[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2607 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2607

To ensure appropriate spectrum planning and interagency coordination to 
                    support the Internet of Things.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 1, 2016

  Mrs. Fischer (for herself, Ms. Ayotte, Mr. Booker, and Mr. Schatz) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
           Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To ensure appropriate spectrum planning and interagency coordination to 
                    support the Internet of Things.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Developing Innovation and Growing 
the Internet of Things Act'' or ``DIGIT Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the ``Internet of Things'' refers to the growing number 
        of connected and interconnected devices;
            (2) estimates indicate that more than 50,000,000,000 
        devices will be connected by the year 2020;
            (3) the Internet of Things has the potential to generate 
        trillions of dollars in economic opportunity;
            (4) businesses across the country can simplify logistics, 
        cut costs, and pass savings on to consumers by utilizing the 
        Internet of Things and related innovations derived from it;
            (5) the United States leads the world in the development of 
        technologies that support the Internet, and the United States 
        technology sector is well positioned to lead in the development 
        of technologies for the Internet of Things;
            (6) the United States Government can implement this 
        technology to better deliver services to the public; and
            (7) the Senate unanimously passed Senate Resolution 110, 
        114th Congress, agreed to March 24, 2015, a resolution calling 
        for a national strategy for the development of the Internet of 
        Things.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that policies 
governing the Internet of Things should aim to maximize the potential 
and development of the Internet of Things to the benefit of 
stakeholders including businesses, governments, and consumers.

SEC. 3. STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR THE INTERNET OF THINGS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
                House of Representatives;
            (2) the term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
        Communications Commission;
            (3) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Commerce; 
        and
            (4) the term ``working group'' means the working group 
        convened under subsection (b)(1).
    (b) Working Group.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall convene a working 
        group of Federal stakeholders to provide recommendations to 
        Congress on how to appropriately plan for and encourage the 
        proliferation of the Internet of Things in the United States.
            (2) Duties.--The working group shall examine the following 
        aspects of the Internet of Things:
                    (A) Current and future spectrum needs.
                    (B) The regulatory environment, including 
                identification of sector-specific regulations, Federal 
                grant practices, and budgetary or jurisdictional 
                challenges.
                    (C) Consumer protection.
                    (D) Privacy and security.
                    (E) The current use of the technology by Federal 
                agencies and their preparedness to adopt it in the 
                future.
            (3) Agency representatives.--In convening the working group 
        under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall have discretion to 
        appoint representatives and shall specifically consider seeking 
        representation from--
                    (A) the Department of Transportation;
                    (B) the Federal Communications Commission;
                    (C) the Federal Trade Commission;
                    (D) the National Science Foundation;
                    (E) the Department of Commerce, including--
                            (i) the National Telecommunications and 
                        Information Administration;
                            (ii) the National Institute of Standards 
                        and Technology; and
                            (iii) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                        Administration; and
                    (F) the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
            (4) Nongovernmental stakeholders.--The working group shall 
        consult with nongovernmental stakeholders, including--
                    (A) key industry sectoral stakeholders and subject 
                matter experts;
                    (B) information and communications technology 
                manufacturers, suppliers, and vendors;
                    (C) small, medium, and large businesses;
                    (D) consumer groups; and
                    (E) other stakeholders with relevant expertise, as 
                determined by the Secretary.
            (5) Recommendations to congress.--Not later than 1 year 
        after the date of enactment of this Act, the working group 
        shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 
        on the findings and recommendations of the working group under 
        this subsection.
    (c) Assessing Spectrum Needs To Support the Internet of Things.--
            (1) In general.--The Commission, in consultation with the 
        National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 
        shall conduct a study to evaluate the current and future 
        spectrum needs of the Internet of Things.
            (2) Requirements.--In conducting the study under paragraph 
        (1), the Commission shall consider and evaluate--
                    (A) whether there is adequate licensed and 
                unlicensed spectrum availability to support the growing 
                Internet of Things;
                    (B) what regulatory barriers may exist to providing 
                any needed licensed and unlicensed spectrum for the 
                Internet of Things; and
                    (C) what the role of licensed and unlicensed 
                spectrum is in the growth of the Internet of Things.
            (3) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Commission shall submit to the 
        appropriate committees of Congress a report containing 
        recommendations relating to the study conducted under paragraph 
        (1).
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