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. The IoT consists of devices connected to one another and to a network for exchanging data without human interaction. See Suzy E. Park, Internet of Things (IoT): An Introduction, In Focus Report 11239 (Congressional Research Service, June 4, 2019), https://go.usa.gov/xVcdR.
