II 

Calendar No. 375 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1611 

[Report No. 116–179] 

To ensure appropriate prioritization, spectrum planning, and interagency 

coordination to support the Internet of Things. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 22, 2019 

Mrs. FISCHER (for herself, Mr. SCHATZ, Mr. GARDNER, and Mr. BOOKER) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

DECEMBER 17, 2019 

Reported by Mr. WICKER, with amendments 

[Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To ensure appropriate prioritization, spectrum planning, and 

interagency coordination to support the Internet of Things. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Developing Innovation 

3 and Growing the Internet of Things Act’’ or the ‘‘DIGIT 

4 Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

6 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

7 (1) the Internet of Things refers to the growing 

8 number of connected and interconnected devices; 

9 (2) estimates indicate that more than 

10 125,000,000,000 devices will be connected to the 

11 internet by 2030; 

12 (3) the Internet of Things has the potential to 

13 generate trillions of dollars in new economic activity 

14 around the world in the transportation, energy, agri15 culture, manufacturing, and health care sectors and 

16 in other sectors that are critical to the growth of the 

17 gross domestic product of the United States; 

18 (4) businesses across the United States can de19 velop new services and products, improve the effi20 ciency of operations and logistics, cut costs, improve 

21 worker and public safety, and pass savings on to 

22 consumers by utilizing the Internet of Things and 

23 related innovations; 

24 (5) the Internet of Things will— 

25 (A) be vital in furthering innovation and 

26 the development of emerging technologies; and 


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1 (B) play a key role in developing artificial 

2 intelligence and advanced computing capabili3 ties; 

4 (6) the United States leads the world in the de5 velopment of technologies that support the internet, 

6 the United States technology sector is well-posi7 tioned to lead in the development of technologies for 

8 the Internet of Things, and the appropriate 

9 prioritization of a national strategy with respect to 

10 the Internet of Things would strengthen that posi11 tion; 

12 (7) the Federal Government can implement this 

13 technology to better deliver services to the public; 

14 and 

15 (8) the Senate unanimously passed Senate Res16 olution 110, 114th Congress, agreed to March 24, 

17 2015, calling for a national strategy for the develop18 ment of the Internet of Things. 

19 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con20 gress that policies governing the Internet of Things 

21 should— 

22 (1) promote solutions with respect to the Inter23 net of Things that are secure, scalable, interoper24 able, industry-driven, and standards-based; and 


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1 (2) maximize the development and deployment 

2 of the Internet of Things to benefit all stakeholders, 

3 including businesses, governments, and consumers. 

4 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 

7 means the Federal Communications Commission. 

8 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

9 the Secretary of Commerce. 

10 (3) STEERING COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘steer11 ing committee’’ means the steering committee estab12 lished under section 4(e)(1). 

13 (4) WORKING GROUP.—The term ‘‘working 

14 group’’ means the working group convened under 

15 section 4(a). 

16 SEC. 4. FEDERAL WORKING GROUP. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall convene a 

18 working group of Federal stakeholders for the purpose of 

19 providing recommendations and a report to Congress re20 lating to the aspects of the Internet of Things described 

21 in subsection (b). 

22 (b) DUTIES.—The working group shall— 

23 (1) identify any Federal regulations, statutes, 

24 grant practices, budgetary or jurisdictional chal25 lenges, and other sector-specific policies that are inVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:22 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1611.RS S1611

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1 hibiting, or could inhibit, the development or deploy2 ment of the Internet of Things; 

3 (2) consider policies or programs that encour4 age and improve coordination among Federal agen5 cies that have responsibilities that are relevant to 

6 the objectives of this Act; 

7 (3) consider any findings or recommendations 

8 made by the steering committee and, where appro9 priate, act to implement those recommendations; 

10 (4) examine— 

11 (A) how Federal agencies can benefit from 

12 utilizing the Internet of Things; 

13 (B) the use of Internet of Things tech14 nology by Federal agencies as of the date on 

15 which the working group performs the examina16 tion; 

17 (C) the preparedness and ability of Federal 

18 agencies to adopt Internet of Things technology 

19 as of the date on which the working group per20 forms the examination and in the future; and 

21 (D) any additional security measures that 

22 Federal agencies may need to take to— 

23 (i) safely and securely use the Inter24 net of Things, including measures that enVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:22 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1611.RS S1611

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1 sure the security of critical infrastructure; 

2 and 

3 (ii) enhance the resiliency of Federal 

4 systems against cyber threats to the Inter5 net of Things; and 

6 (5) in carrying out the examinations required 

7 under clauses (i) and (ii) of paragraph (4)(D), en8 sure to the maximum extent possible the coordina9 tion of the current and future activities of the Fed10 eral Government relating to security with respect to 

11 the Internet of Things. 

12 (c) AGENCY REPRESENTATIVES.—In convening the 

13 working group under subsection (a), the Secretary shall 

14 have discretion to appoint representatives from Federal 

15 agencies and departments as appropriate and shall specifi16 cally consider seeking representation from— 

17 (1) the Department of Commerce, including— 

18 (A) the National Telecommunications and 

19 Information Administration; 

20 (B) the National Institute of Standards 

21 and Technology; and 

22 (C) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

23 Administration; 

24 (2) the Department of Transportation; 

25 (3) the Department of Homeland Security; 


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1 (4) the Office of Management and Budget; 

2 (5) the National Science Foundation; 

3 (6) the Commission; 

4 (7) the Federal Trade Commission; 

5 (8) the Office of Science and Technology Policy; 

6 (9) the Department of Energy; and 

7 (10) the Federal Energy Regulatory Commis8 sion. 

9 (d) NONGOVERNMENTAL STAKEHOLDERS.—The 

10 working group shall consult with nongovernmental stake11 holders with expertise relating to the Internet of Things, 

12 including— 

13 (1) the steering committee; 

14 (2) information and communications technology 

15 manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, and ven16 dors; 

17 (3) subject matter experts representing indus18 trial sectors other than the technology sector that 

19 can benefit from the Internet of Things, including 

20 the transportation, energy, agriculture, and health 

21 care sectors; 

22 (4) small, medium, and large businesses; 

23 (5) think tanks and academia; 

24 (6) nonprofit organizations and consumer 

25 groups; 


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1 (7) security experts; 

2 (8) rural stakeholders; and 

3 (9) other stakeholders with relevant expertise, 

4 as determined by the Secretary. 

5 (e) STEERING COMMITTEE.— 

6 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established 

7 within the Department of Commerce a steering com8 mittee to advise the working group. 

9 (2) DUTIES.—The steering committee shall ad10 vise the working group with respect to— 

11 (A) the identification of any Federal regu12 lations, statutes, grant practices, programs, 

13 budgetary or jurisdictional challenges, and 

14 other sector-specific policies that are inhibiting, 

15 or could inhibit, the development of the Internet 

16 of Things; 

17 (B) situations in which the use of the 

18 Internet of Things is likely to deliver significant 

19 and scalable economic and societal benefits to 

20 the United States, including benefits from or 

21 to— 

22 (i) smart traffic and transit tech23 nologies; 

24 (ii) augmented logistics and supply 

25 chains; 


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1 (iii) sustainable infrastructure; 

2 (iv) precision agriculture; 

3 (v) environmental monitoring; 

4 (vi) public safety; and 

5 (vii) health care; 

6 (C) whether adequate spectrum is available 

7 to support the growing Internet of Things and 

8 what legal or regulatory barriers may exist to 

9 providing any spectrum needed in the future; 

10 (D) policies, programs, or multi-stake11 holder activities that— 

12 (i) promote or are related to the pri13 vacy of individuals who use or are affected 

14 by the Internet of Things; 

15 (ii) may enhance the security of the 

16 Internet of Things, including the security 

17 of critical infrastructure; 

18 (iii) may protect users of the Internet 

19 of Things; and 

20 (iv) may encourage coordination 

21 among Federal agencies with jurisdiction 

22 over the Internet of Things; 

23 (E) the opportunities and challenges asso24 ciated with the use of Internet of Things tech25 nology by small businesses; and 


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1 (F) any international proceeding, inter2 national negotiation, or other international mat3 ter affecting the Internet of Things to which 

4 the United States is or should be a party. 

5 (3) MEMBERSHIP.—The Secretary shall appoint 

6 to the steering committee members representing a 

7 wide range of stakeholders outside of the Federal 

8 Government with expertise relating to the Internet 

9 of Things, including— 

10 (A) information and communications tech11 nology manufacturers, suppliers, service pro12 viders, and vendors; 

13 (B) subject matter experts representing in14 dustrial sectors other than the technology sector 

15 that can benefit from the Internet of Things, 

16 including the transportation, energy, agri17 culture, and health care sectors; 

18 (C) small, medium, and large businesses; 

19 (D) think tanks and academia; 

20 (E) nonprofit organizations and consumer 

21 groups; 

22 (F) security experts; 

23 (G) rural stakeholders; and 

24 (H) other stakeholders with relevant exper25 tise, as determined by the Secretary. 


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1 (4) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

2 date of enactment of this Act, the steering com3 mittee shall submit to the working group a report 

4 that includes any findings or recommendations of 

5 the steering committee. 

6 (5) INDEPENDENT ADVICE.— 

7 (A) IN GENERAL.—The steering committee 

8 shall set the agenda of the steering committee 

9 in carrying out the duties of the steering com10 mittee under paragraph (2). 

11 (B) SUGGESTIONS.—The working group 

12 may suggest topics or items for the steering 

13 committee to study, and the steering committee 

14 shall take those suggestions into consideration 

15 in carrying out the duties of the steering com16 mittee. 

17 (C) REPORT.—The steering committee 

18 shall ensure that the report submitted under 

19 paragraph (4) is the result of the independent 

20 judgment of the steering committee. 

21 (6) NO COMPENSATION FOR MEMBERS.—A mem22 ber of the steering committee shall serve without com23 pensation. 

24 (6)(7) TERMINATION.—The steering committee 

25 shall terminate on the date on which the working 


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1 group submits the report under subsection (f) un2 less, on or before that date, the Secretary files a new 

3 charter for the steering committee under section 9(c) 

4 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 

5 App.). 

6 (f) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months 

8 after the date of enactment of this Act, the working 

9 group shall submit to Congress a report that in10 cludes— 

11 (A) the findings and recommendations of 

12 the working group with respect to the duties of 

13 the working group under subsection (b); 

14 (B) the report submitted by the steering 

15 committee under subsection (e)(4), as the re16 port was received by the working group; 

17 (C) recommendations for action or reasons 

18 for inaction, as applicable, with respect to each 

19 recommendation made by the steering com20 mittee in the report submitted under subsection 

21 (e)(4); and 

22 (D) an accounting of any progress made 

23 by Federal agencies to implement recommenda24 tions made by the working group or the steer25 ing committee. 


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1 (2) COPY OF REPORT.—The working group 

2 shall submit a copy of the report described in para3 graph (1) to— 

4 (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

5 and Transportation and the Committee on En6 ergy and Natural Resources of the Senate; 

7 (B) the Committee on Energy and Com8 merce of the House of Representatives; and 

9 (C) any other committee of Congress, upon 

10 request to the working group. 

11 SEC. 5. ASSESSING SPECTRUM NEEDS. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Commission, in consultation 

13 with the National Telecommunications and Information 

14 Administration, shall issue a notice of inquiry seeking pub15 lic comment on the current, as of the date of enactment 

16 of this Act, and future spectrum needs to enable better 

17 connectivity relating to the Internet of Things. 

18 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—In issuing the notice of inquiry 

19 under subsection (a), the Commission shall seek comments 

20 that consider and evaluate— 

21 (1) whether adequate spectrum is available, or 

22 is planned for allocation, for commercial wireless 

23 services that could support the growing Internet of 

24 Things; 


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1 (2) if adequate spectrum is not available for the 

2 purposes described in paragraph (1), how to ensure 

3 that adequate spectrum is available for increased de4 mand with respect to the Internet of Things; 

5 (3) what regulatory barriers may exist to pro6 viding any needed spectrum that would support uses 

7 relating to the Internet of Things; and 

8 (4) what the role of unlicensed and licensed 

9 spectrum is and will be in the growth of the Internet 

10 of Things. 

11 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

12 of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall submit to 

13 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

14 of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Com15 merce of the House of Representatives a report summa16 rizing the comments submitted in response to the notice 

17 of inquiry issued under subsection (a). 


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Calendar No. 375 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1611 

[Report No. 116–179] 

A BILL 

To ensure appropriate prioritization, spectrum 

port the Internet of Things. planning, and interagency coordination to supDECEMBER 17, 2019 

Reported with amendments 


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