Senate Commerce Members Bow Digit Act To Develop 'National Strategy' on IoT

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and three other Senate Commerce Committee members introduced the Developing Innovation and Growing the Internet of Things (Digit) Act Tuesday as what Fischer called a next step in developing a “national strategy” on IoT issues. Co-sponsors are Sens. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii. The Digit Act would direct the FCC to issue a report assessing the amount of spectrum needed to support the IoT. The bill would also convene a working group of federal stakeholders that would make recommendations to Congress within one year on how to “appropriately plan for and encourage” IoT proliferation in the U.S. The working group would include representatives from the FCC, the FTC, NTIA, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the departments of Commerce and Transportation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Science Foundation. The working group would also consult with “key industry stakeholders,” including communications sector manufacturers and vendors, plus consumer groups, the bill said. The Senate passed an IoT resolution in 2015 sponsored by Ayotte, Booker, Fischer and Schatz that sought the promotion of IoT innovation along with the development of related technological safeguards (see 1503250016).