. The meeting will be partially closed to the public.

DATES: The NSTAC will meet on Wednesday, October 11, 2017, from 10:00 
a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Please note that the 
meeting may close early if the committee has completed its business.

ADDRESSES: The October 2017 NSTAC Meeting's open session will be held 
at the Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement Facility, 500 12th Street SW., Washington, DC, and will 
begin at 1:00 p.m. For information on facilities or services for 
individuals with disabilities, or to request special assistance at the 
meeting, or to attend in person, contact [email protected] no later than 
Wednesday, October 4, 2017.
    Members of the public are invited to provide comment on the issues 
that will be considered by the committee as listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section below. Associated briefing materials that 
participants may discuss during the meeting will be available at 
www.dhs.gov/nstac for review as of Monday, October 2, 2017. Comments 
may be submitted at any time and must be identified by docket number 
DHS-2017-0045. 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-
2017-0045 in the subject line of the email.
     Fax: (703) 705-6190, 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 0612, Arlington, VA 20598-0612.
    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-
2017-0045.
    A public comment period will be held during the meeting on 
Wednesday, October 11, 2017, from 2:40 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT. Speakers 
who wish to participate in the public comment period must register in 
advance by no later than Friday, October 6, 2017, at 5:00 p.m. EDT by 
emailing [email protected]. Speakers are requested to limit their 
comments to three minutes and will speak in order of registration. 
Please note that the public comment period may end before the time 
indicated, following the last request for comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Helen Jackson, NSTAC Designated 
Federal Officer, Department of Homeland Security, (703) 705-6276 
(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 and cybersecurity 
policy.
    Agenda: The committee will meet in an open session on October 11, 
2017, 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. 
The meeting will include a keynote address and a panel discussion on a 
cybersecurity moonshot, which looks at identifying new processes to 
address cybersecurity challenges. NSTAC members will also deliberate 
and vote on the Committee's NSTAC Report to the President on Internet 
and Communications Resilience which addresses ways in which the private 
sector and Government, together, can improve the resilience of the 
Internet and communications ecosystem (e.g., botnets).
    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

[[Page 43556]]

required to be closed pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(1)(A) & (B) 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).

Helen Jackson,
Designated Federal Officer for the NSTAC.
[FR Doc. 2017-19793 Filed 9-15-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-9P-P