Description:
S. 1611 would require the Department of Commerce (DOC) to convene a federal interagency working group to report to the Congress on the Internet of things (IoT). The group would be required to identify laws and regulations that inhibit or promote IoT deployment, examine current and future federal IoT use, and recommend federal IoT security measures. The working group would consult with academic stakeholders and with those in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. S. 1611 also would establish a steering committee within DOC to advise the working group on IoT issues. Topics of study would include the economic effects of IoT and the availability of electromagnetic spectrum to meet users’ demands. The committee would submit its findings to the working group, which would report them to the Congress. Finally, under S. 1611 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in consultation with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, would seek public comments on current and future spectrum needs to ensure adequate IoT connectivity and to report those findings to the Congress. Using information from the affected agencies, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1611 would cost $7 million over the 2020-2021 period for DOC to hire about 22 employees, to convene the working group, and to issue the mandated reports. Such spending would be subject to appropriation of the estimated amounts. CBO also expects that participating in the working group and completing the spectrum report would cost the FCC less than $500,000. The FCC is authorized to collect fees sufficient to offset the costs of its regulatory activities each year; therefore, CBO estimates that the net cost of those activities would be negligible, assuming appropriation actions consistent with that authority.
