DIGIT Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 8115 To ensure appropriate prioritization, spectrum planning, and interagency coordination to support the Internet of Things. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AUGUST 25, 2020 Mr. WELCH (for himself and Mrs. RODGERS of Washington) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To ensure appropriate prioritization, spectrum planning, and interagency coordination to support the Internet of Things. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Developing Innovation 4 and Growing the Internet of Things Act’’ or the ‘‘DIGIT 5 Act’’. 6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 8 (1) the Internet of Things refers to the growing 9 number of connected and interconnected devices; 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:25 Sep 04, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8115.IH H8115 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 8115 IH (2) estimates indicate that more than 1 125,000,000,000 devices will be connected to the 2 internet by 2030; 3 (3) the Internet of Things has the potential to 4 generate trillions of dollars in new economic activity 5 around the world in the transportation, energy, agri- 6 culture, manufacturing, and health care sectors and 7 in other sectors that are critical to the growth of the 8 gross domestic product of the United States; 9 (4) businesses across the United States can de- 10 velop new services and products, improve the effi- 11 ciency of operations and logistics, cut costs, improve 12 worker and public safety, and pass savings on to 13 consumers by utilizing the Internet of Things and 14 related innovations; 15 (5) the Internet of Things will— 16 (A) be vital in furthering innovation and 17 the development of emerging technologies; and 18 (B) play a key role in developing artificial 19 intelligence and advanced computing capabili- 20 ties; 21 (6) the United States leads the world in the de- 22 velopment of technologies that support the internet, 23 the United States technology sector is well-posi- 24 tioned to lead in the development of technologies for 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:25 Sep 04, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8115.IH H8115 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 8115 IH the Internet of Things, and the appropriate 1 prioritization of a national strategy with respect to 2 the Internet of Things would strengthen that posi- 3 tion; 4 (7) the Federal Government can implement this 5 technology to better deliver services to the public; 6 and 7 (8) the Senate unanimously passed Senate Res- 8 olution 110, 114th Congress, agreed to March 24, 9 2015, calling for a national strategy for the develop- 10 ment of the Internet of Things. 11 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con- 12 gress that policies governing the Internet of Things 13 should— 14 (1) promote solutions with respect to the Inter- 15 net of Things that are secure, scalable, interoper- 16 able, industry-driven, and standards-based; and 17 (2) maximize the development and deployment 18 of the Internet of Things to benefit all stakeholders, 19 including businesses, governments, and consumers. 20 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 21 In this Act: 22 (1) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 23 means the Federal Communications Commission. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:25 Sep 04, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8115.IH H8115 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 8115 IH (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 1 the Secretary of Commerce. 2 (3) STEERING COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘steer- 3 ing committee’’ means the steering committee estab- 4 lished under section 4(e)(1). 5 (4) WORKING GROUP.—The term ‘‘working 6 group’’ means the working group convened under 7 section 4(a). 8 SEC. 4. FEDERAL WORKING GROUP. 9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall convene a 10 working group of Federal stakeholders for the purpose of 11 providing recommendations and a report to Congress re- 12 lating to the aspects of the Internet of Things described 13 in subsection (b). 14 (b) DUTIES.—The working group shall— 15 (1) identify any Federal regulations, statutes, 16 grant practices, budgetary or jurisdictional chal- 17 lenges, and other sector-specific policies that are in- 18 hibiting, or could inhibit, the development or deploy- 19 ment of the Internet of Things; 20 (2) identify any Federal regulations, statutes, 21 and activities that have benefitted or could benefit 22 the development or deployment of the Internet of 23 Things; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:25 Sep 04, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8115.IH H8115 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 8115 IH (3) consider policies or programs that encour- 1 age and improve coordination among Federal agen- 2 cies that have responsibilities that are relevant to 3 the objectives of this Act; 4 (4) consider any findings or recommendations 5 made by the steering committee and, where appro- 6 priate, act to implement those recommendations; 7 (5) examine— 8 (A) how Federal agencies can benefit from 9 utilizing the Internet of Things; 10 (B) the use of Internet of Things tech- 11 nology by Federal agencies as of the date on 12 which the working group performs the examina- 13 tion; 14 (C) the preparedness and ability of Federal 15 agencies to adopt Internet of Things technology 16 as of the date on which the working group per- 17 forms the examination and in the future; and 18 (D) any additional security measures that 19 Federal agencies may need to take to— 20 (i) safely and securely use the Inter- 21 net of Things, including measures that en- 22 sure the security of critical infrastructure; 23 and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:25 Sep 04, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8115.IH H8115 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 8115 IH (ii) enhance the resiliency of Federal 1 systems against cyber threats to the Inter- 2 net of Things; 3 (6) in carrying out the examinations required 4 under clauses (i) and (ii) of paragraph (5)(D), en- 5 sure to the maximum extent possible the coordina- 6 tion of the current and future activities of the Fed- 7 eral Government relating to security with respect to 8 the Internet of Things; and 9 (7) examine any additional security measures 10 that Federal agencies may need to take to protect 11 users of Internet of Things technology, especially 12 members of more vulnerable populations (including 13 children and older individuals). 14 (c) AGENCY REPRESENTATIVES.—In convening the 15 working group under subsection (a), the Secretary shall 16 have discretion to appoint representatives from Federal 17 agencies and departments as appropriate and shall specifi- 18 cally consider seeking representation from— 19 (1) the Department of Commerce, including— 20 (A) the National Telecommunications and 21 Information Administration; 22 (B) the National Institute of Standards 23 and Technology; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:25 Sep 04, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8115.IH H8115 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 8115 IH (C) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 1 Administration; 2 (2) the Department of Transportation; 3 (3) the Department of Homeland Security; 4 (4) the Office of Management and Budget; 5 (5) the National Science Foundation; 6 (6) the Commission; 7 (7) the Federal Trade Commission; 8 (8) the Office of Science and Technology Policy; 9 (9) the Department of Energy; and 10 (10) the Federal Energy Regulatory Commis- 11 sion. 12 (d) NONGOVERNMENTAL STAKEHOLDERS.—The 13 working group shall consult with nongovernmental stake- 14 holders with expertise relating to the Internet of Things, 15 including— 16 (1) the steering committee; 17 (2) information and communications technology 18 manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, and ven- 19 dors; 20 (3) subject matter experts representing indus- 21 trial sectors other than the technology sector that 22 can benefit from the Internet of Things, including 23 the transportation, energy, agriculture, and health 24 care sectors; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:25 Sep 04, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8115.IH H8115 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 8115 IH (4) small, medium, and large businesses; 1 (5) think tanks and academia; 2 (6) nonprofit organizations and consumer 3 groups; 4 (7) security experts; 5 (8) rural stakeholders; and 6 (9) other stakeholders with relevant expertise, 7 as determined by the Secretary. 8 (e) STEERING COMMITTEE.— 9 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established 10 within the Department of Commerce a steering com- 11 mittee to advise the working group. 12 (2) DUTIES.—The steering committee shall ad- 13 vise the working group with respect to— 14 (A) the identification of any Federal regu- 15 lations, statutes, grant practices, budgetary or 16 jurisdictional challenges, and other sector-spe- 17 cific policies that are inhibiting, or could in- 18 hibit, the development or deployment of the 19 Internet of Things; 20 (B) the identification of any Federal regu- 21 lations, statutes, and activities that have bene- 22 fitted or could benefit the development or de- 23 ployment of the Internet of Things; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:25 Sep 04, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8115.IH H8115 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 8115 IH (C) situations in which the use of the 1 Internet of Things is likely to deliver significant 2 and scalable economic and societal benefits to 3 the United States, including benefits from or 4 to— 5 (i) smart traffic and transit tech- 6 nologies; 7 (ii) augmented logistics and supply 8 chains; 9 (iii) sustainable infrastructure; 10 (iv) precision agriculture; 11 (v) environmental monitoring; 12 (vi) public safety; and 13 (vii) health care; 14 (D) policies, programs, or multi-stake- 15 holder activities that— 16 (i) promote or are related to the pri- 17 vacy of users of Internet of Things tech- 18 nology, especially members of more vulner- 19 able populations (including children and 20 older individuals); 21 (ii) may enhance the security of the 22 Internet of Things, including the security 23 of critical infrastructure; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:25 Sep 04, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8115.IH H8115 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 8115 IH (iii) may protect users of the Internet 1 of Things, especially members of more vul- 2 nerable populations (including children and 3 older individuals); and 4 (iv) may encourage coordination 5 among Federal agencies with jurisdiction 6 over the Internet of Things; 7 (E) the opportunities and challenges asso- 8 ciated with the use of Internet of Things tech- 9 nology by small businesses; and 10 (F) any international proceeding, inter- 11 national negotiation, or other international mat- 12 ter affecting the Internet of Things to which 13 the United States is or should be a party. 14 (3) MEMBERSHIP.—The Secretary shall appoint 15 to the steering committee members representing a 16 wide range of stakeholders outside of the Federal 17 Government with expertise relating to the Internet 18 of Things, including— 19 (A) information and communications tech- 20 nology manufacturers, suppliers, service pro- 21 viders, and vendors; 22 (B) subject matter experts representing in- 23 dustrial sectors other than the technology sector 24 that can benefit from the Internet of Things, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:25 Sep 04, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8115.IH H8115 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 8115 IH including the transportation, energy, agri- 1 culture, and health care sectors; 2 (C) small, medium, and large businesses; 3 (D) think tanks and academia; 4 (E) nonprofit organizations and consumer 5 groups; 6 (F) security experts; 7 (G) rural stakeholders; and 8 (H) other stakeholders with relevant exper- 9 tise, as determined by the Secretary. 10 (4) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 11 date of enactment of this Act, the steering com- 12 mittee shall submit to the working group a report 13 that includes any findings or recommendations of 14 the steering committee. 15 (5) INDEPENDENT ADVICE.— 16 (A) IN GENERAL.—The steering committee 17 shall set the agenda of the steering committee 18 in carrying out the duties of the steering com- 19 mittee under paragraph (2). 20 (B) SUGGESTIONS.—The working group 21 may suggest topics or items for the steering 22 committee to study, and the steering committee 23 shall take those suggestions into consideration 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:25 Sep 04, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8115.IH H8115 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 8115 IH in carrying out the duties of the steering com- 1 mittee. 2 (C) REPORT.—The steering committee 3 shall ensure that the report submitted under 4 paragraph (4) is the result of the independent 5 judgment of the steering committee. 6 (6) NO COMPENSATION FOR MEMBERS.—A 7 member of the steering committee shall serve with- 8 out compensation. 9 (7) TERMINATION.—The steering committee 10 shall terminate on the date on which the working 11 group submits the report under subsection (f). 12 (f) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months 14 after the date of enactment of this Act, the working 15 group shall submit to Congress a report that in- 16 cludes— 17 (A) the findings and recommendations of 18 the working group with respect to the duties of 19 the working group under subsection (b); 20 (B) the report submitted by the steering 21 committee under subsection (e)(4), as the re- 22 port was received by the working group; 23 (C) recommendations for action or reasons 24 for inaction, as applicable, with respect to each 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:25 Sep 04, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8115.IH H8115 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 13 •HR 8115 IH recommendation made by the steering com- 1 mittee in the report submitted under subsection 2 (e)(4); and 3 (D) an accounting of any progress made 4 by Federal agencies to implement recommenda- 5 tions made by the working group or the steer- 6 ing committee. 7 (2) COPY OF REPORT.—The working group 8 shall submit a copy of the report described in para- 9 graph (1) to— 10 (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 11 and Transportation and the Committee on En- 12 ergy and Natural Resources of the Senate; 13 (B) the Committee on Energy and Com- 14 merce of the House of Representatives; [Text truncated for display. 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