House Passes Bills to Boost Emerging Tech and Shore Up Cybersecurity of Electric Sector
Key points…
+ A batch of bills aimed at improving the cybersecurity and reliability of the energy sector and informing the United States’ use of emerging technologies, such as blockchain and quantum computing, passed the House Tuesday and now head to the Senate for consideration.
Introduced in August by Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Bobby Rush, D-Ill., the American Competitiveness on More Productive Emerging Tech Economy, or COMPETE Act, would direct the Commerce Department and Federal Trade Commission to dive deep into the ways in which America is harnessing and governing several burgeoning technologies.
+ Nine other previously proposed bills intending to advance Congress’ grasp of the nation’s broader tech ecosystem make up the text of COMPETE.
+ Its ultimate passage would require new research steered by the two agencies into confronting “online harms,” and boosting 3D printing, the internet of things, IoT in manufacturing, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, blockchain, new and advanced materials and unmanned delivery services—all trendy, on-the-rise tech right now.
+ The 36-page legislation would mandate year-long, agency-led investigations into each of those listed tech-focused areas, and it incorporates explicit instructions regarding the sorts of information those leading the studies would need to report back to Congress. On top of recommendations for policies and legislation that would “advance the expeditious adoption” of the technologies being pursued, by the end of the process, Congress would also want full lists of public-private partnerships promoting the different tech’s adoption, more details on near- and long-term risks among supply chains—and much more.
+ “In order for America to win the future, beat China, create jobs, and raise our standard of living, we need to lead the world in emerging technologies,” McMorris Rodgers said.
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