Enabling Growth and Innovation

in the Digital Economy

U.S. Department of Commerce

June 2016

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June 2016 | U.S. Department of Commerce | Enabling Growth and Innovation in the Digital Economy

MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY

Message from

SECRETARY OF COMMERCE PENNY PRITZKER

Over the past seven years, we have witnessed unprecedented growth of the digital economy. The 

Internet has quickly become the place where people all over the world share ideas, learn new skills, 

and gain access to the storehouse of human knowledge. Digitization has become the means by 

which businesses increase productivity and spur innovation. That is why the U.S. Department of 

Commerce has made digital economy policy a top priority, working to empower U.S. businesses 

and the American people with the tools, education, and resources necessary to reap the countless 

benefits of digital technologies and services.

Enabling Growth and Innovation in the Digital Economy is a chronicle of the Commerce 

Department’s efforts in support of the digital economy over the course of the Obama 

Administration. It describes not only what the Department has achieved over the last seven years, 

but also why it has pursued the policies and programs it has. The report articulates the Department 

of Commerce’s philosophy for digital economy policymaking and demonstrates the many ways in 

which the Department has pursued its policy agenda consistent with that philosophy. 

The Department of Commerce is proud of what it and its nearly 47,000 employees have been able 

to contribute to the digital economy over the past seven years. It has been my honor and pleasure 

to lead an organization committed to values and principles that are so essential to the development 

of a vibrant, dynamic, and innovative digital economy for all.

Penny Pritzker

U.S. Secretary of Commerce 

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June 2016 | U.S. Department of Commerce | Enabling Growth and Innovation in the Digital Economy

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

I. The Free and Open Internet

Ensuring the Global Free Flow of Information Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Advancing the Multistakeholder Approach in Global Internet Governance . . . . . . 10

Privatizing the Management of the Domain Name System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

II. Trust and Security Online

Strengthening Consumer Privacy Protections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Supporting Security in the Digital Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

III. Innovation and Emerging Technologies

Protecting Intellectual Property for Creators, Consumers and Innovators . . . . . . . 27

Facilitating Open Data and Standards for Interoperability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

IV. Access and Skills

Supporting Internet Access and Adoption across America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Looking Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

INTRODUCTION 1

June 2016 | U.S. Department of Commerce | Enabling Growth and Innovation in the Digital Economy

INTRODUCTION

The rise of the digital economy has fundamentally transformed the economic and social life of 

the United States and the world. Digital technologies have quickly become a key driver of jobs, 

business creation, and innovation. Today, economic growth and competitiveness increasingly 

depend upon a nation’s ability to harness the transformative opportunities of the Internet, 

computers, and data. 

In the United States, the digital economy has had a staggering impact on jobs and growth. In 2014 

alone, the U.S. exported roughly $400 billion in ICT-enabled deliverable services, which accounted 

for more than half of U.S. services exports.1

 The digital economy has increased total U.S. real 

GDP by more than a percentage point annually and has added millions of new jobs.2 Virtually all 

industry sectors, from manufacturing to financial services, education, agriculture and health care, 

have benefited from the adoption of digital technologies, applications, and services. 

This remarkable expansion of the digital economy in the U.S. did not happen by chance. On the 

contrary, it is a direct result – first and foremost – of the ingenuity and inherent entrepreneurial 

spirit of the American people. The United States continually produces the most innovative 

companies, founded by the most creative minds in business and engineering. Yet the success 

of American entrepreneurship in the digital economy was not a foregone conclusion and did not 

occur in a vacuum. Indeed, for the digital economy to thrive, governments, working in concert with 

other stakeholders, must create a legal, policy, and diplomatic environment conducive to creativity, 

competition, and investment. 

The U.S. Government’s approach to developing global Internet policy is reflected in the 

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Principles for Internet PolicyMaking (OECD Principles).

3

 The OECD Principles support a flexible, multistakeholder approach 

to Internet policymaking and strengthen international cooperation. They are the end result of a

1

 U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Digitally Deliverable Services Remain an 

Important Component of U.S. Trade (May 28, 2015), available at http://www.esa.doc.gov/economic-briefings/digitallydeliverable-services-remain-important-component-us-trade.

2 U.S. International Trade Commission, Digital Trade in the U.S. and Global Economies, Part 2 (Aug. 2014), available at

https://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/pub4485.pdf.

3

 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Principles for Internet Policy-Making (2014), available 

at http://www.oecd.org/sti/ieconomy/oecd-principles-for-internet-policy-making.pdf.
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Enabling Growth and Innovation in the Digital Economy | U.S. Department of Commerce | June 2016

 U.S.-initiated process at the OECD to establish guiding principles for the continued development 

of a vibrant and prosperous Internet for member states, and the broader world.4 

The OECD Principles thus helped pioneer the concept of multistakeholder negotiated outcomes, 

and remain a relevant and guiding text for the development of the global digital economy. They 

have defined U.S. positions in international negotiations and served as a commonly accepted basis 

for further Internet governance and policymaking activity, including in the development of the 2014 

NetMundial Internet Governance Principles.5

 At the domestic level, the U.S. Government – and 

specifically the Department of Commerce (Department) – uses the OECD Principles as a reference 

point in its approach to Internet policy development.

Indeed, all of the Department’s efforts are firmly grounded in a core set of principles for 

policymaking in the digital economy, many of which echo, if not exactly mirror, those of the OECD 

Principles. They include:

• Multistakeholder Internet policymaking and standards development, in which all 

stakeholders may participate in open, transparent, and consensus-driven decision making 

processes; 

• Strong protections for intellectual property, balanced with appropriate exceptions and 

limitations, such as fair use, which encourage investment and content creation in the digital 

environment; 

• Open and voluntary technical standards, allowing for digital technologies and services to 

interoperate, and digital entrepreneurs to innovate more easily and to build off existing 

infrastructure; 

• Focus on the user, ensuring that users’ interests are paramount, and that users have the 

skills, education, and access necessary to reap the benefits of digital technologies; 

• Public/private partnerships, which bring the resources and reach of the government to 

supplement private sector investments and activities;

• International engagement, recognizing that the Internet is truly global, and that for it to 

continue to serve as a source of economic growth and social development, the United 

States must actively promote a vision of the digital economy consistent with open and 

democratic values. 

4 Id. at 4, 16; United States Mission to the OECD, United States Applauds OECD Adoption of Internet Policy Making 

Principles (Dec. 13, 2011), available at http://usoecd.usmission.gov/june2011_internet2.html; The OECD IPP Principles 

were first developed as an outcome of the June 2011 OECD High Level Meeting on the Internet Economy, and issued 

as a Communiqué following negotiated input from the OECD’s business, technical, and civil society community 

constituencies. In December 2011, the OECD Council formally adopted a Recommendation on Principles for Internet 

Policy-Making. While several members of the Civil Society Advisory Committee did not support the full text, other 

civil society members expressed gratitude for inclusion as a negotiating partner that helped to strengthen international 

acceptance of the multistakeholder approach at a critical historical moment. OECD, Communiqué on Principles 

for Internet Policy-Making (June 29, 2011), available at https://www.oecd.org/internet/innovation/48289796.pdf; 

OECD, Internet economy: New framework for an open Internet agreed at OECD, http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/

interneteconomynewframeworkforanopeninternetagreedatoecd.htm (last visited May 20, 2016).

5

 See, The NetMundial Multistakeholder (April, 2014), available at: 

Statement http://netmundial.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/NETmundial-Multistakeholder-Document.pdf.
INTRODUCTION 3

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Within the U.S. Government, the Department of Commerce has played a leading role in 

shaping the policies, initiatives, and strategies necessary to ensure continued American digital 

competitiveness. Its activities have focused on a number of areas, from protecting and preserving a 

free and open Internet, to promoting trust online, to ensuring that workers, families, and companies 

have broadband access to the Internet. The Department has worked to enable American 

businesses to reach customers and markets abroad, and to ensure that the American consumer 

has the opportunity to access the most innovative, reliable, and affordable digital products and 

services available. And the Department has focused on advancing the next generation of exciting 

technologies, such as driverless cars, facial recognition technologies, and unmanned aircraft to 

ensure that America will remain on the cutting edge of revolutionary inventions.

The Department of Commerce is composed of 12 bureaus and nearly 47,000 employees, located 

in all 50 states and territories, and in more than 86 countries worldwide. Although the bureaus 

have vastly different mandates, they work in concert to put these principles into practice, in order 

to create an enabling environment for America’s digital economy. Indeed, an underlying strength 

of the Department is the ability of its various agencies and bureaus to collaborate and share their 

specialized expertise to promote growth in the digital economy. 

In order to ensure effective cross-Department coordination on digital economy issues, the 

Department formed, in 2015, the Digital Economy Leadership Team (DELT), a council of seniorlevel Commerce Department officials who lead bureaus and departments that work on digital 

economy issues. This group meets regularly to set and advance the Department’s digital economy 

agenda, a whole-of-Department strategy for digital economy policy focused on four6 key pillars: 

protecting the free and open Internet, fostering trust and security online, helping to advance 

promising new digital technologies and services, and promoting Internet access and digital skills.7

This cross-Department coordination on digital economy issues is supported by the Internet Policy Task 

Force (IPTF), a team of experts who aim to identify leading public policy and operational challenges 

in the digital environment.8 The IPTF leverages expertise from across the Department, including from 

those agencies responsible for domestic and international information and communications technology 

policy, international trade, cyber security standards and best practices, intellectual property, and 

business advocacy and export control. The IPTF has focused its work in four areas: 

6 See, The Commerce Department’s Digital Economy Agenda (November 9, 2015), available at: 

https://www.commerce.gov/news/blog/2015/11/commerce-departments-digital-economy-agenda.

7 For instance, the DELT in 2016 created a Digital Economy Board of Advisors (DEBA), comprised of 17 leading figures in 

academia, civil society, and industry, to help guide the Department’s future work related to the digital economy. For more 

information on the DEBA, see U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Announces Appointees to Inaugural Digital 

Economy Board of Advisors (March, 2016), available at https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2016/03/ussecretary-commerce-penny-pritzker-announces-appointees-inaugural.

8 National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Commerce Secretary Locke Announces Public 

Review of Privacy Policy and Innovation in the Internet Economy, Launches Internet Policy Task Force, (Apr. 21, 2010), 

available at https://www.ntia.doc.gov/press-release/2010/commerce-secretary-locke-announces-public-review-privacypolicy-and-innovation-in. For more information on the Internet Policy Task Force (IPTF), see Internet Policy Task Force, 

https://www.ntia.doc.gov/category/internet-policy-task-force (last visited May 12, 2016).
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1. Privacy

2. Cybersecurity

3. Copyright

4. The Free Flow of Information

The IPTF seeks to develop policies and programs that advance the digital economy. The four lead 

bureaus of the IPTF are NTIA, NIST, USPTO, and ITA9:

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is the principal 

Executive Branch agency responsible for advising the President on telecommunications 

and information policy issues. Its programs and policymaking focus largely on expanding 

broadband Internet access and adoption in America, expanding the availability of spectrum 

for mobile and fixed wireless broadband use, and ensuring that the Internet remains an 

engine for continued innovation and economic growth. 

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) works to promote U.S. 

competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways 

that, among other things, enhance digital innovation and security. From the smart electric 

power grid and electronic health records to atomic clocks, advanced nanomaterials, and 

computer chips, NIST accelerates the development and deployment of digital systems that 

are reliable, usable, interoperable, and secure.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the federal agency responsible for 

granting U.S. patents and registering trademarks, and for advising the President, the 

Secretary of Commerce, and federal agencies on intellectual property policy, protection, 

and enforcement. The USPTO helps to ensure that U.S. digital innovators and creators 

both here and worldwide are able to reap the benefits of their ingenuity. 

The International Trade Administration (ITA) leads the Department’s export and investment 

activities and ensures fair trade through the rigorous enforcement of our trade laws and 

agreements, including for digital products and services, and as the lead negotiator for 

digital privacy and the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield agreement. It works directly with U.S. 

businesses to help them successfully engage in foreign markets, importantly through its 

newly created Digital Trade Officer (Digital Attaché) program.

9 Several other bureaus within the Department play critical roles in support of the U.S. digital economy, as well. The Bureau 

of Industry and Security (BIS) advances U.S. national security, foreign policy, and economic objectives by ensuring an 

effective export control and treaty compliance system and by promoting continued U.S. strategic technology leadership 

and a strong defense industrial base. The Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA) provides timely economic 

analysis, disseminates national economic indicators, serves as the administrator of the Department’s premiere statistical 

programs, the U.S. Census Bureau (Census) and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), and manages the Office of the 

Chief Economist (OCE). The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) serves as the largest central resource for 

government-funded scientific, technical, engineering, and business related information available today. The Economic 

Development Administration (EDA) helps individuals, firms, and communities to maximize the use of their talents and skills 

to support innovation, lower transaction costs, and responsibly produce and trade valuable goods and services. The Minority 

Business Development Administration (MBDA) works with minority-owned businesses to help them compete and innovate 

in the digital economy. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) works to understand and predict 

changes in climate, weather, oceans and coasts, to share that knowledge and information with others, and to conserve and 

manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources.
INTRODUCTION 5

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These bureaus work in close coordination with other parts of the Department that play crucial 

roles in support of its digital economy agenda, including bureaus such as the Economics and 

Statistics Administration (ESA) and the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), as well as lead staff 

across the Office of the Secretary. 

Enabling Growth and Innovation in the Digital Economy canvasses eight cross-cutting areas and 

is the product of a Department-wide collaborative effort, organized around the Digital Economy 

Leadership Team’s four policy pillars: I.) The Free and Open Internet; II.) Trust and Security Online; 

III.) Innovation and Emerging Technologies; and IV.) Access and Skills. It is an anthology of the 

major initiatives of the Commerce Department over the course of the past seven years in pursuit of 

a more inclusive, dynamic, and productive digital economy for the American people and the users 

of digital technologies around the world. 

I. THE FREE AND OPEN INTERNET 7

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I. THE FREE AND OPEN INTERNET

The free and open global Internet, with minimal barriers to the flow of information and services 

across borders, is truly the lynchpin of the digital economy.10 As such, the Department of 

Commerce works across its bureaus and with partners across the U.S. government to ensure that 

technical, policy, and legal environments around the world are as free and open as possible. The 

Department actively engages with the business community, civil society, and foreign governments 

to protect information flows, to strengthen the Domain Name System, a vital component of 

the Internet’s technical infrastructure, and to further the multistakeholder approach to Internet 

governance, the approach best equipped to produce an open Internet system. 

ENSURING THE GLOBAL FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION ONLINE

Recognizing the value of Internet openness and the free flow of information, and the risks that 

restrictions on Internet data flows present to innovation, economic growth, and social prosperity, 

the Department of Commerce has made it a top priority to ensure that information and data 

continue to flow freely and the Internet remains open and global. The Department has played a 

critical role in developing policies and initiatives that protect the “free flow” of information and 

foster a robust digital economy.

Recently, some governments around the world have explored and employed a variety of technical, 

legal, and administrative tools to restrict the “free flow” of data, limiting Internet routing and 

data storage to particular jurisdictions and limiting the kinds of content and data types that are 

permitted online. As a result, companies operating, or attempting to operate, in those jurisdictions 

face a host of barriers to information flows in the international marketplace. Examples of such 

barriers include forced localization requirements, market access limitations, censorship, legal 

liability rules, and customs measures. Such measures are ultimately self-defeating, because they 

raise costs, decrease competition, and disrupt the openness of the Internet and civil society. 

Accordingly, the Department has worked to ensure that the global exchange of information can 

continue to drive a global digital economy.

10 Indeed, the OECD Principles for Internet Policy Making emphasize the importance of Internet freedom and openness 

in more than 5 of its 14 Principles. Id. OECD, Communiqué on Principles for Internet Policy-Making (June 29, 2011), 

available at https://www.oecd.org/internet/innovation/48289796.pdf; see Principle #1, #2, #4, #5, and #11.
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THE FREE FLOW WORKING GROUP OF THE INTERNET POLICY TASK FORCE

One of the working groups of the IPTF has focused on issues related to the global free flow of 

information, specifically on addressing policies in other jurisdictions around the globe that restrict 

information flows on the Internet.11 This Free Flow Working Group works to examine why these 

restrictions have been instituted and to better understand the impact they have on innovation, 

economic development, global trade and investment, and how best to address negative impacts. 

The Free Flow Working Group leverages expertise across many bureaus of the Department and 

coordinates Department-wide responses to threats to U.S. competitiveness in the digital economy. 

It also consults with U.S. industry to solicit input to Department policies and activities. 

DIGITAL TRADE OFFICERS

To respond to the challenges associated with the free flow of goods and services online, the 

Department launched a pilot program in March 2016 for Digital Trade Officers (also called “Digital 

Attachés”) to facilitate U.S. private sector involvement in the global digital economy and to help 

U.S. companies reach markets worldwide.12 The primary goals of the Digital Trade Officers – 

members of the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service of commercial diplomats – is to provide support 

and assistance to help U.S. businesses successfully navigate digital policy and regulatory issues in 

foreign markets, and to expand exports through global e-commerce channels. 

This initiative will be led by the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration 

(ITA), working with bureaus across the Department, in collaboration with the Department of State 

and industry stakeholders. The Digital Trade Officers will enhance efforts to advance commercial 

diplomacy, drive policy advocacy on technology issues, ensure linkages between trade policy and 

trade promotion efforts, and provide front-line assistance for U.S. small and medium enterprises to 

take advantage of the robust e-commerce channels. Training for the officers will be coordinated 

through ITA, with assistance from NTIA and agencies and bureaus across the Department. 

The pilot program was launched in Brazil, China, Japan, India, the European Union, and in the 

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. 

TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP

In October 2015, negotiations concluded on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), an agreement 

designed to address the 21st century needs of U.S. exporters in the global economy.13 ITA, in 

partnership with the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), worked to ensure that TPP includes strong 

commitments that open up trade opportunities in telecommunications services, including the 

underlying networks and services that provide access to the Internet. ITA negotiators also focused 

on issues that affect all companies seeking to leverage the Internet for the delivery of goods and 

services. To that end, the Electronic Commerce Chapter has commitments addressing barriers 

11 See Global Free Flow of Information, https://www.ntia.doc.gov/category/global-free-flow-information 

(last visited May 13, 2016).

12 U.S. Department of Commerce, Secretary Penny Pritzker, Commerce Launches Digital Attaché Program to Address 

Trade Barriers (Mar. 11, 2016), available at https://www.commerce.gov/news/opinion-editorials/2016/03/commerce-launchesdigital-attache-program-address-trade-barriers.

13 U.S. ITA Trans-Pacific Partnership, http://www.ita.doc.gov/fta/tpp/index.asp (last visited May 13, 2016).
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such as restrictions on data flows, server location requirements, discriminatory treatment of and 

duties on digital products, and forced disclosure of source code. In addition, the chapter provides 

consumer protection by creating country commitments on unsolicited messages (i.e., spam), online 

consumer protection, access to and use of the Internet, and personal information protection. TPP 

includes strong intellectual property protections, and also obligates countries to seek to achieve 

balance in their copyright systems by means of, among other approaches, limitations or exceptions 

that allow for the use of copyrighted works.

TRADE AGREEMENTS: LOOKING AHEAD

The Department is also involved in negotiations on two other agreements that have been launched: 

the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership 

(TTIP).14 With TiSA, a services-only trade agreement that includes the United States and 

22 other Parties, the United States aims to recognize the importance of cross-border information 

flows. The potential for TiSA to eventually become “multilateralized” (i.e., become a World Trade 

Organization agreement) means that U.S. businesses will gain the benefits of our free trade 

agreement commitments on a global scale, further lowering unnecessary barriers in the digital 

economy. With TTIP, the United States seeks to further deepen the transatlantic ties and craft 

a free trade agreement that can become a gold standard for free trade agreements worldwide.

RESEARCH ON THE DIGITAL ECONOMY AND CROSS-BORDER TRADE

One of the greatest challenges facing the free flow of information is the lack of research 

quantifying the economic impacts of cross-border data flows. In 2016, the Department of 

Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) built on previous work to further the evidence of 

the economic impact of cross-border data flows in its comprehensive study Trends in U.S. Trade 

in Information and Communications (ICT) Services and ICT-Enabled Services.

15 In the report, 

BEA estimated the total value of potentially ICT-enabled services exports was $385.1 billion in 

2014, or about 54 percent of total services export value.16 The report provides a framework for U.S. 

policymakers, academic researchers, and businesses to measure the size and assess the nature of 

cross border data flows. It and the previous DOC reports on this subject will continue to play an 

invaluable part in helping to persuade foreign governments not to interfere with the Internet’s 

core infrastructure. 

NTIA, in partnership with ESA, has been building on this work by continuing to study the impact 

of cross-border data flows on the U.S. and global economy. These cross-border data flows are 

an increasingly important component of international trade and a critical form of communication 

between individuals and businesses in both developed and developing economies. But there 

is relatively little data available to quantify these benefits. NTIA and ESA have been talking to 

14 See United States Trade Representative (USTR), Trade in Services Agreement (TISA), https://ustr.gov/TiSA 

(last visited May 20, 2016); USTR, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP), https://ustr.gov/ttip 

(last visited May 20, 2016).

15 U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis, Trends in U.S. Trade in Information and Communications

Technology (ICT) Services and in ICT-Enabled Services (May, 2016), available at

https://www.bea.gov/scb/pdf/2016/05%20May/0516_trends_%20in_us_trade_in_ict_serivces2.pdf.

16 Id. at 3.
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stakeholders, reviewing literature, and identifying the strengths and potential shortcomings of the 

existing data and research on cross-border data flows. In May 2016, NTIA and ESA co-hosted a 

conference with leading government and academic economists, statisticians, and policymakers to 

identify gaps in the measurement of cross border data flows and devise a way forward.17

ADVANCING THE MULTISTAKEHOLDER APPROACH 

IN GLOBAL INTERNET GOVERNANCE

The Department of Commerce has made the practice of multistakeholder policymaking a hallmark 

of its Internet-related activities. It has also prioritized the global proliferation of multistakeholder 

processes and the strengthening of multistakeholder organizations and events. Accordingly, the 

Department has been involved in critical debates over Internet governance and policymaking 

in a large variety of international organizations and settings over the course of the past several 

years. These debates have typically centered on the role of governments and intergovernmental 

organizations in the Internet’s governance and management, and they have reflected disparate 

philosophical, political, legal, and economic perspectives among the world’s governments.

WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY (WSIS)

In 2015, the United Nations (U.N.) completed a review of the ten-year implementation of the 

outcomes from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). WSIS was a landmark, 

head-of-state level summit held in 2003 and 2005, which enshrined existing Internet governance 

mechanisms and planned activity throughout the U.N. to spur the development of information and 

communications technologies (ICTs). NTIA played the leading role in the U.S. delegation to the 

review process on Internet governance related matters, which, despite strong opposition from more 

authoritarian countries, reaffirmed the importance and centrality of multistakeholder cooperation 

to the Internet’s success and growth. The review process also extended the mandate of the 

Internet Governance Forum, another major Department priority.

INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM (IGF)

A key outcome of the original WSIS was the creation of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). 

The IGF is considered the premier multistakeholder venue for exchanging information and sharing 

best practices on cross-cutting policy issues that affect the sustainability, robustness, security, 

stability, and development of the Internet. For ten years, NTIA has proactively engaged in this 

multistakeholder forum, and served on the IGF’s Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG), the 

body that shapes the organization and program of the annual IGF event. In addition, NTIA’s 

Administrator has delivered keynote remarks at the IGF’s opening ceremonies. NTIA has 

17 NTIA, U.S. Department of Commerce Roundtable Measuring Cross-Border Data Flows: Unmet Data Needs (May 9, 2016), 

available at https://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/commerce_cross-border_data_roundtable_final_agenda.pdf. 

See also Measuring Cross-Border Data Flows: Unmet Data Needs Roundtable, 81 Fed. Reg. 24067 (Apr. 25, 2016), 

available at https://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/commerce_cross-border_data_roundtable_final_agenda.pdf.
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participated in numerous workshops at the IGF over the years, and in 2015 organized a successful 

panel on the free flow of data online.18

INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION (ITU)

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized agency in the United Nations 

system that coordinates the development and approval of international telecommunication 

standards, promotes infrastructure development, manages radio-frequency spectrum and satellite 

orbits, and provides a forum for countries to address policy and technical issues. 

NTIA has successfully represented the Department as a member of U.S. delegations to several 

treaty-level meetings of the ITU including the 2010 and 2014 Plenipotentiary conferences and the 

2012 World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), and other high-level events 

such as the 2013 World Telecommunication Policy Forum (WTPF). NTIA negotiated text affecting 

global telecommunications and information technologies and networks and provided delegation 

policy and technical advice that has been instrumental in shaping the strategic direction of the ITU 

as well as preserving private sector leadership in the technical development and management of 

the Internet, in particular, in relation to the Internet’s domain name system (DNS).

The ITU is not a multistakeholder organization; decision-making authority in the ITU is the 

exclusive right of its Member States. Because of this, the Department has worked to make the 

organization more inclusive of non-governmental stakeholders. For example, at the ITU’s 2010 

Plenipotentiary meeting, NTIA negotiated language in four Internet-related resolutions that called 

for collaboration and coordination with multistakeholder organizations, including ICANN, the 

Internet Engineering Task Force, the Regional Internet Registries, and the Internet Society.19 This 

was a significant achievement not only for the activity it called for, but also because it represented 

the first time the ITU Membership recognized these multistakeholder bodies. Building on 

these successes, at the 2014 Plenipotentiary meeting, NTIA negotiated new opportunities for all 

interested stakeholders to submit contributions to an Internet policy working group, which had 

previously been an exclusive domain for governments.20

NTIA was also instrumental in the United States’ successful negotiation of six official “Opinions” 

that emerged from the 2013 WTPF, an event centered on the ITU’s role in Internet policy issues. 

NTIA served as the lead negotiator for the U.S. government delegation within the WTPF Informal 

Experts Group (IEG), a multistakeholder gathering that met several times to negotiate the draft 

opinions. In the face of calls from attendant governments to give the ITU a greater role in 

Internet governance, NTIA successfully negotiated opinions that supported multistakeholder 

18 In 2009, the national IGF initiative IGF-USA was launched by a multistakeholder steering committee that featured NTIA 

as the primary government representative. The IGF-USA has been held on an annual basis since then (with the exception 

of 2013) and has continued to grow in both popularity and impact. Various agencies from the Department have participated 

in the IGF-USA’s workshops and panels. NTIA has delivered the keynote address on several occasions and continues to 

contribute to the organization of the event, alongside stakeholders from the private sector, the technical and academic 

community, and civil society. See IGF-USA | Internet Governance Forum USA, http://www.igf-usa.org/ 

(last visited May 13, 2016).

19 See ITU Internet Policy and Governance, Internet-related Resolutions 101, 102, 133, and 180, available at

http://www.itu.int/en/action/internet/Pages/default.aspx.

20 See ITU, Final Acts of the Plenipotentiary Conference, http://www.itu.int/pub/S-CONF-ACTF-2014 

(last visited May 13, 2016).
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policymaking mechanisms. The final opinions were endorsed by governments at the WTPF itself 

without modification.

Finally, NTIA was an influential member of the U.S. delegation to the WCIT, a treaty-making 

conference in 2012 that became a significant event in the history of Internet governance and 

policymaking. The conference was convened ostensibly to update a treaty known as the 

International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs), which had governed the provisioning of 

international telecommunication services since 1988. One of the United States delegation’s 

primary goals for the conference was to ensure that the free and open Internet not be ensnared in 

ITU treaty obligations that would threaten the Internet with top-down government regulation at 

the expense of multistakeholder processes. Others, notably China, Russia, and certain countries 

from the Middle East, approached the conference as an opportunity to impose their agenda 

of greater regulation of Internet companies, regulation of content, and for a more prominent 

ITU role in Internet governance and cybersecurity. When faced with a final outcome document 

that reflected the priorities of these authoritarian states, which was orchestrated in backroom 

negotiations and presented at the conference’s final evening, the United States opted not to sign 

the revised treaty. It was joined by 54 other countries that abstained. The WCIT was an important 

chapter in Internet governance history and demonstrated that the United States was firmly 

committed to preserving the Internet’s multistakeholder governance.

ORGANIZATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD)

In 2011, the Department spearheaded a High Level Meeting on the Internet Economy at the 

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The meeting was attended 

by global thought leaders from business, government, civil society, and the technical community, 

and culminated in a Communiqué on Principles for Internet Policy-Making. The Communiqué 

was adopted by all OECD economies plus business and technical constituent bodies.21 The 

Communiqué, which encourages multistakeholder cooperation in Internet policy development 

processes, was a hallmark achievement in the Administration’s international Internet policy agenda 

and served to define U.S. positions in subsequent international Internet negotiations. 

In June 2016, the OECD will be holding a Ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico, entitled, “The 

Digital Economy: Innovation, Growth and Social Prosperity.” The goal is to foster a common 

understanding on how to maximize the contribution of the digital economy to growth and 

well-being by building further capacity in Internet policy and governance; strengthening digital 

trust; and creating the enabling conditions for new jobs, appropriate skills and inclusion.22 The 

Ministerial provides a venue to emphasize the importance of the continued implementation of the 

Internet Policy-making Principles (IPPs) and an opportunity to renew and reaffirm the mandate 

of the OECD to work on these digital economy issues for the years to come. The Department of 

Commerce has played a leading role in planning the event, and the Secretary of Commerce will 

participate along with a number of high-level Department officials.

21 OECD, Communiqué on Principles for Internet Policy-Making (June 29, 2011), available at 

https://www.oecd.org/internet/innovation/48289796.pdf.

22 See OECD Committee on the Digital Economy, Meeting the policy challenges of tomorrow’s digital economy, 

https://www.oecd.org/internet/ministerial/ (last visited May 20, 2016).
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ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION (APEC)

In addition to participating in the APEC e-Commerce Working Group, the Department is also 

an active participant in the APEC Telecommunications and Information (TEL) Working Group, 

where it advances U.S. priorities on Internet governance issues and helps to incorporate greater 

involvement of non-governmental stakeholders in the group’s activities. NTIA served as Deputy 

Chairman of the TEL’s Development Steering Group (DSG) from 2013-2016 and in this position 

helped develop a forward-looking agenda that focused on mobile broadband connectivity and 

Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) deployment. 

On the latter point, NTIA partnered with the Asia-Pacific Network Information Center (APNIC) to 

plan and execute a series of three multistakeholder workshops in 2009 and 2010 that focused on 

regional cooperation to expand the deployment of IPv6, a standard that is critical to the continued 

growth of the Internet. The workshops featured expert speakers from government, business, and 

the technical community, hailing from all levels of development in the APEC region. The practical 

lessons learned in the workshops were enshrined in the APEC TEL IPv6 Guidelines, a document 

that was negotiated in the TEL Working Group and later endorsed by a Ministerial-level meeting. 

The Guidelines detail practical steps that all stakeholders can follow to support the deployment of 

IPv6 and facilitate broadband infrastructure, ubiquitous network development, and 

economic growth.

PRIVATIZING THE MANAGEMENT OF THE DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM

The Domain Name System (DNS) is a critical component of the Internet’s infrastructure that 

enables Internet users to identify websites, mail servers, and other Internet destinations by typing 

in easy-to-understand domain names in lieu of long Internet Protocol numbers. A 1997 Executive 

Memorandum directed the Secretary of Commerce to privatize the Internet domain name system 

(DNS) in a manner that increases competition and facilitates international participation in its 

management.23 To accomplish this task the Department, through NTIA, has partnered with the 

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in a series of agreements as well 

as representing the United States in ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC). During 

the Obama Administration, NTIA’s relationship with ICANN has evolved significantly given the 

maturity of ICANN and growing global acceptance of the multistakeholder model.

AFFIRMATION OF COMMITMENTS

In the fall of 1998, NTIA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ICANN to 

transition technical DNS coordination and management functions to the private sector. The 

MOU culminated in 2009 with the Affirmation of Commitments (Affirmation).24 The Affirmation

signified a critical step in the successful transition to a multistakeholder, private-sector led model 

23 President William J. Clinton, Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies, Electronic Commerce, 

1997 Pub. Papers 898 (July 1, 1997), available at http://clinton4.nara.gov/WH/New/Commerce/directive.html. 

24 Affirmation of Commitments by the United States Department of Commerce and the 

Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (Sept. 30, 2009), available at 

https://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/affirmation_of_commitments_2009.pdf.
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for DNS technical coordination, while also establishing an accountability framework of ongoing 

multistakeholder reviews of ICANN’s performance.

ICANN has made significant progress in fulfilling the commitments established by the Affirmation, 

including implementation of recommendations that resulted from a series of multistakeholder 

community reviews, such as those conducted by the Accountability and Transparency Review 

Team (ATRT). NTIA actively participated in two iterations of ATRT in 2010 and 2013. The ATRT 

reports, to which a broad array of international stakeholders from industry, civil society, the Internet 

technical community, and other governments contributed, have served as a key accountability tool 

for ICANN – evaluating its progress and recommending improvements to its operations. These 

efforts have further strengthened the resolve and influence of the multistakeholder community 

participating in ICANN.

IANA STEWARDSHIP TRANSITION

NTIA announced, in March 2014, its intent to transition stewardship of key Internet domain name 

functions to the global multistakeholder community and complete the privatization begun in 

1997. NTIA asked ICANN to convene a multistakeholder process to develop a transition plan to 

complete this privatization, and set out clear criteria that must be met in order for the transition 

to be approved.25 Specifically, NTIA said that the transition proposal must have broad community 

support and meet the following criteria: 

1. Support and enhance the multistakeholder model; 

2. Maintain the security, stability, and resiliency of the Internet DNS;

3. Meet the needs and expectation of the global customers and partners of the IANA

 services; and 

4. Maintain the openness of the Internet.

NTIA also stated it would not accept a proposal that replaces the NTIA role with a government-led 

or inter-governmental organization solution. 

Two years have passed since the NTIA announcement, and much has happened. The 

multistakeholder community rose to the challenge and developed a transition plan that has 

broad community support. The community’s efforts represent the largest multistakeholder process 

to date. Stakeholders have spent more than 26,000 working hours on the proposal, exchanged 

more than 33,000 messages on mailing lists, and held more than 600 meetings and calls. 

On March 10, 2016, the ICANN Board transmitted to NTIA the final proposal.26 

25 See Press Release, NTIA Office of Public Affairs, NTIA Announces Intent to Transition Key Internet Domain Name 

Functions (Mar. 14, 2014), available at https://www.ntia.doc.gov/press-release/2014/ntia-announces-intent-transition-keyinternet-domain-name-functions. See also NTIA, Report on the Transition of the Stewardship of the Internet Assigned 

Numbers Authority (IANA) Functions (Jan. 2015), available at https://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/iana_

report_013015.pdf.

26 ICANN, IANA Stewardship Proposal and Enhancing ICANN Accountability Recommendations (Mar. 10, 2016), available at 

https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/iana-stewardship-transition-package-10mar16-en.pdf.
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On June 9, 2016, NTIA announced that the multistakeholder community developed IANA 

Stewardship Transition Proposal meets the criteria NTIA outlined in March 2014. NTIA also 

evaluated the proposal against relevant principles in the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations 

of the Treadway Commission (COSO) Framework related to internal controls, as recommended 

by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), and finds that the proposal adequately 

addresses those principles. Lastly, an expert panel of corporate governance experts reviewed the 

ICANN Accountability proposal and concludes the proposal is “consistent with sound principles of 

good governance.” For these reasons, NTIA found that the IANA Stewardship Transition Proposal 

meets the criteria necessary to complete the long-promised privatization of the IANA functions.27

Implementation of the transition plan and completion of the transition will help ensure 

the continued leadership of the private sector in making decisions related to the technical 

underpinning of the Internet. It also will counter attempts by some foreign governments that have 

used the U.S. government’s legacy role related to the DNS to argue that governments should 

control the Internet domain name system.

ICANN GOVERNMENTAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (GAC)

As the overall coordinator of U.S. government positions related to ICANN and the DNS, NTIA 

represents U.S. interests in ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC). In this capacity, 

the Department has not only promoted the interests of the United States, it has also supported 

the multistakeholder approach to Internet governance by actively promoting the participation 

of governments within ICANN’s multistakeholder structure. NTIA has strongly advocated for 

maintaining the GAC’s advisory – non-decisional – role in the face of calls from other governments 

to give GAC authority over all other stakeholders. 

Of particular note, the Department successfully coordinated the development and advocacy of U.S. 

government proposals related to the introduction of new generic top level domains (new gTLDs) 

between 2010 and the present, which represents the most significant expansion of the domain 

name space since ICANN’s creation. Working with its counterparts in the GAC, the Department 

played a leading role in developing consensus GAC positions to inform ICANN’s implementation 

of the new gTLD program. These consensus positions, the majority of which were adopted by the 

ICANN Board, were oriented toward ensuring the inclusion of adequate safeguards to promote 

consumer trust and protection, competition, the protection of intellectual property rights, and 

respect for law enforcement efforts to mitigate abuse and criminal activities. 

In addition to the substantive improvements noted above, the Department has actively and 

successfully supported the progressive adoption of greater transparency procedures for GAC 

meetings, such that all GAC sessions are now open to the public. The USPTO has supported NTIA 

within the GAC since its inception, providing intellectual property guidance and advice on the 

various intellectual property issues arising within ICANN, and playing a key role in the development 

of the Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs), mechanisms to help trademark owners address 

problems that may arise in connection with the new generic top-level domains (new gTLDs). 

27 See IANA Stewardship Transition Proposal Assessment Report (June 9, 2016), available at 

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/report/2016/iana-stewardship-transition-proposal-assessment-report
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As ICANN makes plans for a possible second round of new gTLDs, the USPTO will continue to 

support NTIA on issues arising within the GAC related to intellectual property as well as, in general, 

serve as an advocate for the intellectual property stakeholders within ICANN.
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II. TRUST AND SECURITY ONLINE

The digital economy thrives when businesses and consumers can trust that their security and 

privacy are protected online. It struggles when businesses and consumers worry about their data 

and their privacy. As the voice of American business in policymaking for the U.S. government, the 

Commerce Department plays an important role in cybersecurity and digital privacy policymaking by 

facilitating dialogue between the government and industry. Through a variety of multistakeholder 

processes and diplomatic engagements, the Department has helped establish best practices 

for protecting consumers and their data from abuse online, while avoiding overly burdensome 

regulation that might stifle innovation.28

STRENGTHENING CONSUMER PRIVACY PROTECTIONS 

The Department of Commerce is committed to strengthening commercial data privacy protections 

for the American consumer. Consumers should feel confident that personal information collected 

online will be used consistently with clearly stated purposes, in ways that match their expectations 

and is protected from misuse. Building consumer trust is fundamental to maintaining and 

increasing commercial activity on the Internet, and thus to the long-term success of the digital 

economy. Throughout the Obama Administration, the Department has played an instrumental role 

in developing policies that promote consumer trust by protecting consumer privacy on the Internet 

and across the digital economy. Such work is vital not only to helping consumers avail themselves 

of the full use of the Internet, but also to ensuring that the Internet remains a dynamic political, 

educational, cultural, and social medium. 

Over the course of the past seven years, the Department has undertaken a number of initiatives, 

described further below, designed to promote meaningful privacy safeguards for consumers, as well 

as greater certainty for businesses by increasing consistency between global privacy frameworks.

CONSUMER PRIVACY – DOMESTIC POLICY 

During the Obama Administration, the Department led or co-led three major domestic policy 

initiatives regarding consumer privacy. First, in 2010, the Privacy Green Paper explored U.S. privacy

28 This mission is consistent with the OECD Internet Policymaking Principle #6, “Foster voluntary developed codes 

of conduct,” #9, “Strengthen consistency and effectiveness in privacy protection at a global level,” #13, “Encourage 

cooperation to promote Internet security,” as well as others indirectly. Id. OECD, Communiqué on Principles for Internet 

Policy-Making (June 29, 2011), available at https://www.oecd.org/internet/innovation/48289796.pdf
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laws, identified emerging issues, and recommended that the Administration articulate high-level 

principles and a path forward for updating U.S. privacy safeguards.29 

Building on the Privacy Green Paper, the Administration’s 2012 Privacy Blueprint developed a 

Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, which called for comprehensive privacy legislation to codify a 

set of high level and enforceable privacy principles, created multistakeholder processes to help 

stakeholders apply those principles to codes of conduct governing particular business sectors, and 

supported increased international consistency between different countries’ privacy frameworks.30

In 2014, the report Big Data and Privacy: A Technological Perspective – led by the White House in 

close collaboration with the Department analyzed current and near-term uses of big data analysis. 

The report recommended steps to embrace the benefits of big data technologies while also 

protecting fundamental values like privacy, fairness, and self-determination.31 The report identified 

six discrete policy recommendations, including a call for circulation of an Administration draft 

privacy bill, a recommendation to extend privacy protections to non-U.S. persons, and an expansion 

of federal agencies’ technical expertise. 

The Obama Administration is also the first U.S. Administration to call for a comprehensive privacy 

law, and the first to circulate a draft bill.32 In its 2012 Privacy Blueprint, the Administration called on 

Congress to draft and pass a comprehensive consumer privacy law that would apply to industries 

that are not subject to sector-specific federal privacy laws.33 The Commerce Department was 

instrumental in crafting that recommendation, which states that a privacy bill should articulate highlevel principles based on the aforementioned Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, empower the Federal 

Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce those principles, and provide incentives for stakeholders to 

create enforceable codes of conduct for specific business sectors. In the absence of congressional 

action, the Department led the Administration’s effort to craft and publicly release, in 2015, a 

discussion draft for a baseline privacy bill and urged Congress to act on this important issue. 

MULTISTAKEHOLDER PROCESSES

As noted above, a central tenet of the OECD Principles is the use of “multistakeholder” approaches 

to policymaking, which the Department uses in a range of areas. The Department has moved 

forward in efforts to promote consumer privacy, convening three multistakeholder processes 

on important privacy issues.34 “Multistakeholder” policymaking processes generally involve all 

29 U.S. Department of Commerce IPTF, Commercial Data Privacy and Innovation in the Internet Economy: 

A Dynamic Policy Framework (Dec. 16, 2010), available at https://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/

iptf_privacy_greenpaper_12162010.pdf.

30 The White House, Consumer Data Privacy in a Network World: A Framework for 

Protecting Privacy and Promoting Innovation in the Global Digital Economy (Feb. 2012), available at 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/privacy-final.pdf. 

31 The White House, Executive Office of the President, Big Data and Privacy: A Technological Perspective (May 2014), 

available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/big_data_privacy_report_may_1_2014.pdf.

32 The White House, Administration Discussion Draft: Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights Act of 2015, available at 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/legislative/letters/cpbr-act-of-2015-discussion-draft.pdf.

33 The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, Fact Sheet: Plan to Protect Privacy in the Internet Age by Adopting a 

Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights (Feb. 23, 2012), available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/02/23/factsheet-plan-protect-privacy-internet-age-adopting-consumer-privacy-b.

34 See NTIA Privacy, https://www.ntia.doc.gov/category/privacy (last visited May 12, 2016).
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parties interested in a given issue working together in an open, transparent, and consensus-driven 

manner to develop flexible and innovative solutions to their mutual benefit. These processes 

give stakeholders an opportunity to improve safeguards for consumers, create greater clarity for 

industry, and help establish a culture of collaboration in policy development. 

In the first of the three multistakeholder processes, stakeholders reached consensus on a code 

of conduct on mobile application privacy disclosures.35 Privacy notices are an important way for 

consumers to understand how mobile apps collect and use personal data, but small screens present 

challenges when app developers need to effectively communicate complex information to users. 

The multistakeholder-developed privacy notices are currently used in apps that reach more than 

200 million consumers. Two leading trade associations have made open source computer code 

available to all app developers, enabling small developers to include enhanced notices in their 

products without incurring significant legal costs or dedicating substantial engineering and 

design resources.

The Department is also currently convening a multistakeholder process to establish a code of 

conduct for commercial use of facial recognition technology, which holds substantial promise in 

a range of contexts, such as for biometric security, tailored marketing, and social networking, but 

raises privacy concerns for many users.36 The process seeks to provide privacy protections for 

consumers while avoiding government action that might threaten innovation. The goal is to create 

the right balance where trust enables the emerging technologies to flourish. 

Finally, commercial and private unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) can improve a wide range 

of services, from aerial mapping to pipeline inspection to package delivery. At the same time, 

however, the idea of widespread UAS flight raises privacy concerns for individuals, property owners, 

and businesses. Therefore, as directed by President Obama, the Department convened another 

multistakeholder process in which a diverse group of stakeholders worked to help build trust by 

developing best practices regarding privacy, transparency, and accountability in commercial and 

private UAS use.37 After 10 months of work, participants finalized a best practices document 

aimed at building consumer trust, giving users the tools to innovate in this space in a manner that 

respects privacy, and providing accountability and transparency.38

INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT ON CONSUMER PRIVACY 

Divergent cross-border privacy principles and regulations create challenges to electronic commerce 

because they confuse consumers, raise barriers to cross-border data flows, and generate significant 

35 See NTIA, Privacy Multistakeholder Process: Mobile Application Transparency (Nov. 12, 2013), available at 

https://www.ntia.doc.gov/other-publication/2013/privacy-multistakeholder-process-mobile-application-transparency. 

36 See NTIA, Privacy Multistakeholder Process: Facial Recognition Technology (Mar. 28, 2016), available at 

https://www.ntia.doc.gov/other-publication/2016/privacy-multistakeholder-process-facial-recognition-technology.

37 See The White House, Presidential Memorandum: Promoting Economic Competitiveness While Safeguarding Privacy, 

Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties in Domestic Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Feb. 15, 2015), available at

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/02/15/presidential-memorandum-promoting-economiccompetitiveness-while-safegua. See also NTIA, Multistakeholder Process: Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Apr. 4, 2016), 

available at https://www.ntia.doc.gov/other-publication/2016/multistakeholder-process-unmanned-aircraft-systems.

38 See NTIA, Voluntary Best Practices for UAS Privacy, Transparency, and Accountability (May 18, 2016), available at https://

www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/voluntary_best_practices_for_uas_privacy_transparency_and_accountability_0.pdf
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compliance costs for companies. A greater degree of consistency in global approaches to data 

privacy should foster international trade and investment, improve the efficiency of businesses’ 

global operations, and strengthen consumer trust in cross-border transactions.

SAFE HARBOR FRAMEWORKS

The Safe Harbor Frameworks that the United States developed with the European Union and 

Switzerland are early examples of global interoperability that have had a meaningful impact 

on transatlantic data flows. The Commerce Department, in consultation with the European 

Commission and the Federal Information and Data Protection Commissioner of Switzerland, 

developed these frameworks.

The U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework and the U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor Framework, which became 

operational in 2000 and 2009 respectively, were developed to accomplish the objectives 

of protecting personal information, while also ensuring that companies could transfer such 

information in a way that did not disrupt their global business operations.39 These frameworks 

enabled more than 5,000 companies to make voluntary but enforceable self-certifications to 

the Department that they comply with privacy policies consistent with relevant EU and Swiss 

data protection requirements. Given that more than half of Safe Harbor participants were Small 

and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), the program helped raise privacy awareness among smaller 

enterprises that might not have otherwise been as actively engaged in protecting privacy in their 

daily business operations. 

EU-U.S. PRIVACY SHIELD

After more than two years of intensive consultations with the European Commission, the 

Department reached an agreement with the Commission on a new EU-U.S. Privacy Shield 

Framework to replace the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework.40 The EU-U.S. Privacy Shield is a 

significant accomplishment for privacy, individuals, and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. 

Underpinning hundreds of billions in transatlantic digital services trade,the modernized framework 

will yield significant benefits for both individuals and businesses by providing meaningful privacy 

39 See Welcome to the U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor, http://www.export.gov/safeharbor/swiss/index.asp (last visited May 20, 2016); 

U.S.-E.U. Safe Harbor Overview, http://www.export.gov/safeharbor/eu/eg_main_018362.asp (last visited May 20, 2016).

40 See U.S. Department of Commerce, Statement from U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker on EU-U.S. Privacy 

Shield (Feb. 2, 2016, 2:35 PM) https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2016/02/statement-us-secretarycommerce-penny-pritzker-eu-us-privacy-shield. See also U.S. Department of Commerce, EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Fact 

Sheet (Feb. 2, 2016, 6:30 PM), https://www.commerce.gov/news/fact-sheets/2016/02/eu-us-privacy-shield; 2000/520/EC: 

COMMISSION DECISION of 26 July 2000 pursuant to Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council 

on the adequacy of the protection provided by the safe harbour privacy principles and related frequently asked questions 

issued by the US Department of Commerce, Official Journal of the European Communities, (July 26, 2000), available 

at http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32000D0520&from=en. Following the release in 

November 2013 of the European Commission’s report on the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework, the Commerce Department 

initiated consultations with the Commission to address the Commission’s 13 recommendations to strengthen the Safe 

Harbor program. The Department worked extensively throughout the consultations across the U.S. government with the 

business community to obtain relevant insight and support. Even greater urgency was injected into consultations by the 

European Court of Justice’s judgment in October 2015, declaring as invalid the European Commission’s July 2000 decision, 

which had recognized adherence to the provisions of U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework by participating U.S. companies as 

ensuring adequate data protection for personal data transferred from the EU to the United States.
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safeguards and greater certainty.41 The transparent, robust, and enforceable data protection 

demanded by the Privacy Shield aligns with individual expectations and business realities in 

today’s digital economy. The Privacy Shield supports shared privacy principles, bridging the 

differences in legal approaches, while furthering trade and economic objectives of both Europe 

and the United States.

The Department will continue to lead U.S. Government efforts to finalize and implement the 

EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework. The European Commission is working to complete a formal 

process, which includes review by EU data protection authorities and consideration by Member 

States, to approve the Privacy Shield Framework as a mechanism to transfer personal data 

from the EU to the United States. The Department, with ITA in the lead, will then administer 

the program and engage the private sector on the implementation of the Framework, to ensure 

individuals and businesses receive its important benefits and to foster the transatlantic exchange 

of information that drives the global digital economy.

APEC CROSS BORDER PRIVACY RULES

In order to help achieve consistency of privacy rules globally, the Commerce Department helped 

lead an initiative of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to facilitate transnational 

mutual recognition of company privacy practices. APEC developed a voluntary, enforceable 

system, known as the Cross Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) System, to promote mutually recognized 

data privacy practices for companies doing business in participating APEC economies.42 This 

system, which is effectively an enforceable code of conduct based on the APEC Privacy Principles, 

aims to streamline the data privacy policies and practices of companies operating throughout the 

vast APEC region.43 The CBPR System requires participants to demonstrate that they comply 

with CBPR program requirements based on the APEC Privacy Framework. Moreover, the 

commitments an applicant makes during this process, while voluntary, must be enforceable under 

laws in participating economies. Successful CBPR certification entitles participating companies 

to represent to consumers that they are accountable, and that they meet stringent and globally 

recognized standards, thereby facilitating the transfer of personal data throughout the 

APEC region.44

The Commerce Department, along with the FTC, was instrumental in the development of the 

CBPR System, and leads U.S. Government efforts to implement it. The goal of the system is to 

facilitate trade and strengthen consumer privacy protections across the Asia Pacific region, where 

41 See Joshua P. Meltzer, The Brookings Institution, The Importance of the Internet and Transatlantic Data Flow for U.S. and 

EU Trade and Investment (Oct. 2014), available at http://www.brookings.edu/ ̃/media/research/files/papers/2014/10/internettransatlantic-data-flows-meltzer/internet-transatlantic-data-flows-version-2.pdf. 

42 For an overview of the APEC CBPR System, see About the APEC CBPR System, http://www.cbprs.org/GeneralPages/

About.aspx (last visited May 12, 2016). To view documents (e.g., policies, rules, and guidelines) relating to the CBPR system, 

see APEC CBPR System Documents, http://www.cbprs.org/GeneralPages/APECCBPRSystemDocuments.aspx 

(last visited May 12, 2016).

43 The APEC member economies are Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; 

Japan; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; The Philippines; Russia; Singapore; Republic of Korea; 

Chinese Taipei; Thailand; the United States of America; and Vietnam. See APEC Member Economies, http://www.apec.org/

about-us/about-apec/member-economies.aspx (last visited May 12, 2016).

44 There are currently 14 participating companies, including Apple, Hewlett Packard, and IBM. See Cross Border Privacy 

Rules System, http://www.cbprs.org/ (follow “APEC CBPR Compliance Directory”) (last visited May 12, 2016).
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the 21 member economies of APEC comprise a market of 2.7 billion consumers and account 

for 55 percent of world real gross domestic product, as well as 44 percent of world trade. The 

Department continues to actively encourage companies and additional APEC economies to join 

the CBPR System.45

PRIVACY RECOGNITION FOR PROCESSORS SYSTEM

The Department also worked with a team of experts from across APEC economies to create the 

Privacy Recognition for Processors (PRP) System to expand the benefits of the digital value chain 

to data processors in the APEC region.46 The PRP System is designed to complement the CBPR 

System.47 It helps controllers identify trusted processors and enables processors to demonstrate 

their ability to comply with a controller’s requirements.48

APEC-EU 

In 2012, the APEC Data Privacy Subgroup and European Union Article 29 Working Party, which 

is made up of representatives from data protection authorities from EU member states, created 

the EU/APEC BCR-CBPR Joint Working Team to explore the interoperability of the EU System 

of Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs) and the APEC CBPR System. The Commerce Department, 

working together with the French Data Protection Authority (DPA), led work to develop “the 

Referential,” released in 2014, which maps the requirements of the BCR and CBPR systems.49 

The Referential identified common and divergent requirements under the two systems to inform 

companies seeking to develop policies and practices in compliance with both systems. groups

As companies began using the Referential and considered pursuing approval or certification under 

both systems, they suggested that the Joint Working Team develop additional products. The 

Department is now leading the Joint Working Team’s effort to develop a common application 

form, which could be completed by companies and other organizations and submitted to both 

45 There are currently four participating APEC CBPR System economies: the United States, Mexico, Japan, and Canada, 

with more expected to join soon. About the APEC CBPR System, http://www.cbprs.org/GeneralPages/About.aspx 

(last visited May 12, 2016).

46 To view an overview of the APEC PRP, see About the APEC CBPR System, http://www.cbprs.org/GeneralPages/

APECCBPRSystemDocuments.aspx (last visited May 12, 2016). To view APEC PRP policies, rules, and guidelines, see APEC 

Privacy Recognition for Processors System Policies, Rules, and Guidelines, available at http://www.apec.org/ ̃/media/Files/

Groups/ECSG/2015/APEC%20PRP%20Rules%20and%20Guidelines.pdf.

47 The PRP system was endorsed by APEC in 2015. See Electronic Commerce Steering Group, http://www.apec.org/groups/

committee-on-trade-and-investment/electronic-commerce-steering-group.aspx (last visited May 12, 2016).

48 See Glossary for the APEC CBPR System, http://www.cbprs.org/GeneralPages/Glossary.aspx (last visited 

May 12, 2016). The term “personal information controller” refers to: A person or organization who controls the collection, 

holding, processing or use of Personal Information. It includes a person or organization who instructs another person 

or organization to collect, hold, process, use, transfer or disclose Personal Information on his or her behalf, but excludes 

a person or organisation that performs such functions as instructed by another person or organisation. It also excludes 

an individual who collects, holds, processes or uses Personal Information in connection with the individual’s personal, 

family or household affairs. The term “personal information processor” refers to “An organisation that, at the instruction 

of a Personal Information Controller, collects, holds, processes, uses, transfers or discloses Personal Information on the 

controller’s behalf.”

49 APEC, Referential BCR CBPR Requirements (Mar. 7, 2014), available at 

http://www.apec.org/ ̃/media/files/groups/ecsg/20140307_referential-bcr-cbpr-reqs.pdf.
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national DPAs in the EU and APEC Accountability Agents to facilitate double certification.50 The 

goal is to reduce the administrative burden that companies face in pursuing approvals under both 

the EU’s and APEC’s data protection systems. This work has received significant interest from 

industry and regulators due to its potential to serve as a bridge between the privacy frameworks in 

the two regions.51

SUPPORTING SECURITY IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY

The digital ecosystem can present challenges to security and the trust of consumers online. 

Over the past seven years, cybersecurity threats have expanded and diversified. In response, 

the Department of Commerce has worked to enhance the security and resilience of the digital 

ecosystem in order to maintain a digital environment that encourages efficiency, innovation, 

and economic prosperity, while also promoting security, consumer trust, business confidentiality, 

privacy, and civil liberties. 

Within the Department, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researches, 

develops, and deploys information security standards and technology to protect information 

systems and services. NIST accomplishes this mission through internal research and collaborative 

partnerships with a wide range of domestic and foreign stakeholders. Over the course of the 

Obama Administration, the NIST cybersecurity portfolio has expanded with new initiatives, 

including the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace and the National Cybersecurity 

Center of Excellence. New initiatives also emerged from the implementation of the Obama 

Administration’s Executive Order 13636, Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. 

In addition, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) also advances 

a range of cybersecurity initiatives as part of its statutory mission to advance Internet policies 

that serve to protect, promote, and reinforce an open, innovative Internet ecosystem and digital 

economy. In particular, NTIA led the U.S. government’s efforts to foster the adoption of the 

Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC), one of the most important cybersecurity 

technologies for the Internet’s naming system, and has convened a series of multistakeholder 

meetings to address challenges surrounding the disclosure of software vulnerabilities. 

50 The APEC-EU Working Group consists of interested APEC Economies and representatives from data protection 

authorities in the European Union Article 29 Working Party and from the European Commission. See Electronic Commerce 

Steering Group, http://www.apec.org/groups/committee-on-trade-and-investment/electronic-commerce-steering-group.

aspx (last visited May 12, 2016).

51 A common “Referential”, which serves as an informal, pragmatic checklist of the respective requirements of the APEC 

CBPR system and EU BCRs, was released in 2014. See Article 29 Data Protection Working Party, Opinion 02/2014 on a 

referential for requirements for Binding Corporate Rules submitted to national Data Protection Authorities in the EU and 

Cross Border Privacy Rules submitted to APEC CBPR Accountability Agents (Feb. 27, 2014), available at http://ec.europa.

eu/justice/data-protection/article-29/documentation/opinion-recommendation/files/2014/wp212_en.pdf. In 2015, both 

sides explored the possibility of further cooperation to foster interoperability. The EU agreed, in the short to medium term, 

to work with the APEC on a joint application form for the BCRs and CBPR System, and a mapping of policies, practices, 

tools that are to be submitted as part of applications under both systems. In the longer term, the EU agreed to work on a 

common referential for processor recognition, mapping the requirements of the BCRs for processors and the APEC PRP. 

A discussion was also held in 2015 with private sector stakeholders who provided views on the functionalities and important 

elements of a common questionnaire. See Electronic Commerce Steering Group, http://www.apec.org/groups/committeeon-trade-and-investment/electronic-commerce-steering-group.aspx (last visited May 12, 2016).
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NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR TRUSTED IDENTITIES IN CYBERSPACE

The National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) is an initiative to address the 

inadequacy of passwords - one of the most commonly exploited vulnerabilities in cyberspace.52 

Under this initiative, NIST collaborates with the private sector to catalyze a marketplace for better 

identity and authentication mechanisms – an “Identity Ecosystem” – that raises the level of trust 

associated with the online identities of individuals, organizations, networks, services, and devices. 

As part of this effort, NIST funded 15 pilot programs to test new approaches to overcome barriers 

to identification and authentication in cyberspace, such as usability, privacy, and interoperability, 

which have hindered market acceptance and wider use of stronger authentication technologies.53 

NSTIC exemplifies NIST’s robust collaboration with industry; the private sector is to lead 

implementation of the initiative. As part of the NSTIC, NIST partnered with the privately 

led Identity Ecosystem Steering Group to craft better standards and tools to improve 

authentication online.54

NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY CENTER OF EXCELLENCE 

In 2012, NIST established the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) to bring 

together experts from industry, government, and academia to develop and disseminate practical 

cybersecurity standards, technologies, and best practices for the American business community.55 

The NCCoE is a unique partnership among three levels of government: NIST at the federal level, 

the State of Maryland, and Maryland’s Montgomery County. In 2014, NCCoE established the first 

Federally Funded Research and Development Center dedicated to cybersecurity. The NCCoE 

responds to national priorities and critical security concerns that affect critical infrastructure, 

e-commerce, and privacy. NIST built partnerships with 23 industry organizations who have 

pledged to maintain a continuous presence at the center. More than 25 other technology 

companies are working on projects at the NCCoE under Cooperative Research and Development 

Agreements, including programs involving the health care, energy, financial services, and retail 

sectors, which address cross-cutting issues such as mobile device security, software asset 

management, cloud security, identity management, and secure email.56

FRAMEWORK FOR IMPROVING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE CYBERSECURITY

In 2014, NIST issued the Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity

(Framework) in accordance with Executive Order 13636.57 The Framework, created through 

collaboration with industry, government, and academia, consists of international standards and 

52 See National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, http://www.nist.gov/nstic/index.html 

(last visited May 12, 2016).

53 See Catalyzing the Marketplace: NSTIC Pilot Programs, http://www.nist.gov/nstic/pilots.html (last visited May 12, 2016).

54 See The Identity Ecosystem Steering Group, https://www.idesg.org/ (last visited May 12, 2016).

55 See NIST National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, https://nccoe.nist.gov/ (last visited May 12, 2016).

56 For further information on these agreements, see NIST Technology Partnerships Office, 

http://www.nist.gov/tpo/collaborations/crada.cfm (last visited May 12, 2016).

57 The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, Executive Order -- Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity

(Feb. 12, 2013), available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/12/executive-order-improving-criticalinfrastructure-cybersecurity. 
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practices to promote cybersecurity risk management. Since its release, NIST has strengthened 

its collaborations with critical infrastructure owners and operators, industry leaders, government 

partners, and other stakeholders to raise awareness; encouraged use of the Framework by 

organizations supporting the critical infrastructure; and developed implementation guides and 

resources, all of which contribute to reducing cyber risks to U.S. critical infrastructure. And while 

the Framework was born through U.S. policy, it is not a “U.S. only” framework; many countries and 

international entities are adopting an approach that is compatible with the Framework.

In addition to the initiatives discussed above, NIST also supported cybersecurity research and 

standards for national priority issues such as the Department of Energy’s “Smart Grid” initiative, 

where cybersecurity was identified as a priority area. To support this, NIST established the Smart 

Grid Interoperability Panel to work with stakeholders in specific areas, including cybersecurity, and 

also created a test-bed of interconnected and interacting labs that will perform research on smart 

grid system measurements, characterization of smart grid protocols, and validation of smart 

grid standards.58

MULTISTAKEHOLDER COLLABORATION ON VULNERABILITY RESEARCH DISCLOSURE

The Department utilizes the multistakeholder model of policymaking in a range of areas. In 2015, 

NTIA launched a multistakeholder process to foster collaboration between security researchers and 

software and system developers on the issue of vulnerability research disclosure. This is not a new 

question: all complex software products will have flaws, and how researchers should handle these 

vulnerabilities, and how software vendors should work with researchers, has been a matter of active 

debate. Researchers have expressed concerns that vendors do not respond in a timely fashion, 

leaving users at risk. Vendors worry about the time, expense, and added complexity of addressing 

vulnerabilities, as well as the risks introduced by potentially disclosing vulnerabilities before they 

can be patched or mitigated. These questions are more important as the digital economy 

develops and represents a greater share of the overall economy, with companies ranging from the 

retail to the automotive sector now finding themselves responsible for developing and 

maintaining software. 

NTIA’s goal in the vulnerability research disclosure multistakeholder process is “to bring together 

security researchers, software vendors, and those interested in a more secure digital ecosystem 

to create common principles and best practices around the disclosure of and response to new 

security vulnerability information.”59 The goal is not to dictate a single way that organizations and 

researchers must interact, but to establish a path to increased and more effective collaboration 

between the two. Stakeholders have identified several important issues, including how to foster 

awareness and adoption of existing best practices, and how to handle disclosure in safety-critical 

products and industries.

58 See NIST Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP), http://www.nist.gov/smartgrid/sgipbuffer.cfm 

(last visited May 12, 2016).

59 Angela Simpson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, NTIA, Enhancing the Digital Economy 

Through Collaboration on Vulnerability Research Disclosure (July 9, 2015), http://www.ntia.doc.gov/blog/2015/enhancingdigital-economy-through-collaboration-vulnerability-research-disclosure. 
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INTERNET OF THINGS WORK STREAM

The Internet of Things (IoT) work stream is led by NTIA on behalf of the Department. IoT is the 

broad term that describes the connection of physical objects, infrastructure, and environments 

to various identifiers, sensors, networks, and/or computing capabilities. While potential health, 

safety, environmental, commercial, and other benefits of IoT are enormous, IoT also presents novel 

challenges to consumer privacy, cybersecurity, and government engagement. NTIA published a 

Request for Comment (RFC) in April 2016, with the goal of using stakeholder comments to write 

an agenda-setting and issue-spotting “green paper” for the Department of Commerce.60 The 

RFC covers a range of subjects from privacy and cybersecurity to economic impact and proposed 

international engagement.

FACILITATING ENHANCED DNS SECURITY

In 2008, technical experts discovered an easily-exploitable security vulnerability in the protocol 

of the domain name system (DNS). NTIA and NIST worked together to address this issue in an 

effort to enhance the security and stability of the DNS. This multi-year effort included input 

from technical experts and the broader global multistakeholder community. In July 2010, a 

security technology – Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) – was deployed at 

the authoritative root of the DNS to help protect Internet users against various types of cyberattacks.61 DNSSEC is a suite of specifications from Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) that 

secure information provided by the Internet’s domain name system. This effort marked the 

most significant technical change to the DNS since its inception and created a more secure user 

experience on the Internet.62 

DNSSEC essentially gives a “tamper proof seal” to the address book of the Internet, and in so 

doing, gives Internet users greater confidence in their online experience. As a result, Internet users 

will have greater confidence that when they visit a particular website – whether it be their bank, 

retailer, or doctor – they are not seeing a spoofed copy that cybercriminals can use to perpetuate 

identity theft or other crimes using the DNS. 

DNSSEC deployment at the authoritative root was an important step toward protecting the 

integrity of DNS data and mitigating attacks such as cache poisoning, which allows an attacker 

to redirect traffic to fraudulent sites, and other data modification threats. It was an important 

milestone in the ongoing effort to increase Internet security and build a safer online environment 

for users. The deployment of DNSSEC at the root is the linchpin to facilitating its deployment 

throughout the world and enabling the current domain name system to evolve into a significant 

new trust infrastructure for the Internet.

60 See NTIA Internet of Things, http://www.ntia.doc.gov/category/internet-things (last visited May 12, 2016).

61 See NTIA DNSSEC, https://www.ntia.doc.gov/category/dnssec (last visited May 12, 2016).

62 ICANN, VeriSign, Final Report on DNSSEC Deployment Testing and Evaluation in the Root Zone (May 26, 2010), 

available at https://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/dnssec_05282010_0.pdf.
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III. INNOVATION AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

The Department of Commerce works to enable innovators and entrepreneurs to test new ideas, 

take risks, find financing and customers, and ultimately thrive. Towards that end and with the 

understanding that innovators need and deserve to have their creations protected, the Department 

leads the U.S. government’s efforts incentivize innovation, investment, and risk-taking by 

protecting intellectual property and by assisting with technological standardization.63

PROTECTING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY FOR CREATORS, 

CONSUMERS, AND INNOVATORS

The U.S. intellectual property system works to ensure balanced and meaningful protection for 

intellectual property in the digital age. Patents promote investment and competition in highspeed networks and services, software, and Internet-related business methods. Trademarks, 

including within domain names, protect product identification and provide consumer information in 

a rapidly expanding electronic marketplace. Finally, the copyright system provides incentives 

for creators to produce and distribute their works. It also incorporates exceptions and limitations 

to accommodate appropriate uses of those works in a dynamic and rapidly evolving 

technological landscape. 

COPYRIGHT

A healthy copyright system strikes an important balance between rights and exceptions to rights. 

This balance must be reviewed regularly to ensure that the system continues to function well as a 

foundation for America’s creative culture and economy. During the course of the Administration, 

the Department of Commerce has undertaken significant work in this regard, as described below. 

Green Paper on Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the Digital Economy

The USPTO and NTIA, on behalf of the Internet Policy Task Force (IPTF), conducted a review 

of copyright law in the context of innovation and the Internet economy.64 In July 2013, they 

published a Green Paper on Copyright Policy, Creativity and Innovation in the Digital Economy

(Green Paper), the most comprehensive assessment of digital copyright policy issued by any 

63 These goals are in line with the OECD Internet Policymaking Principles #7, “Develop capacities to bring publically 

available, reliable data into the policymaking process,” #11, “Promote creativity and innovation,” and #14,“Give appropriate 

priority to enforcement efforts.” Id. OECD, Communiqué on Principles for Internet Policy-Making (June 29, 2011), available 

at https://www.oecd.org/internet/innovation/48289796.pdf

64 See Internet Policy Task Force, https://www.ntia.doc.gov/category/internet-policy-task-force (last visited May 13, 2016).
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administration since 1995.65 The Green Paper underscored that effective and balanced copyright 

protection need not be antithetical to the free flow of information, nor does encouraging the 

free flow of information undermine copyright. It identified certain areas for further work, which 

subsequently launched three corresponding initiatives.

White Paper on Remixes, First Sale, and Statutory Damages

One of these initiatives focused on three important copyright policy issues and culminated, after 

extensive public consultation, in the January 2016 publication of the White Paper on Remixes, 

First Sale, and Statutory Damages (White Paper).66 The White Paper summarizes stakeholder 

comments and testimony and sets forth conclusions and recommendations for lawmakers. The 

recommendations in the White Paper include: amending the Copyright Act to provide more 

guidance and greater flexibility to courts in awarding statutory damages for copyright infringement; 

making it easier for those looking to remix digital content into something new to understand 

when their use of protected works is fair, and to obtain licenses when appropriate; and the 

multistakeholder development of best practices designed to improve consumer understanding of 

online transaction terms governing the “purchases” of creative works. The White Paper 

was mindful of the need to protect copyrights effectively, while also promoting innovation 

on the Internet. 

Multistakeholder Forum on the Operation of the DMCA Notice and Takedown System

The second initiative flowing from the Green Paper dealt with the establishment of a 

multistakeholder forum to improve the operation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s 

(DMCA) notice and takedown system.67 The Department held meetings and workshops across the 

country, incorporating feedback from academics, legal professionals, content creators, producers, 

intermediaries, and consumer and public interest groups. This initiative resulted in the publication 

of a document entitled DMCA Notice-and-Takedown Processes: List of Good, Bad and Situational 

Practices.

68 This document aims to improve the efficiency of the handling and processing of 

DMCA copyright infringement notices by both senders and recipients.

65 U.S. Department of Commerce Internet Policy Task Force, Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the 

Digital Economy (July 2013) (Green Paper), available at http://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/news/publications/

copyrightgreenpaper.pdf.

66 U.S. Department of Commerce Internet Policy Task Force, White Paper on Remixes, First Sale, and

Statutory Damages (Jan. 2016) (White Paper), available at http://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/

copyrightwhitepaper.pdf. “Remixes” are described in the Green Paper as “works created through changing and combining 

existing works to produce something new and creative—as part of a trend of user generated content (UGC) that has 

become a hallmark of the Internet.” Id. at 6.

67 The DMCA’s notice and takedown system provides copyright owners with a process for requesting that Internet 

intermediaries take down content posted by a third party that infringes the copyright owner’s rights. Provided that the 

intermediary adheres to the process outline in law, it is shielded from financial liability from the copyright owner. See 17 

U.S.C. § 512.

68 U.S. Department of Commerce DMCA Multistakeholder Forum, DMCA Notice-and-Takedown Processes: List of Good, 

Bad, and Situational Practices (Apr. 7, 2015), available at http://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/DMCA_Good_

Bad_and_Situational_Practices_Document-FINAL.pdf.
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Online Licensing Environment

The third initiative involved determining an appropriate role for the government in facilitating the 

further development of the online marketplace for licensing of copyrighted works. In April 2015, 

USPTO convened a day-long public roundtable.69 Based on the input received, current work is 

focusing on the development and use of standard identifiers (such as the International Standard 

Book Number (ISBN) for books and the International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) for sound 

recordings) for all types of works of authorship, interoperability among databases and systems used 

to identify owners of rights and terms of use, and a possible portal for linking to such databases 

and to licensing platforms.70 This work is expected to continue through 2016.

DMCA Section 1201 Rulemaking

Every three years, NTIA fulfills its statutory obligation to share its views with the United 

States Copyright Office regarding proposed exemptions from the DMCA’s prohibition against 

circumventing technologies that control access to copyrighted works.71 These exemptions are 

vital to enabling innovation and free expression in the digital age. Granted exemptions have, for 

example, helped students learn by making fair use of clips from movies, made e-books accessible 

to the print-disabled, and allowed changing the settings on mobile phones so that they can be 

used with different wireless carriers. During rulemakings in 2009, 2012, and 2015, NTIA provided 

extensive input in this process, grounded in a belief that the potential of information technology is 

maximized in part when the legal environment simultaneously protects intellectual property rights, 

facilitates a competitive marketplace, and enables all Americans to exercise their right to make 

non-infringing use of lawfully obtained works.

PATENTS

Over the course of the Obama Administration, the USPTO has contributed to the development 

of the digital economy by working to promote more efficient patent systems around the world, 

including by working with other intellectual property offices to develop common rules and 

practices, achieving efficiencies through cooperative work sharing programs, and conducting 

training programs to promote rules that foster innovation and investment in the digital economy.

Requirements for patent protection across the world, while similar, are not fully aligned. As a 

result, international applicants must revise their applications for each patent office to meet laws 

and procedures in that jurisdiction, leading to decreased certainty and increased costs that may 

limit product expansion into new markets. The USPTO therefore has worked with other

69 Public Meeting on Facilitating the Development of the Online Licensing Environment for Copyrighted Works, 80 Fed. 

Reg. 13325 (Mar. 13, 2015), available at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-03-13/pdf/2015-05765.pdf.

70 U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Facilitating the Development of the Online Licensing Environment for Copyrighted 

Works (Apr. 1, 2015), available at http://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/ip-policy/copyright/facilitatingdevelopment-online-licensing-environment.

71 17 U.S.C.§ 1201(a),(c).
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Intellectual Property offices around the world to simplify the patent application process, lower 

costs, and improve access to technology.72

The Obama Administration has improved the protection and enforcement of patents domestically 

as well, and these improvements benefit all fields of technology, including those related to the 

digital economy.

America Invents Act

On September 16, 2011, President Barack Obama signed the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act 

(AIA), the most significant reform to the U.S. patent system in 60 years. The USPTO has fully 

implemented the AIA provisions designed to spur innovation and economic growth by streamlining 

the patent application process and enhancing patent quality. The USPTO successfully implemented 

the AIA provisions, established the required programs, and carried out the required studies. 

These were done with transparency and significant stakeholder and public involvement, and as 

demonstrated, for example, through the successful: 

• Transition to First Inventor to File in the United States; 

• Establishment of a new process for a third-party to challenge the patentability of granted 

patents outside the federal court system; 

• Creation of a prioritized examination mechanism for inventors to have their patent 

applications examined in one-third the average time; and 

• Setting of a new patent fee schedule and Fee Reserve Fund.73

The AIA promotes a system of clearer and more enforceable patent rights by adopting a common 

standard for determining rights to a patent. By transitioning to a simpler, more objective, and more 

transparent system for determining rights to a patent, the AIA helps ensure that independent 

inventors and small entities are able to navigate the patent system on a more equitable footing 

with larger enterprises.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and Post-Grant Trial Proceedings 

The AIA established a new process before the USPTO’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) 

for a third-party to challenge the patentability of granted patents outside the federal court 

system.74 These post-grant proceedings were designed to be a faster and less expensive alternative 

72 For example, USPTO has collaborated with Group B+ to develop a paper that memorializes principles and objectives 

for globally harmonized patent laws, which was formally agreed to an October 2015 meeting of the group. With this 

document as a foundation, the USPTO and its partner offices have engaged in studies and consultations with industry 

representatives to determine best practices for a modern patent system. “Group B+” is made up of the United States, 

the contracting states of the European Patent Convention, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Singapore, the 

European Commission, and the European Patent Office. The membership is generally based on the membership of the 

WIPO “Group B” industrialized countries, hence the name. The “+” signifies that some members are not members of WIPO 

Group B. See B+ Sub-Group, Objectives and Principles, With Commentary on Potential Outcomes (May 27, 2015), available 

at http://documents.epo.org/projects/babylon/eponet.nsf/0/A3EB2FE2F8A5AD71C1257E6D0057194A/$File/b+_sub-group_

objectives_and_principleswith_commentary_may_2015_en.pdf.

73 USPTO Study and Report on the Implementation of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (September, 2015) available at: 

http://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Report_on_Implementation_of_the_AIA_September2015.pdf.

74 Id. pp. 33-37.
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to district court litigation for resolving patentability. The PTAB has done admirable work in 

developing, implementing and administering the post-grant review proceedings intended by 

Congress to provide faster, lower-cost alternatives to district court litigation in challenging the 

validity of issued patents. The PTAB judges base all of their decisions solely upon the facts and law 

as it applies to each particular case. 

Based on the number of filings, the PTAB review proceedings have proved popular. To date, 

almost 5,000 AIA petitions have been filed and that number is more than three times what was 

anticipated. Despite this higher than expected number, the PTAB has complied with all of the 

strict statutory deadlines. Further, the great majority of PTAB final rulings have been affirmed by 

the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. For the first time, the AIA provided the USPTO with 

the authority to set all its fees to recover the aggregate costs of the services it provides, and to 

access all the fees it collects.

Patent Quality

Improving patent quality has been a top priority for the USPTO. To ensure that high-quality 

patents are issued, the USPTO established the Enhanced Patent Quality Initiative (EPQI) to 

strengthen its work products, processes, services and the measurement of patent quality at all stages 

of the patent process.75 The USPTO established a division to focus exclusively on patent quality, 

headed by the first Deputy Commissioner for Patent Quality in the agency’s history. 

In addition, the USPTO held an all-day Patent Quality Community Symposium on April 27, 2016, 

bringing together a broad range of stakeholders – patent prosecutors, litigators, inventors, 

academics, and patent examiners – for a public discussion about patent quality.76 More than 

2,200 individuals attended, including in-person at USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, at 

the USPTO Regional Offices (in Detroit, Denver, Dallas, and San Jose), and online. The USPTO will 

continue outreach efforts and seek stakeholders’ input and comments on these initiatives and any 

other patent quality-related issues. 

TRADE SECRETS

President Obama signed the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) on May 11, 2016.77 The DTSA 

provides a federal private right of action for the misappropriation of trade secrets and provides 

businesses with a more uniform, reliable, and predictable way to protect their valuable trade 

secrets. The Administration has placed high priority on mitigating and combating the theft of 

trade secrets, as exemplified in the Administration’s Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property 

75 USPTO, Enhanced Patent Quality Initiative, available at: 

http://www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/enhanced-patent-quality-initiative-0.

76 USTPO, Enhanced Patent Quality Initiative event materials and presentations, available at: 

http://www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/enhanced-patent-quality-initiative-event-materials-and-presentations.

77 Remarks by the President at Signing of S. 1890 - Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (May 11, 2016), available at: https://

www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/05/11/remarks-president-signing-s-1890-defend-trade-secrets-act-2016.
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Enforcement78, the Administration’s Strategy on Mitigating the Theft of U.S. Trade Secrets79, and 

Executive Order 1369480 authorizing sanctions on those who perpetrate cyber-enabled trade 

secret theft.

Prior to the DTSA, companies were previously only able to bring civil actions for trade secret 

protection in state court under various state laws. Under the new law, trade secret owners can 

pursue claims in federal court. The DTSA also provides for remedies including injunctive relief and 

damages for actual loss, unjust enrichment and a reasonable royalty amount. The USPTO provided 

technical advice during the development of the legislation, and the Department played a critical 

role in preparing the Statement of Administration Policy that was issued in connection with 

the legislation.

TRADEMARKS

The ongoing growth of the Internet has exacerbated the problem faced by trademark owners of 

what is known as “trademark registry squatting” or bad faith filings in trademark offices. Because 

business is online and global, opportunists are racing to foreign trademark offices to register 

brands before the true owner begins exporting and seeks protection in overseas markets. To 

respond, the USPTO advanced an international dialogue with the “TM5,” a forum that brings 

together the world’s five largest trademark offices to promote cooperation and collaboration on 

this issue.81 Since 2010, the TM5 has held four seminars to discuss best practices and to highlight 

the tools needed to combat this growing practice, which inhibits businesses’ expansion into new 

global markets. In addition, the USPTO has trained trademark offices around the world on ways to 

prevent and address this behavior.

DOMAIN NAMES

As explained above, the U.S. Government engages on issues related to domain names, including 

intellectual property issues, through its participation in the Internet Corporation for Assigned 

Names and Numbers (ICANN).82 The USPTO has played an active role in responding to 

intellectual property issues related to the expansion of generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) through

78 U.S. Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Coordinator, “2013 Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property 

Enforcement,” (June, 2013), available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/IPEC/2013-us-ipec-jointstrategic-plan.pdf.

79 See, “Administration Strategy on Mitigating the Theft of U.S. Trade Secrets,” February 2013), available at: 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/IPEC/admin_strategy_on_mitigating_the_theft_of_u.s._trade_secrets.pdf.

80 See Statement by the President on Executive Order “Blocking the Property of Certain Persons Engaging in Significant 

Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities (April 2, 2016), available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/04/02/

statement-president-executive-order-blocking-property-certain-persons-en.

81 The TM5 partners are the USPTO, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce of the People’s Republic of China 

(SAIC), the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market of the European Union (OHIM), the Japan Patent Office (JPO), 

and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO). See USPTO Office of Policy and International Affairs: TM5, http://

www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/ip-policy/office-policy-and-international-affairs-tm5 (last visited May 13, 2016).

82 See infra discussion on Privatizing The Management Of The Domain Name System, p. 27. ICANN is the organization 

that coordinates and manages policy for the global domain name system. See ICANN, https://www.icann.org/ (last visited 

May 13, 2016). As described below, the Department engages actively with ICANN on a number of issues.
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ICANN’s new gTLD Program, including developing a strategy to respond to brand owner requests 

for effective and inexpensive rights protection mechanisms (RPMs).83 

The Department, working through an NTIA-led U.S. Government interagency working group on 

domain name related issues, has coordinated with stakeholders to: (1) support U.S. intellectual 

property owners’ efforts within ICANN, resulting in a tool kit of RPMs to respond to intellectual 

property infringement, along with a built-in review mechanism; (2) contain efforts by some 

governments to claim sovereignty over geographic names and to create special enforcement 

mechanisms for them; and (3) develop safeguard language requiring registry operators to mitigate 

fraud and abuse in domain name registrations, including those relating to counterfeiting and piracy. 

This language was ultimately adopted by the ICANN Board.

Finally, in 2014, USPTO and NTIA collaborated to develop a narrowly tailored policy regarding 

the registration of trademarks for established brand owners who have already been awarded the 

TLD Registry operator contract. In this way, brand owners interested in offering their goods and 

services in a controlled TLD could ensure protection for their brands, but would not be able to use 

their trademark registration as leverage in the ICANN application process or to otherwise create an 

ownership interest in the TLD registry, apart from their trademark rights. 

KEEPING RIGHTS MEANINGFUL THROUGH TRAINING AND ADVOCACY

The USPTO actively engages in training programs around the world aimed at ensuring that 

intellectual property rights remain meaningful in the online environment. In particular, USPTO 

worked closely with governments and other stakeholders to provide technical assistance to address 

the challenging problems of enforcing intellectual property rights on the Internet. 

Through its Intellectual Property Attaché Program, USPTO has worked to improve the intellectual 

property systems of U.S. trading partners for the benefit of U.S stakeholders. Based in 10 cities 

around the world, Intellectual Property Attachés work to support intellectual property in the digital 

economy by, among other things, advocating for Internet-related U.S. intellectual property policy 

interests and initiatives; assisting U.S. business with obtaining, enforcing, and licensing intellectual 

property rights in the online environment; and conducting training activities with 

host governments.84 

The USPTO’s Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA) offers programs on a full range of 

intellectual property topics including the protection of patents, trade secrets, trademarks, and 

83 See New Generic Top-Level Domains, Glossary: Terms Applicable to the Application Process, https://archive.icann.org/en/

topics/new-gtlds/glossary-30aug11-en.pdf (last visited May 13, 2016). Top-Level Domains (TLDs) are the names at the top 

of the DNS naming hierarchy. They appear in domain names as the string of letters following the last dot, such as “NET” in 

www.example.net. The TLD administrator controls what second-level names are recognized in that TLD. The administrators 

of the root domain or root zone control what TLDs are recognized by the DNS.

84 USPTO IP Attachés are based (or about to be based) in Rio de Janeiro and Lima (covering South America); Moscow and 

Kyiv (covering CIS region); New Delhi (covering South Asia); Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai (covering China); Mexico 

City (covering Central America and the Caribbean); Bangkok (covering Southeast Asia); Kuwait City (covering the Middle 

East and North Africa); Brussels (covering the EU and its Member States); and Geneva (U.S. Mission to the WTO and U.S. 

Mission to the U.N.). See USPTO Intellectual Property Attaché Program, http://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/ippolicy/intellectual-property-rights-ipr-attach-program/intellectual (last visited May 13, 2016).
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copyright.85 The programs are offered in the United States, abroad, and over the Internet through 

webcasts and e-learning initiatives in several languages. Training for foreign government officials 

and for U.S. small to medium sized enterprises is a high priority for GIPA. Over the last ten years, 

GIPA training programs have increasingly focused on intellectual property issues in the 

digital economy.

The USPTO has also been actively involved in efforts to foster voluntarily developed codes 

of conduct for improving online enforcement. In particular, the Office of the U.S. Intellectual 

Property Enforcement Coordinator’s 2013 Joint Strategic Plan for Intellectual Property 

Enforcement provided that “[a]s part of the effort to determine whether voluntary initiatives have 

had a positive impact on reducing infringement, USPTO will solicit input from the public and other 

parts of the U.S. Government and will initiate a process to assess the effectiveness of voluntary 

initiatives.”86 USPTO has received input and is currently considering strategies for evaluating the 

effectiveness of voluntary initiatives.

FACILITATING OPEN DATA AND TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS 

FOR INTEROPERABILITY 

Data powers economic activity and growth. As noted in the 2013 Executive Order Making Open 

and Machine Readable the New Default for Government Information: 

Decades ago, the U.S. Government made both weather data and the Global 

Positioning System freely available. Since that time, American entrepreneurs and 

innovators have utilized these resources to create navigation systems, weather 

newscasts and warning systems, location-based applications, precision farming 

tools, and much more, improving Americans’ lives in countless ways and leading to 

economic growth and job creation.87

The Department of Commerce is both an advocate of American businesses and a data provider. 

The Department assumed a prominent role in the government-wide effort to manage federal 

government data as an asset, with the aim to “increase operational efficiencies, reduce costs, 

improve services, support mission needs, safeguard personal information, and increase public 

access to valuable government information.”88 

85 USPTO Global Intellectual Property Academy, 

http://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/global-intellectual-property-academy (last visited May 13, 2016).

86 U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, 2013 Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement

(June 2013), available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/IPEC/2013-us-ipec-joint-strategic-plan.pdf.

87 Exec. Order No. 13642, 78 Fed. Reg. 28111 (May 9, 2013), available at 

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-05-14/pdf/2013-11533.pdf.

88 Executive Office of the President Office of Management and Budget, Memorandum for the Heads of Executive 

Departments, Open Data Policy-Managing Information as an Asset (May 9, 2013), available at

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/memoranda/2013/m-13-13.pdf (Open Data Memorandum). 
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At the same time, the Obama Administration recognized the value to the government of using 

voluntary consensus standards.89 Voluntary consensus standards have many benefits, for example, 

eliminating the cost to the federal government of developing its own standards; providing 

incentives and opportunities to establish standards that serve national needs; encouraging longterm growth for U.S. enterprises; and promoting efficiency, economic competition, and trade. 

Importantly, they ensure stakeholder buy-in and technical quality. 

The Department’s open data efforts are built upon a foundation established by international 

agreements, Obama Administration policies, and a long history of enabling economic activity by 

providing data to the public. 

OPEN DATA

Obama Administration policies that have guided the Department’s Open Data efforts have been 

stated in various memoranda and orders.90 In 2013, data became one of the five priority areas 

of the Department’s Open for Business strategic plan, with the goal of maximizing the positive 

impacts of the Department’s data on society.91 The Department produces vast quantities of 

data – economic and demographic data; technical standards; patent and trademark data; and 

climate, weather, and fisheries data.92 Making such data resources easy to find, accessible, 

and usable is difficult due to the sheer volume and diversity of the data produced. However, 

advancements in big data techniques, as well as increasing collaboration in data initiatives across 

the Department, are leading to improvements in open data at the Department. Examples include: 

Commerce Data Advisory Council 

This Federal Advisory Committee was established in 2014 to provide guidance for the Department 

in areas such as data management practices; common, open data standards; policy issues related to 

privacy, latency, and consistency; effective models for public-private partnership; external uses of 

Commerce data; and, methods to build new feedback loops between the Department and 

data users.93

Commerce Data Service 

The Commerce Data Service, created in November 2015, will develop cutting-edge software 

products and web services to improve access to and use of data resources of the Department’s 

89 Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, OMB Circular A-119: Federal Participation in the 

Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities (Jan. 27, 2016), available 

at https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/inforeg/revised_circular_a-119_as_of_1_22.pdf. 

90 See, e.g., The White House, Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies, Transparency and Open 

Government (Jan. 21, 2009), available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/TransparencyandOpenGovernment; 

Open Data Memorandum.

91 U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Public Affairs, The ‘Open for Business’ Agenda (Nov. 14, 2013, 11:45 AM), 

https://www.commerce.gov/news/secretary-speeches/2013/11/open-business-agenda.

92 “On any given day, the Department will generate in excess of 20 terabytes of data, and sometimes much more.” 

See Mark Doms, Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, Big Data is Big Business for Commerce (Apr. 8, 2014, 6:15 PM), 

https://www.commerce.gov/news/blog/2014/04/big-data-big-business-commerce.

93 U.S. Department of Commerce Economic and Statistics Administration Commerce Data Advisory Council, 

http://www.esa.doc.gov/content/commerce-data-advisory-council-cdac (last visited May 13, 2016).
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12 bureaus.94 Activities will include developing user interfaces to make navigating online resources 

and databases easier, creating tools to enhance data sharing and dissemination, and maximizing 

the value of Commerce data through collaborations across federal agencies and with public and 

private sector partners.95

Commerce Data Usability Project

One such public-private partnership is the Commerce Data Usability Project, created in 

January 2016, to focus on the usability of data products at the Department.96 It does this by 

illustrating robust uses of the Department’s data assets, and making basic code available to help 

data scientists get started on new innovative projects. To illustrate the utility of the data, the 

Commerce Data Service is working with internal staff of the Department (e.g., our technologists 

and scientists) and external collaborators (e.g., companies and academia) to create tutorials and 

user stories, focused on high-value datasets from NOAA, Census, USPTO, and BEA. 

In addition to the Department-wide activities, the diverse bureaus of the Department have 

undertaken numerous data initiatives to advance their individual missions. Highlights include:

NOAA’s Big Data Project 

Five data alliances between NOAA and private sector companies (Amazon Web Services, Google 

Cloud Platform, IBM, Microsoft Corp., and the Open Cloud Consortium) will create open platforms 

where private industry, academia, and individual innovators can access NOAA data through the 

cloud on a completely new scale.97 

NIST Public Access Plan

NIST developed a NIST Public Access Plan to increase access to the results of federally funded 

research, in response to an Administration memorandum98. NIST created a new role of Open 

Access Officer to assist in the implementation of its plan, which was approved by the White House 

in December 2014. New data management plan requirements took effect in October, 2015, and 

NIST has made foundational improvements to its data infrastructure to enable staff to store, 

94 Press Release, U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker 

Announces First-Ever Commerce Data Service (Nov. 9, 2015), available at https://www.commerce.gov/news/pressreleases/2015/11/us-secretary-commerce-penny-pritzker-announces-first-ever-commerce-data.

95 U.S. Department of Commerce Data Service, https://www.commerce.gov/dataservice/ (last visited May 13, 2016).

96 See Jeffrey Chen, Tyrone Grandison, and Kristen Honey, The White House, Moving from Open Data to Open Knowledge: 

Announcing the Commerce Data Usability Project (Jan. 29, 2016, 9:59 PM), https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/01/29/

moving-open-data-open-knowledge-announcing-commerce-data-usability-project; Commerce Data Usability Project, 

https://www.commerce.gov/datausability/ (last visited May 13, 2016).

97 See Press Release, U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker 

Announces Collaboration to Unleash the Power of NOAA’s Data (Apr. 21, 2015), available at https://www.commerce.gov/

news/press-releases/2015/04/us-secretary-commerce-penny-pritzker-announces-new-collaboration-unleash. See also 

U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, Commerce Secretary Pritzker Delivers Keynote Address at the 

American Meteorological Society’s Washington Forum (Remarks as Prepared for Delivery) (Apr. 21 2015), available at https://

www.commerce.gov/news/secretary-speeches/2015/04/commerce-secretary-pritzker-delivers-keynote-address-american. 

For more information about NOAA’s Big Data Project, see NOAA Data Alliance, https://data-alliance.noaa.gov/ 

(last visited May 13, 2016). 

98 See Memorandum from the Executive Office of the President for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies: 

Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research, dated February 22, 2013, available at

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/ostp_public_access_memo_2013.pdf
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exchange, and disseminate their research data to external stakeholders and the public. NIST has 

partnered with the National Institutes of Health (to use the existing PubMed Central repository 

system), the Internet Archive (under an arrangement with the Library of Congress), and the 

Government Printing Office’s Federal Digital System to make technical publications and other 

archival records widely available.

NIST Office of Data and Informatics

In early 2014, NIST established the Office of Data and Informatics (ODI), a service-oriented 

organization to provide guidance, assistance and resources for optimizing NSIT data products all 

in anticipation of “big data” becoming the norm. Helmed by a veteran of the Space Telescope 

Science Institute with deep expertise in providing open access of large datasets, ODI is instituting 

a data-aware culture at NIST and driving international efforts in data discovery and access. A key 

activity of ODI has been to initiate a modernization of NIST’s collection of Standard Reference 

Data, consisting of about 100 databases that stakeholders depend upon to provide critically 

evaluated values of chemical, physical, and biological data.

NIST Big Data Interoperability Framework 

The NIST Big Data Public Working Group was established to develop a consensus-based Big Data 

Interoperability Framework. The framework is a vendor-neutral, technology- and infrastructureindependent ecosystem that promotes the use of standard interfaces and that will allow data 

scientists and researchers to use the best available analytics tools to process and derive knowledge 

from data sets.99

NIST Global City Teams Challenge 

The NIST Global City Teams Challenge (GCTC) encourages collaboration and the development of 

standards, bringing together two key groups—communities with challenges and innovators with the 

technology to overcome them. The second GCTG was announced in September 2015 at the White 

House Smart Cities Forum. The new challenge will bring communities and innovators together 

to encourage collaboration on a range of issues from disaster response to energy management to 

mass transit improvement. The goal is to help communities and businesses connect to improve 

resource management and quality of life by using effective networking of computer systems and 

physical devices, often called the Internet of Things.100 

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Open Data Roadmap 

USPTO’s Open Data Roadmap is a multi-year plan to uncover the value hidden in the patent 

and trademark data that USPTO takes in and disseminates.101 This Roadmap included creating 

the USPTO Open Data website; launching the affinity group Club for Open Data Enthusiasts 

(C.O.D.E.); and delivering on a White House Executive Action to improve transparency of 

99 See NIST Big Data Information, http://www.nist.gov/itl/bigdata/bigdatainfo.cfm (last visited May 13, 2016). 

100 See NIST Global City Teams Challenge, http://www.nist.gov/cps/sagc.cfm (last visited May 13, 2016).

101 See Thomas A. Beach and Scott Beliveau, USPTO CDAC Presentation (July 2015), available at http://www.esa.gov/sites/

default/files/cdac/july-2015/cdac-july-2015-presentation-pto-open-data-roadmap.pdf.
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ownership of patents with a new, award receiving Assignment Search website. The flagship 

deliverable is the USPTO Developer Hub, a portal to harness the power of data. Launched on 

April 25, 2016, this hub establishes a sharable, “social” platform for anyone in this community 

to showcase the unique ways they’re using our data, combining it with other data sets, such as 

economic and geographic data.

U.S. Census Bureau’s City Software Development Kit 

U.S. Census Bureau has begun providing data via an application programming interface for 

developers. In this context, the Census Bureau recently launched its City Software Development 

Kit (City SDK), which provides a user-friendly “toolbox” for civic “hackers” to connect local and 

national public data.102 Tools already on the City SDK include code that converts latitude/longitude 

to Federal Information Processing System (state and county) codes; the ability to request 

GeoJSON (an open source geographic shapefile/boundary format) right along with data from 

Dataweb (for mapping); a modular architecture that makes mashing up Census data with thirdparty data a snap; and more.103

The Bureau of Economic Analysis’ Big Data and New Data Sources

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) continues to explore the use of big data to increase 

the quality of economic statistics, develop new statistical products, and enhance the detail and 

timeliness of existing statistical products. To that end, the BEA is engaging in public-private 

partnerships with data vendors to learn about their data and to develop computer algorithms that 

will enhance the usefulness of their data for improving national accounts.104 The BEA has also 

convened experts (such as a workshop at the National Academies on exploring the potential value 

added and obstacles to using credit card company, retail sales, and other commercial information 

to improve national accounts), and continues to participate in and monitor the work of external 

committees and groups currently studying these issues (like the OECD, a UN Global Working 

Group, and the Committee on National Statistics at the National Academies).

International Trade Administration Trade Developer Portal 

The portal is a collection of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) that allow software developers 

to create web and mobile applications using information produced by ITA and other trade 

promotion agencies.105

102 U.S. Census Bureau CitySDK, http://uscensusbureau.github.io/citysdk/index.html (last visited May 13, 2016).

103 Avi Bender, Challenge to Hackers: Use New Software Kit to Create Apps that Benefit Cities (May 26, 2015), available at

http://blogs.census.gov/2015/05/26/challenge-to-hackers-use-new-software-kit-to-create-apps-that-benefit-cities/.

104 See, e.g., Dennis Fixler, BEA Advisory Committee Meeting, Big Data: Tackling New 

Projects and Exploring New Sources (Nov. 13, 2015), available at https://bea.gov/about/pdf/acm/2015/november/big-datatackling-new-projects-and-exploring-new-sources.pdf. See also Committee on National Statistics, BEA Expert Meeting 

on Exploiting Commercial Data for Official Economic Statistics (Nov. 19, 2015), available at

http://sites.nationalacademies.org/cs/groups/dbassesite/documents/webpage/dbasse_169224.pdf.

105 See U.S. International Trade Administration’s Data Service Platform, http://developer.trade.gov/ 

(last visited May 13, 2016). See also Kimberly Becht, Deputy Program Manager for Web Presence in the 

International Trade Administration, Introducing ITA’s Trade Developer Portal (July 14, 2014, 5:42 PM), 

https://www.commerce.gov/news/blog/2014/07/introducing-itas-trade-developer-portal.
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STANDARDS

Standards are the building blocks for the nation’s technological and innovative leadership and 

competitiveness; they enable interoperability, ensure health and life safety, and facilitate the 

development and deployment of new technologies and products. Standards play a particularly 

important role in the nation’s digital economy, and the Department of Commerce plays a unique 

role among federal agencies vis-à-vis its close association with many aspects of standards. 

The Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is charged by law 

and policy with the role of coordinating standards related information exchange and activities 

among federal agencies.106 More than 400 NIST employees participate in over 1,000 consensus 

standards development activities, where they contribute their technical knowledge and expertise 

in the development of consensus standards, working in collaboration with industry, academia, and 

government experts. 

Under the Obama Administration’s leadership, NIST initiated work on “Big Data” to maximize the 

ability and efficiency of users to extract knowledge from big data through the use of standards, 

measurements, and interoperability frameworks. As part of the standards related efforts and 

to help catalyze development of standards to address interoperability between big data sets, 

NIST established the Big Data Public Working Group, and has also assumed a leadership role by 

chairing the Working Group on Big Data within Joint Technology Committee of the International 

Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), ISO/

IEC JTC1. The efforts of the Big Data Public Working Group have resulted in the publication of a 

seven-volume NIST Big Data Interoperability Framework (NBDIF) in September 2015. The NBDIF 

was submitted to ISO/IEC JTC1 for further development as an international standard serves as a 

foundational document for two international Big Data standard development projects: the Big Data 

Overview and Vocabulary and the Big Data Reference Architecture. 

Standards are an integral element of a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity. Many federal 

agencies are engaged in cybersecurity-related standards development. Also, many standards 

organizations facilitate cybersecurity-focused standards development. This creates a pressing 

need for a well-coordinated approach within the federal government to ensure that agencies share 

information relating to cybersecurity standards activities and priorities. 

The Obama Administration led the establishment of an International Cybersecurity Standardization 

Working Group within the National Security Council’s Cyber Interagency Policy Committee. This 

group developed a comprehensive strategy for U.S. government engagement in international 

standardization to achieve U.S. objectives for cybersecurity.107 The strategy identified four inter106 See National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995, Pub. L. No. 104-113 (1996). See also 

The White House, Office of Management and Budget, Circular No. A-119 Revised (Feb. 10, 1998), available at 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars_a119/.

107 This strategy is presented in two reports. See International Cybersecurity Standardization Working Group of the 

National Security Council’s Cyber Interagency Policy Committee, Interagency Report on Strategic U.S. Government 

Engagement in International Standardization to Achieve U.S. Objectives for Cybersecurity (NISTIR 8074 Vol. 1) (Dec. 

2015), available at http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/ir/2015/NIST.IR.8074v1.pdf; International Cybersecurity Standardization 

Working Group of the National Security Council’s Cyber Interagency Policy Committee, Supplemental Information for the 

Interagency Report on Strategic U.S. Government Engagement in International Standardization to Achieve U.S. Objectives 

for Cybersecurity (NISTIR 8074 Vol. 2) (Dec. 2015) available at http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/ir/2015/NIST.IR.8074v2.pdf.
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related strategic objectives that are tied to U.S. government’s participation in the development and 

use international standards for cybersecurity. 

As part of the strategy, NIST experts undertook a comprehensive scan of standards organizations 

involved in the development of cybersecurity standards and mapped key standards and standards 

organizations to core areas of cybersecurity standardization that are of interest to the U.S. 

government. By identifying key challenges relating to cybersecurity standardization, the strategy 

lays out eight recommendations to leverage standards to meet cybersecurity related goals 

and objectives. 

In addition to NIST staff contributing their technical expertise to the development of consensus 

standards and specifications developed in industry-led efforts, under the Obama Administration, 

NIST was tasked to convene stakeholders to identify standards-related needs, and to develop 

corresponding solutions. The Obama Administration identified early on that standards-based 

approaches for addressing public policy related Administration priorities held a strong appeal 

for industry and the private sector. As the private sector and industry already participate in the 

development of these standards and use many of them, the use of these standards does not create 

any significant burdens on industry, thus precluding the need for top-down approaches. During 

the course of the Obama Administration, NIST in a convener’s role helped facilitate significant 

progress in a range of digital economy-related technologies such as Smart Grid,108 Cloud 

Computing, and Cyber Physical Systems. 

Standards for Smart Grid Interoperability

In 2009, NIST initiated the development of a Smart Grid Interoperability Framework by 

coordinating input from more than 1,500 stakeholders representing more than 20 stakeholder 

categories. This resulted in the release of the first version of the framework in 2010, which has 

been updated twice. The NIST Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards, 

Release 3.0 (and Release 2.0 and 1.0), NIST Special Publication 1108R3 is the primary reference 

document for interoperability protocols and standards, not only for the United States, but also 

internationally.109 It has been used by Japan, Korea, China, and the EU in developing their smart 

grid roadmaps, and by utilities and vendors as overall guidance to support interoperability 

of systems and devices.110 In the United States, both federal and state regulators have 

recommended their stakeholders to participate in NIST/Smart Grid Interoperability Panel 

smart grid framework process.111

To provide a forum for smart grid interoperability stakeholder coordination, in November 2009, 

NIST established the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) with an initial membership of over 

370 organizations. By 2012, the SGIP membership had grown to over 800 organizations with more 

108 NIST was assigned the responsibility of facilitating the development of standards for an end-to-end, nationwide, 

interoperable Smart Grid by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

109 Christopher Greer, et al., Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards, Release 3.0 (Oct. 1, 2014), 

available at http://www.nist.gov/manuscript-publication-search.cfm?pub_id=916755.

110 Id. at 34-36.

111 Id. at 172-173.
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than 2,000 volunteer representatives, and in April 2013, SGIP was successfully transitioned into the 

private sector as an independent, membership-supported nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

NIST also provided leadership to the standards development work in the White House-inspired 

and industry-led Green Button Initiative, which enables consumers to obtain and share their own 

energy usage information in a standardized electronic format.112 Working closely with the SGIP, 

industry, and other federal agencies, NIST led the development of the technology for Green 

Button, including standards, testing, developer tools, and technical support for implementation. 

NIST has also encouraged the formation of the new Green Button Alliance, a non-profit 

organization dedicated to advancing Green Button and supporting Green Button testing and 

certification.113 Based on significant nationwide voluntary adoption by utilities, and with support by 

NIST, more than 100 million U.S. consumers (and more than 8 million Canadian consumers) now 

have Green Button data access to help them better understand and manage their energy usage.114

Cyber-Physical Systems

Following a similar approach, in 2014, NIST established the Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) Public 

Working Group (PWG), bringing together a broad range of experts from industry, academia, 

and government in an open public forum to help define and shape key characteristics of CPS, 

sometimes also referred to as the Internet of Things, the growing ecosystem of Internet connected 

objects and devices.115 The objective was to develop a shared understanding of CPS and its 

foundational concepts and unique dimensions. Based on work in the CPS PWG and its five 

subgroups (led by co-chairs from NIST, industry, and academia), the draft Cyber-Physical Systems 

Framework (CPS Framework) was released in late September 2015, and is currently undergoing 

revision based on public comments received.116 The CPS Framework presents a set of highlevel concepts and their relationships, as well as a vocabulary for clear communication among 

stakeholders. The goal of the CPS Framework is to provide a common language for describing and 

analyzing interoperable CPS architectures in various domains so that these CPS can interoperate 

within and across domains and form systems of systems. 

Cloud Computing Program

Finally, the NIST Cloud Computing Program was initiated in early 2011 and was charged with 

the mission of developing a USG roadmap for Cloud Computing Technology and Standards that 

would identify the requirements for security, interoperability and portability in cloud computing to 

facilitate adoption of cloud computing by the USG.117 There are currently six active Public Working 

Groups within the cloud computing program. The program initiated a series of Public Working 

112 See NIST Green Button Initiative, http://www.nist.gov/smartgrid/greenbutton.cfm (last visited May 13, 2016).

113 Green Button Alliance, http://www.greenbuttonalliance.org/ (last visited May 13, 2016).

114 U.S. Department of Commerce, Open Government Plan, Version 3.5 (Sept. 2015), available at http://open.commerce.gov/

sites/default/files/Commerce%20Open%20Government%20Plan%20Version%203_5%20%289-28-15%29%20Final.pdf.

115 NIST CPS Public Working Group, https://pages.nist.gov/cpspwg/ (last visited May 13, 2016).

116 Cyber Physical Systems Public Working Group, DRAFT Framework for Cyber-Physical Systems, Release 0.8 (Sept. 2015), 

available at https://s3.amazonaws.com/nist-sgcps/cpspwg/pwgglobal/CPS_PWG_Draft_Framework_for_Cyber-Physical_

Systems_Release_0_8_September_2015.pdf.

117 See NIST Cloud Computing Program, http://www.nist.gov/itl/cloud/ (last visited May 13, 2016).
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Groups that are composed of industrial, academic and other government partners. This program 

has resulted in a roadmap,118 a Reference Architecture and Taxonomy for Cloud Computing,

119 a 

standards inventory,120 and a draft security reference architecture.121 The effort has also resulted in 

a widely recognized definition for Cloud Computing.122 Lastly, the program works closely with the 

ISO to develop international standards for cloud computing.123

118 See Lee Badger, et. al., U.S. Government Cloud Computing Technology Roadmap, Volume 1, Release 1.0 (Draft), 

High-Priority Requirements to Further USG Agency Cloud Computing Adoption (Nov. 2011), available at

http://www.nist.gov/itl/cloud/upload/SP_500_293_volumeI-2.pdf.

119 See Fang Liu, et. al., NIST Cloud Computing Reference Architecture Recommendations of the National Institute of 

Standards and Technology (Sept. 2011), available at http://www.nist.gov/customcf/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=909505.

120 See NIST Cloud Computing Roadmap Working Group, NIST Cloud Computing Program, 

Information Technology Laboratory, NIST Cloud Computing Standards Roadmap (July 2013), available at

http://www.nist.gov/itl/cloud/upload/NIST_SP-500-291_Version-2_2013_June18_FINAL.pdf.

121 See NIST Cloud Computing Roadmap Working Group, NIST Cloud Computing Program, Information Technology 

Laboratory, NIST Cloud Computing Security Reference Architecture (May 5, 2013), available at http://collaborate.nist.gov/

twiki-cloud-computing/pub/CloudComputing/CloudSecurity/NIST_Security_Reference_Architecture_2013.05.15_v1.0.pdf. 

122 Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of 

configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned 

and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model is composed of five essential 

characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models. Peter Mell & Timothy Grance, The NIST Definition of 

Cloud Computing, Recommendations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Sept. 2011), available at

http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nistspecialpublication800-145.pdf.

123 E.g., ISO/IEC 17788:2014 Information technology – Cloud computing -- Overview and vocabulary, available at

http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail?csnumber=60544; ISO/IEC 17789:2014 Information technology Cloud computing 

-- Reference architecture, available at http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail?csnumber=60545. These standards were 

produced jointly with the International Telecommunications Union’s standards development organization (ITU-T) and 

finalized in September 2014.
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IV. ACCESS AND SKILLS

Businesses and consumers both depend on fast, reliable, and pervasive digital infrastructure to 

succeed in the 21st century economy. But infrastructure alone is insufficient. Individuals need 

digital skills and education to take advantage of that infrastructure; businesses need customers 

for their digital products and services. Over the past seven years, the Department of Commerce 

had spearheaded U.S. government efforts to expand Internet access and education across the 

country. Through innovative grant-making programs and authorities, the Department has helped 

to dramatically improve broadband Internet penetration rates and strengthened the digital skills of 

America’s workforce.124

SUPPORTING INTERNET ACCESS AND ADOPTION ACROSS AMERICA

Broadband has become a cornerstone of the nation’s economy and has changed the way 

Americans learn, innovate, communicate, and do business. Connectivity has become so essential 

for daily life that broadband has been referred to as “the electricity of the 21st century.”125 As such, 

expanding access to broadband was a pillar of the Administration’s economic recovery plan and has 

continued to be a Commerce Department priority.

The Department, through NTIA, was tasked by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 

2009 (Recovery Act) to expand broadband access and adoption as a means of promoting economic 

growth, creating jobs and laying the foundation for long-term prosperity for all Americans.

Through the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and the State Broadband 

Initiative (SBI), NTIA helped the nation make significant strides in broadband availability, access, 

adoption and awareness.126 NTIA continues its leadership in this field by helping communities 

overcome challenges in expanding broadband networks and promoting broadband adoption 

through BroadbandUSA and the Broadband Opportunity Council.

127

124 Infrastructure and skills development are enshrined in the OECD Internet Policymaking Principles #3, “Promote 

investment and competition in high speed networks and services,” Id. OECD, Communiqué on Principles for Internet 

Policy-Making (June 29, 2011), available at https://www.oecd.org/internet/innovation/48289796.pdf

125 The White House, Broadband: The Electricity of the 21st Century (Jan. 15, 2015, 10:20 AM),

https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/01/15/broadband-electricity-21st-century.

126 See NTIA, About BroadbandUSA, http://www2.ntia.doc.gov/about (last visited May 13, 2016). For information on the 

State Broadband Initiative, see NTIA, State Broadband Initiative, http://www2.ntia.doc.gov/SBDD (last visited May 13, 2016).

127 NTIA, Broadband Opportunity Council, https://www.ntia.doc.gov/category/broadband-opportunity-council 

(last visited May 13, 2016).
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BROADBAND TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM 

Through BTOP, NTIA distributed $4 billion in Recovery Act grants targeted to increasing access to 

high-speed broadband in unserved and underserved regions across the United States; providing 

access, education, training, and support to community anchor institutions (CAIs);128 and stimulating 

the demand for, access to, and use of broadband.

NTIA awarded the following grants to recipients in three project categories:

• Comprehensive Community Infrastructure (CCI) projects: $3.48 billion to 123 recipients129

• Public Computer Center (PCC) projects: $201 million to 66 recipients130

• Sustainable Broadband Adoption (SBA) projects: $250.7 million to 44 recipients131

BTOP’s infrastructure projects focused on laying a foundation for private-sector investment by 

supplying essential middle-mile networks in unserved or underserved areas of the country that 

local providers can use to deliver affordable broadband to more homes and businesses. These 

grants also promoted projects that connected key CAIs in unserved or underserved communities 

in order to make Internet access available to the largest number of people while simultaneously 

addressing the robust bandwidth needs of schools, libraries, and hospitals. 

Through its adoption (SBA) and computer center (PCC) programs, NTIA sought to address 

the other key barriers that have been identified as hurdles to connectivity – availability, cost, 

perception, relevance and skills. One of the most fundamental barriers for many citizens is simply 

the lack of access to a computer. BTOP PCC grants supported the establishment or upgrading 

of neighborhood computer centers, helping to meet the demand for public broadband access in 

communities that need it most.132 Job seekers, high school students, adult learners, and seniors 

now have places where they can procure the skills and connectivity to participate in the digital 

economy, narrowing the digital divide.

Even where there is access to broadband, however, it is essential that citizens have the skills they 

need to use this technology and understand the opportunities that connectivity can provide to 

improve their lives. In communities across the country, PCC and SBA recipients reached out to 

people who may never have used a computer—a group that includes a disproportionate number of 

low-income Americans, senior citizens and members of minorities—and taught them how to use a 

mouse, navigate the Internet and set up an email account. Grantees taught citizens how to write 

resumes, find Internet job postings and even apply for jobs over the Internet—helping overcome 

the perception in some communities that Internet access is not relevant to their daily lives. Other 

128 CAIs include schools, libraries, medical facilities and public safety organizations, vital institutions that need broadband 

access to better serve and meet the needs of their communities.

129 See, NTIA, Grants Awarded: Broadband Infrastructure Projects, 

http://www2.ntia.doc.gov/infrastructure (last visited May 13, 2016).

130 See, NTIA, Grants Awarded: Public Computer Center Projects, 

http://www2.ntia.doc.gov/computercenters (last visited May 13, 2016).

131 See, NTIA, Grants Awarded: Sustainable Broadband Adoption Projects, available at: 

http://www2.ntia.doc.gov/sustainableadoption?page=1 (last visited May 13, 2016).

132 See, BTOP Reporting and Open Data: PCC Data Dictionary with Open Data, available at: 

http://www2.ntia.doc.gov/files/PCC_Data_Dictionary_with_Data_Open_Data.xlsx.
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grantees helped teachers learn how to use broadband technology in their classrooms and adapt 

their curriculum to prepare their students for the digital age, and taught job-seekers skills that 

helped them get back to work. 

Over the past six years, NTIA has worked closely with BTOP recipients to help them deliver 

projects that maximized the benefits to the communities they serve while protecting the federal 

government’s investment in these efforts. As a result, BTOP recipients have:

• Built or upgraded more than 116,000 network miles, enough to wrap around the Earth 

approximately four and a half times.

• Connected more than 25,000 CAIs to high-speed broadband networks, including more 

than 12,000 educational institutions. Of those CAIs, more than 9,500 received new service 

and 15,000 received upgraded service. 

• PCC and SBA grant recipients provided nearly 21 million hours of training to users.133

• Established 886 new and upgraded 2,496 public computer centers throughout the country.

All of these efforts have advanced the goals of the Recovery Act by creating jobs, helping people 

get back to work and preparing America’s infrastructure and workforce for the digital economy.

One study estimated the economic impact of the BTOP investment to include:

• Producing a short-term Gross Domestic Product increase of $7 billion134

• Generating approximately 79,000 year-long jobs and creating more than 

22,000 long-term jobs135

• Producing $2.81 in total output for every $1 spent by a BTOP grantee136

• Generating a 2% increase in broadband availability in areas served by BTOP137

• Producing a 95 percent decline in broadband prices for many CAIs served by BTOP 

infrastructure projects.138

STATE BROADBAND INITIATIVE

Through its State Broadband Initiative, NTIA provided nearly $300 million to state designees from 

the 56 states and territories to collect data on broadband availability to help community leaders 

make informed broadband planning decisions. Using this information, NTIA and the Federal 

Communications Commission (FCC) worked together to build the National Broadband Map –

133 Press Release, NITA, NTIA Broadband Adoption Toolkit Shares Best Practices Across U.S. (May 2, 2013), available 

at: https://www.ntia.doc.gov/press-release/2013/ntia-broadband-adoption-toolkit-shares-best-practices-across-us.

134 Stephen Rhody, ASR Analytics, The Economic Impacts of the BTOP Program (Apr. 14, 2014), available at: http://www.

bbcmag.com/2015s/ppt/ASR-Conference-Presentation-04142014.pdf.

135 Broadband Communities, New Research on Economic Development (Nov./Dec. 2015), available at http://www.bbcmag.

com/2015mags/Nov_Dec/BBC_Nov15_NewResearch.pdf.

136 ASR Analytics, National Telecommunications and Information Administration Broadband Technology Opportunities 

Program Evaluation Study, Short-Term Economic Impact Report (Sept. 30, 2013), available at http://www2.ntia.doc.gov/files/

short-term_economic_impacts_report.pdf.

137 Id.

138 ASR Analytics, National Telecommunications and Information Administration Broadband Technology Opportunities 

Program Evaluation Study, Final Report: Social and Economic Impacts of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program

(Sept. 15, 2014), available at: http://www2.ntia.doc.gov/files/asr_final_report.pdf.
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the first searchable public map on broadband speeds and availability.139 The National Broadband 

Map is an extremely valuable tool for community leaders and policymakers alike in understanding 

broadband availability across the nation, identifying unserved and underserved communities, and 

understanding the factors that drive and impede broadband deployment.

THE BROADBAND OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL

In March 2015, President Obama created the Broadband Opportunity Council, made up of over 

twenty federal agencies and directed it to determine what actions the federal government could 

take to eliminate regulatory barriers to broadband deployment, promote broadband adoption, and 

encourage investment in broadband networks and services. NTIA co-chairs the Council on behalf 

of the Secretary of Commerce. 

Many of the agencies involved in the Council had not considered broadband to be part of their 

core missions. NTIA briefed the Council on typical barriers to broadband deployment and 

adoption, and led the interagency survey process to explore whether there was flexibility within 

existing agency authorities to take actions to remove barriers or increase funding support for 

broadband programs. 

Through NTIA’s strategic leadership, the Council also engaged with industry and other stakeholders 

to understand ways the Executive Branch could better support the needs of communities seeking 

broadband investment, and how the federal government could incentivize broadband investment, 

drive competition and remove regulatory and policy barriers at the community level. NTIA led the 

development of a public Request for Comment process and received over 200 responses. 

On August 20, 2015, the Council delivered to the President a report outlining steps that the 

agencies shall take over the next two years to fulfill its mandate. The report describes 36 concrete 

steps that federal agencies will take to eliminate barriers and promote broadband investment 

and adoption. Agencies committed to 13 actions that clarify or open up additional options for 

federal funding for broadband in programs totaling $10 billion. Examples include the Department 

of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant, the Department of 

Labor’s Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act, and the Department of Commerce’s Economic 

Development Assistance Programs. Agencies also committed to removing permitting barriers, 

issuing guidance regarding “dig-once” policies, addressing connectivity challenges in Tribal nations, 

and creating a comprehensive broadband research agenda.

Taken together, the Council’s actions are making a difference to communities seeking to expand 

and enhance their broadband capacity. The Council will continue to identify ways to advance 

broadband deployment, competition, and adoption across the country, and NTIA will continue to 

lead its efforts to promote interagency coordination and alignment.

139 National Broadband Map- How connected is my community?, http://www.broadbandmap.gov/ (last visited May 13, 2016).
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LOOKING FORWARD – BROADBANDUSA

Applying the lessons learned from its administration and oversight of the $4 billion in BTOP grants, 

NTIA launched BroadbandUSA in January 2015 to help satisfy a demand from communities that 

realize broadband access and use are vital to their economic development, innovation, education 

and healthcare needs. BroadbandUSA is helping communities nationwide ensure they have 

the broadband infrastructure, digitally literate workforce and engaged citizens to thrive in the 

21st Century digital economy.

Despite dramatic improvements over the past seven years, there remains a persistent digital 

divide that breaks down along socio-economic, racial, geographic and other demographic lines. 

Thousands of communities throughout the country still remain without adequate access to highspeed broadband and are searching for guidance on how to connect their citizens. Community 

leaders are beginning to understand the benefits that broadband access brings, but planning and 

building broadband networks is complicated and costly. BroadbandUSA provides guidance, tools, 

insights and thought leadership that help communities manage costs and get the connectivity they 

need, faster. 

NTIA helps communities assess local broadband needs, identify funding and other resources, 

engage critical partners, and plan network infrastructure projects and digital inclusion programs. 

Since the launch of the program in mid-2015, BroadbandUSA has:

• Provided direct technical assistance to customers in 30 states, including local, state and 

federal officials, non-profit and for-profit entities, and an institution of higher education; 

• Hosted six regional events focusing on connecting more than 800 community leaders with 

peers, industry experts, and timely guidance to advance their broadband efforts; 

• Published guides focused on broadband planning for local and tribal governments, building 

public private partnerships, and federal funding opportunities for broadband;

• Developed publications to raise awareness of BroadbandUSA’s services and promote 

understanding of broadband’s critical role in community prosperity; 

• Worked with federal, state and local officials to better integrate broadband into policy and 

program efforts; and,

• Engaged with government, community and industry leaders to build tools and a research 

agenda that will improve the quality of broadband-related data, enhance understanding of 

community readiness for broadband, and provide access to federal broadband programs, 

policies and resources

As part of these efforts, NTIA’s BroadbandUSA team is implementing two recommendations of the 

Council’s Report. One is the development of a portal to house information on federal broadband 

funding and loan programs to help communities easily identify resources as they seek to expand 

access to broadband. This will help communities find broadband-related policy guidance, key 

agency points-of-contact and best practices. The second is the creation of a “Community 
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Connectivity Initiative,” which will support community leaders in developing a comprehensive 

approach to community connectivity through a strategic planning framework, online selfassessment tool, and a report with recommendations for each participating community.

SPECTRUM ALLOCATION FOR BROADBAND 

In June 2010, the President directed the Secretary, working through NTIA, to collaborate with the 

FCC to make available at least 500 megahertz of federal and nonfederal spectrum over the next 

10 years for mobile and fixed wireless broadband use.140 NTIA, in consultation with federal agency 

members of the Policy and Plans Steering Group (PPSG), immediately began work to devise a 

ten-year plan to select and prioritize bands for study, including a subset to be fast tracked, in order 

to identify the ones most likely to help achieve the goal as rapidly as possible. 

Even without factoring in the FCC’s ongoing incentive auction for television band spectrum, NTIA 

and the FCC have made significant progress toward the 500 megahertz goal, realizing nearly half 

of it by making 245 megahertz available. This included the auction of AWS-3 licenses that netted 

over $41 billion, far exceeding projections and fully funding congressional priorities such as the 

mobile broadband-based First Responder Network (FirstNet). Collaboration was a key element 

of the success of this auction. NTIA’s Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee 

(CSMAC) led groundbreaking work to explore relocation alternatives and spectrum sharing 

arrangements between federal agencies and commercial mobile broadband systems in the 1695-

1710 MHz and 1755-1850 MHz spectrum bands.

Another important band that is being made available is 3550-3650 MHz (3.5 GHz band). This 

100 megahertz of spectrum was first identified for potential federal/non-federal shared use in 

NTIA’s Fast Track Report.

141 Subsequently, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and 

Technology (PCAST) recommended shared use of the band for systems employing small cell and 

related technologies.142 Based on innovative NTIA technical studies conducted in collaboration 

with the Department of Defense (DOD) and the FCC, new rules were established that significantly 

increased commercial access to the 3.5 GHz band in geographic areas near federal radars. This 

joint effort between NTIA, the FCC and DOD led to a groundbreaking approach in the creation of 

a three-tiered spectrum licensing and access scheme that will be managed by a dynamic database. 

Efforts continue to examine and make available additional spectrum bands. For example, NTIA, 

the FCC, and other stakeholders continue to conduct studies to uncover techniques for achieve 

compatibility between unlicensed devices and incumbent federal and non-federal systems in 

the proposed 5350-5470 MHz and 5850-5925 MHz (5.9 GHz) bands. These bands offer the 

140 See, Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies, Unleashing the Wireless Broadband 

Revolution (rel. June 28, 2010), published at 75 Fed. Reg. 38387 at § 1(d) (July 1, 2010), available at http://www.whitehouse.

gov/the-press-office/presidential-memorandum-unleashing-wireless-broadband-revolution (2010 Presidential 

Memorandum). 

141 NTIA, An Assessment of the Near-Term Viability of Accommodating Wireless Broadband Systems in the 1675-1710 MHz, 

1755-1780 MHz, 3500-3650 MHz, and 4200-4220 MHz,4380-4400 MHz Bands (Oct. 2010), available at http://www.ntia.doc.

gov/files/ntia/publications/fasttrackevaluation_11152010.pdf

142 PCAST, Report to the President: Realizing the Full Potential of Government-Held Spectrum to Spur Economic Growth, 

(July 20, 2012), available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/pcast_spectrum_report_final_

july_20_2012.pdf. 
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single best opportunity for addressing the demand for unlicensed spectrum and ensuring highquality Internet access for the American public, particularly in light of the wide channels that 

could be employed for gigabit Wi-Fi and similar operations. Meanwhile, both NTIA and the FCC 

recognize the commercial need for low, mid and high band spectrum, with the latter the missing 

piece. Spectrum in the so-called millimeter wave range is critical to propel the widespread 

deployment of fifth generation (5G) technologies. To this end, the FCC is expected to act this 

year, in coordination with NTIA, to authorize the use of frequency bands above 24 GHz for mobile 

broadband and other flexible uses. 

NTIA has set its long-term sights beyond the 500 megahertz goal and seeks to create a sustainable 

spectrum pipeline. It will improve its processes to identify spectrum, accounting for all possible 

repurposing options, and will foster R&D investments by ensuring the right decisions are made 

as to where to target investment dollars. NTIA is working with the federal agencies to complete 

quantitative assessments mandated in a 2013 Presidential Memorandum143 that will provide more 

transparency of spectrum usage within five identified bands that total 960 megahertz of spectrum 

and that could lead to detailed study of additional spectrum repurposing opportunities. NTIA 

is also collaborating with its federal partners and non-federal interests to align international 

frequency allocations to best accommodate mobile broadband services while at the same time 

protecting important U.S. Government missions. 

In related activities, as also recommended by the PCAST Report, NTIA and the FCC are 

collaborating on engaging with interested cities and stakeholders in a joint effort to establish 

Model Cities for demonstrating and evaluating advanced spectrum sharing technologies. 

Meanwhile, NTIA’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) performs and publishes 

technical studies that assess the impact of sharing spectrum in specific bands. Among its 

initiatives, ITS is conducting innovative spectrum monitoring of the 3.5 GHz band. ITS also codirects with NIST the Center for Advanced Communications (CAC), established as a cooperative 

research effort that aligns the world-class advanced communications capabilities of both 

organizations. The CAC is responsive to the direction in the 2010 Presidential Memorandum to 

facilitate research, development, experimentation, and testing by researchers to explore innovative 

spectrum-sharing technologies.

The Digital TV Converter Box Coupon Program

In 2006, through the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act, part of the Deficit 

Reduction Act of 2005, Congress set a deadline of February 17, 2009 for television stations to end 

their analog broadcasting services. One key outcome of this digital television (DTV) transition 

was a reorganization of the spectrum band such that frequencies would be made available for 

commercial wireless services. Wireless providers that acquired licenses in the 2008 auction put 

this 700 MHz spectrum to use by deploying fourth generation (4G) LTE networks. 

143 Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies, Expanding America’s Leadership in Wireless 

Innovation (rel. June 14, 2013), published at 78 Fed. Reg. 37431 (June 20, 2013), available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/thepress-office/2013/06/14/presidential-memorandum-expanding-americas-leadership-wireless-innovatio.
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With the DTV transition, consumers would have to ensure that each television set in their home 

could receive digital TV signals as most Americans had analog sets that could not receive digital 

signals over the air. To do so, they could buy a new digital television; subscribe to cable, satellite, or 

other pay television service; or purchase a digital-to-analog converter box. Congress established 

the Digital TV Converter Box Coupon Program (Coupon Program) to provide financial assistance 

to help consumer defray the costs of purchasing such converter boxes and directed NTIA to 

implement the program with $1.5 billion in funding. 

NTIA’s Coupon Program provided information about the DTV transition and distributed up to two 

$40 coupons to each requesting household to offset the cost of the converter boxes. Over a twoyear period, the Coupon Program educated millions of Americans about how to get ready for the 

transition and helped reduce the cost of purchasing a converter box for millions of households. 

Subsequently, the DTV Delay Act of 2009 moved the analog to digital TV transition deadline to 

June 12, 2009; gave consumers four more months to request coupons, until July 31, 2009; and 

authorized the program to issue replacement coupons. Additionally, the American Recovery 

and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided NTIA with $650 million to cover additional coupons, 

administrative costs, and consumer education activities.

Between January 1, 2008 and July 31, 2009, NTIA approved more than 34.8 million applications 

from American households for over 64.1 million coupons. Of those coupons, consumers redeemed 

almost 35 million to purchase converter boxes – a 54.4 percent redemption rate.144 

The Coupon Program effectively employed public-private partnerships. In creating the Coupon 

Program, NTIA sought advice from broadcasters, consumer electronics manufacturers and retailers, 

public interest groups, and the American public. NTIA adopted technical standards and worked 

with manufacturers to certify equipment – more than 190 converter boxes – giving consumers 

a wide selection of affordable products, priced between $40 and $70, with state-of-the-art 

technology. NTIA designed the Coupon Program to make it easy and worthwhile for retail stores 

to participate such that more than 2,300 national and other retailers with more than 34,000 

locations voluntarily joined. NTIA partnered with the broadcasting and electronics industries, 

community organizations, and other federal agencies to educate consumers about the program 

through public service announcements; TV, radio, and newspaper advertising; conference calls; 

webinars; and newsletters. NTIA’s Coupon Program was a tremendous success and played a 

pivotal part in assisting the nation’s smooth conversion from analog to digital television. 

DIGITAL NATION SURVEYS AND RESEARCH

Since 1994, NTIA has regularly sponsored a supplement to the Census Bureau’s Current Population 

Survey (CPS). This is one of the largest surveys in the world, including approximately 53,000 

household interviews every month. The CPS is primarily used to produce the nation’s labor force 

statistics, but agencies can sponsor supplements on a wide range of subjects. In 2009, 2010, 2011, 

2012, 2013, and 2015, NTIA commissioned the CPS Computer and Internet Use Supplement, 

144 NTIA, Outside the Box: The Digital TV Converter Box Coupon Program, (Dec. 2009), at 21.
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which included a range of questions about the devices people use, locations of Internet use, online 

activities, and challenges that inhibit some Americans from taking full advantage of 

these technologies. 

NTIA’s Digital Nation reports draw on the collected data and enable policymakers to craft 

programs that better serve Americans who find themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide, 

while also shedding light on current challenges in related policy areas like online privacy. Moreover, 

the datasets generated from these surveys are freely available to external researchers and members 

of the general public who wish to use them in their own studies or to calculate their own statistics. 

In 2015, NTIA dramatically enhanced the accessibility of Digital Nation data by launching NTIA 

Data Central, an online portal that includes the Digital Nation blog, an easy-to-use Data Explorer 

visualization tool, and a Research Center containing sample statistical code, extensive technical 

documentation, and links to download raw datasets in multiple formats.145

145 See NTIA Data Central, available at: https://ntia.doc.gov/data.

LOOKING AHEAD 53

June 2016 | U.S. Department of Commerce | Enabling Growth and Innovation in the Digital Economy

Looking Ahead

Over the past seven years, the digital economy has played an increasingly vital role in the 

economic and social life of the United States and the world. Digital technologies today hold the 

promise of increased productivity, innovation, jobs, and growth, and are likely to continue to do 

so in the future. 

The question before us is this: In the years to come, will the United States be ready and equipped 

to harness advances in digital technologies and services for the continued benefit of American 

industry and the American people? The answer will ultimately depend on how effectively 

government, the private sector, and civil society as well as the American worker and the American 

consumer can coordinate and adapt to rapid changes in technology. 

The Department of Commerce stands ready to assist with this transformation. As it has 

done over the past seven years, the Department will continue to work to empower American 

businesses, consumers, and entrepreneurs with the tools and resources necessary to compete 

in an ever-digitizing world. Domestically, the Department will continue to work to facilitate 

widespread broadband Internet access; it will engage with businesses and innovators to enable 

the development and adoption of new technologies, such as the Internet of Things, autonomous 

vehicles, and unmanned aircraft; it will work to protect consumer privacy and security; and it will 

work to foster a culture and climate of innovation across all sectors of the digital economy. 

Overseas, the Department will likewise continue to advocate for a free and open Internet, for a 

global intellectual property regime that incentivizes creation and innovation, for a system of trade 

that is fair and equitable and promotes new digital products and services, and for improved privacy 

and cybersecurity standards across all sectors of the economy. 

The mission of the Department of Commerce is to create the conditions for economic growth and 

opportunity. The digital economy is and will remain central to that mission. The Department looks 

forward to partnering with businesses, civil society, and consumers to realize the full potential of 

the digital economy in the years to come. 

 

NOTES:
NOTES:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE