[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 117 (Thursday, June 25, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3552-S3554]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2135. Mrs. FISCHER (for herself, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Gardner, and Mr.
Booker) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the
bill S. 4049, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for
military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the appropriate place, insert the following:
SEC. ___. INTERNET OF THINGS.
(a) Findings; Sense of Congress.--
(1) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(A) the Internet of Things refers to the growing number of
connected and interconnected devices;
(B) estimates indicate that more than 125,000,000,000
devices will be connected to the internet by 2030;
(C) the Internet of Things has the potential to generate
trillions of dollars in new economic activity around the
world in the transportation, energy, agriculture,
manufacturing, and health care sectors and in other sectors
that are critical to the growth of the gross domestic product
of the United States;
(D) businesses across the United States can develop new
services and products, improve the efficiency of operations
and logistics, cut costs, improve worker and public safety,
and pass savings on to consumers by utilizing the Internet of
Things and related innovations;
(E) the Internet of Things will--
(i) be vital in furthering innovation and the development
of emerging technologies; and
(ii) play a key role in developing artificial intelligence
and advanced computing capabilities;
(F) the United States leads the world in the development of
technologies that support the internet, the United States
technology sector is well-positioned to lead in the
development of technologies for the Internet of Things, and
the appropriate prioritization of a national strategy with
respect to the Internet of Things would strengthen that
position;
(G) the Federal Government can implement this technology to
better deliver services to the public; and
(H) the Senate unanimously passed Senate Resolution 110,
114th Congress, agreed to March 24, 2015, calling for a
national strategy for the development of the Internet of
Things.
(2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
policies governing the Internet of Things should--
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(A) promote solutions with respect to the Internet of
Things that are secure, scalable, interoperable, industry-
driven, and standards-based; and
(B) maximize the development and deployment of the Internet
of Things to benefit all stakeholders, including businesses,
governments, and consumers.
(b) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal
Communications Commission.
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Commerce.
(3) Steering committee.--The term ``steering committee''
means the steering committee established under subsection
(c)(5)(A).
(4) Working group.--The term ``working group'' means the
working group convened under subsection (c)(1).
(c) Federal Working Group.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall convene a working
group of Federal stakeholders for the purpose of providing
recommendations and a report to Congress relating to the
aspects of the Internet of Things described in paragraph (2).
(2) Duties.--The working group shall--
(A) identify any Federal regulations, statutes, grant
practices, budgetary or jurisdictional challenges, and other
sector-specific policies that are inhibiting, or could
inhibit, the development or deployment of the Internet of
Things;
(B) consider policies or programs that encourage and
improve coordination among Federal agencies that have
responsibilities that are relevant to the objectives of this
section;
(C) consider any findings or recommendations made by the
steering committee and, where appropriate, act to implement
those recommendations;
(D) examine--
(i) how Federal agencies can benefit from utilizing the
Internet of Things;
(ii) the use of Internet of Things technology by Federal
agencies as of the date on which the working group performs
the examination;
(iii) the preparedness and ability of Federal agencies to
adopt Internet of Things technology as of the date on which
the working group performs the examination and in the future;
and
(iv) any additional security measures that Federal agencies
may need to take to--
(I) safely and securely use the Internet of Things,
including measures that ensure the security of critical
infrastructure; and
(II) enhance the resiliency of Federal systems against
cyber threats to the Internet of Things; and
(E) in carrying out the examinations required under
subclauses (I) and (II) of subparagraph (D)(iv), ensure to
the maximum extent possible the coordination of the current
and future activities of the Federal Government relating to
security with respect to the Internet of Things.
(3) Agency representatives.--In convening the working group
under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall have discretion to
appoint representatives from Federal agencies and departments
as appropriate and shall specifically consider seeking
representation from--
(A) 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;
(B) the Department of Transportation;
(C) the Department of Homeland Security;
(D) the Office of Management and Budget;
(E) the National Science Foundation;
(F) the Commission;
(G) the Federal Trade Commission;
(H) the Office of Science and Technology Policy;
(I) the Department of Energy; and
(J) the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
(4) Nongovernmental stakeholders.--The working group shall
consult with nongovernmental stakeholders with expertise
relating to the Internet of Things, including--
(A) the steering committee;
(B) information and communications technology
manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, and vendors;
(C) subject matter experts representing industrial sectors
other than the technology sector that can benefit from the
Internet of Things, including the transportation, energy,
agriculture, and health care sectors;
(D) small, medium, and large businesses;
(E) think tanks and academia;
(F) nonprofit organizations and consumer groups;
(G) security experts;
(H) rural stakeholders; and
(I) other stakeholders with relevant expertise, as
determined by the Secretary.
(5) Steering committee.--
(A) Establishment.--There is established within the
Department of Commerce a steering committee to advise the
working group.
(B) Duties.--The steering committee shall advise the
working group with respect to--
(i) the identification of any Federal regulations,
statutes, grant practices, programs, budgetary or
jurisdictional challenges, and other sector-specific policies
that are inhibiting, or could inhibit, the development of the
Internet of Things;
(ii) situations in which the use of the Internet of Things
is likely to deliver significant and scalable economic and
societal benefits to the United States, including benefits
from or to--
(I) smart traffic and transit technologies;
(II) augmented logistics and supply chains;
(III) sustainable infrastructure;
(IV) precision agriculture;
(V) environmental monitoring;
(VI) public safety; and
(VII) health care;
(iii) whether adequate spectrum is available to support the
growing Internet of Things and what legal or regulatory
barriers may exist to providing any spectrum needed in the
future;
(iv) policies, programs, or multi-stakeholder activities
that--
(I) promote or are related to the privacy of individuals
who use or are affected by the Internet of Things;
(II) may enhance the security of the Internet of Things,
including the security of critical infrastructure;
(III) may protect users of the Internet of Things; and
(IV) may encourage coordination among Federal agencies with
jurisdiction over the Internet of Things;
(v) the opportunities and challenges associated with the
use of Internet of Things technology by small businesses; and
(vi) any international proceeding, international
negotiation, or other international matter affecting the
Internet of Things to which the United States is or should be
a party.
(C) Membership.--The Secretary shall appoint to the
steering committee members representing a wide range of
stakeholders outside of the Federal Government with expertise
relating to the Internet of Things, including--
(i) information and communications technology
manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, and vendors;
(ii) subject matter experts representing industrial sectors
other than the technology sector that can benefit from the
Internet of Things, including the transportation, energy,
agriculture, and health care sectors;
(iii) small, medium, and large businesses;
(iv) think tanks and academia;
(v) nonprofit organizations and consumer groups;
(vi) security experts;
(vii) rural stakeholders; and
(viii) other stakeholders with relevant expertise, as
determined by the Secretary.
(D) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the steering committee shall submit to
the working group a report that includes any findings or
recommendations of the steering committee.
(E) Independent advice.--
(i) In general.--The steering committee shall set the
agenda of the steering committee in carrying out the duties
of the steering committee under subparagraph (B).
(ii) Suggestions.--The working group may suggest topics or
items for the steering committee to study, and the steering
committee shall take those suggestions into consideration in
carrying out the duties of the steering committee.
(iii) Report.--The steering committee shall ensure that the
report submitted under subparagraph (D) is the result of the
independent judgment of the steering committee.
(F) No compensation for members.--A member of the steering
committee shall serve without compensation.
(G) Termination.--The steering committee shall terminate on
the date on which the working group submits the report under
paragraph (6).
(6) Report to congress.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 18 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the working group shall submit to
Congress a report that includes--
(i) the findings and recommendations of the working group
with respect to the duties of the working group under
paragraph (2);
(ii) the report submitted by the steering committee under
paragraph (5)(D), as the report was received by the working
group;
(iii) recommendations for action or reasons for inaction,
as applicable, with respect to each recommendation made by
the steering committee in the report submitted under
paragraph (5)(D); and
(iv) an accounting of any progress made by Federal agencies
to implement recommendations made by the working group or the
steering committee.
(B) Copy of report.--The working group shall submit a copy
of the report described in subparagraph (A) to--
(i) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the
Senate;
(ii) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives; and
(iii) any other committee of Congress, upon request to the
working group.
(d) Assessing Spectrum Needs.--
(1) In general.--The Commission, in consultation with the
National Telecommunications and Information Administration,
shall issue a notice of inquiry seeking public comment on the
current, as of the date of enactment of this Act, and future
spectrum needs to enable better connectivity relating to the
Internet of Things.
(2) Requirements.--In issuing the notice of inquiry under
paragraph (1), the Commission shall seek comments that
consider and evaluate--
(A) whether adequate spectrum is available, or is planned
for allocation, for commercial wireless services that could
support the growing Internet of Things;
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(B) if adequate spectrum is not available for the purposes
described in subparagraph (A), how to ensure that adequate
spectrum is available for increased demand with respect to
the Internet of Things;
(C) what regulatory barriers may exist to providing any
needed spectrum that would support uses relating to the
Internet of Things; and
(D) what the role of unlicensed and licensed spectrum is
and will be 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
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House
of Representatives a report summarizing the comments
submitted in response to the notice of inquiry issued under
paragraph (1).
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