March 4, 2026
Ms. McClellan (for herself and Mr. Obernolte) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
To direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to publish a report on the integration of artificial intelligence into the commercial telecommunications infrastructure of the United States, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the AI-Ready Networks Act
.
Sec. 2. Report on integration of AI into commercial telecommunications infrastructure
(a) In general
Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register and on the website of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, a report on the integration of artificial intelligence into the commercial telecommunications networks of the United States.
(b) Matters To be included
The report required by subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1)
An assessment of the status of international and industry-led standards-setting bodies in setting standards for artificial intelligence in telecommunications networks.
(2)
An identification and analysis of voluntary, industry-driven use cases for the integration of artificial intelligence into telecommunications networks.
(3)
Recommendations for addressing workforce trends and needs in the telecommunications industry as the telecommunications industry integrates artificial intelligence.
(4)
Recommendations on how to leverage artificial intelligence to enhance the security, integrity, and availability of telecommunications networks.
(5)
Recommendations on how voluntary industry best practices, government guidance, and existing laws may support transparency, accountability, and public trust with respect to artificial intelligence deployed in telecommunications networks.
(6)
Recommendations on modernizing the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 151 et seq.) to reflect advancements in artificial intelligence, including the integration of artificial intelligence into telecommunications networks.
(7)
Recommendations for how to best work with entities across the Federal Government, State governments, local governments, and Tribal Governments to facilitate the safe and effective integration of artificial intelligence into telecommunications networks.
(c) Draft report; public comment
The Assistant Secretary shall—
(1)
not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, publish in the Federal Register and on the website of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration a draft of the report required by subsection (a); and
(2)
accept public comments on such draft and take such comments into consideration in preparing the final version of such report.
(d) Consultation
In preparing the report required by subsection (a), the Assistant Secretary shall consult with the following:
(1)
The Federal Communications Commission.
(2)
The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
(3)
The Secretary of Homeland Security.
(4)
The Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
(5)
The heads of other relevant Federal agencies, as determined by the Assistant Secretary.
(6)
Relevant State, local, and Tribal government entities, as determined by the Assistant Secretary.
(7)
Trusted telecommunications companies.
(8)
Representatives from academia, public interest organizations, and international standards-setting bodies.
(e) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Artificial intelligence
The term artificial intelligence
has the meaning given such term in section 5002 of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9401).
(2) Assistant Secretary
The term Assistant Secretary
means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information.
(3) State
The term State
has the meaning given such term in section 3 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153).
(4) Trusted
The term trusted
means, with respect to a company, that such company does not produce or provide any covered communications equipment or service (as defined in section 9 of the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 (47 U.S.C. 1608)).