# Understanding the ANCHOR Act

The ANCHOR Act is about making sure America's oceanographic research ships have better internet and cybersecurity. These are the vessels that universities and research labs use to study the ocean—they're funded by the National Science Foundation and conduct important scientific work. Right now, many of these ships have outdated or inadequate communication systems and security protections, which limits what scientists can do and creates vulnerabilities to cyber attacks.

The bill requires the National Science Foundation director to create a detailed plan within one year that addresses what these research vessels actually need. The plan has to assess what kind of internet speed and bandwidth each ship requires for its scientific missions, figure out what cybersecurity protections are necessary, and calculate how much it will cost to upgrade everything. It also needs to consider practical needs like allowing crew members to access mental health services remotely, enabling scientists on shore to help guide research activities in real-time, and letting teachers connect with classrooms back home for educational outreach. The plan should explore ways to save money by having multiple ships use the same solutions or share cybersecurity services rather than each vessel operating independently.

Beyond just creating the plan, the bill allows the National Science Foundation and other agencies to actually start funding and implementing these upgrades. Within two years of submitting the plan, the director has to report back to Congress on what progress has been made. This means real money could start flowing to modernize these research vessels with better satellite communications, updated computer systems, and improved security measures. For scientists and universities that operate these ships, this could dramatically improve their ability to conduct ocean research and keep their data safe from cyber threats.

ANCHOR Act

Garcia, Mike

Accelerating Networking, Cyberinfrastructure, and Hardware for Oceanic Research Act or the ANCHOR ActThis bill requires the National Science Foundation&nbsp;(NSF) to develop a plan to improve the cybersecurity and telecommunications of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet (ARF).&nbsp;The plan must be provided to Congress within one&nbsp;year after the bill is enacted.ARF is comprised of U.S.-flagged vessels that provide at-sea laboratories where oceanographic scientists, educators, and students research and learn about marine science.&nbsp;The bill requires a plan to include assessments of (1) telecommunications and networking needs of ARF, consistent with typical scientific missions; (2) cybersecurity needs appropriate for the ownership of ARF vessels and their typical functions; (3) the costs necessary to meet these needs; and (4) the time required to implement necessary upgrades. The plan must also include a spending plan and a proposal for adopting common solutions, consortial licensing agreements, or a solution for centralizing cybersecurity, telecommunications, and data systems at a single facility.Among other factors specified in the bill, the NSF must consider approaches to align with international standards for encryption of sensitive information, requirements for controlled classified or unclassified information, and the network capabilities necessary to meet particular mission needs (such as to upload data to shoreside servers or to enable video communications with K-12 classrooms).The NSF must provide Congress with a report on the plan's implementation within two years after the plan is&nbsp;provided to Congress.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;