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Strategic Objective
Strengthen the Nation’s digital economy by championing policies that will maximize the potential of the Internet, expanding broadband capacity, and enhancing cybersecurity to provide a robust environment for innovation. (NIST, NTIA, USPTO)
Strategic Objective
Overview
The digital economy is the great engine of innovation and economic growth of the 21st century, and the Department is its principal defender and champion in the federal government. The Internet engine that powers this vast marketplace of electronic goods and services was developed within the federal government. But it has flourished in the private sector—where it should remain.
This extraordinary platform for innovation, growth, and social progress faces urgent policy questions that demand a thoughtful government response. How can personal information and intellectual property be protected online? How can the Nation’s critical digital infrastructure be defended from cyber-attacks? How can high-speed and affordable Internet access for all Americans be ensured? And, how can these goals be achieved while preserving, here and around the world, the fundamentally open nature of the Internet, free from unnecessary regulation?
The Department has essential responsibility and a central role in answering these questions. It advises the President on telecommunications issues and manages national spectrum resources needed for expanded high-speed broadband service. It develops U.S. policy on online intellectual property protection and enforcement. It oversees the development of voluntary industry cybersecurity and other online safety standards. It houses FirstNet which is charged with building a nationwide wireless broadband network for public safety users. And, the Department represents the United States on Internet governance issues before international multi-stakeholder bodies.
Read Less...Progress Update
During FY 2014, the Department of Commerce (DOC) made good progress in promoting and supporting the digital economy. The Department increased broadband infrastructure and capacity for both wireless and wireline, and developed organizations that will continue to expand connectivity with next-generation technologies. The Department created capabilities, conventions, and frameworks that advance the deployment of digital technologies, convening wide groups of stakeholders to ensure best practices and effective codes of conduct are followed by all parties. It also advanced policies that promote the Internet as the engine of growth.
Accomplishments include:
- NTIA successfully advanced the multistakeholder model of Internet governance by launching a process to develop a consumer privacy code of conduct for commercial use of facial recognition technologies, and by announcing the intent to transition certain Internet domain name functions to the multistakeholder community.
- NIST released version 1.0 of the Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. This Framework meets a February 2013 Executive Order, which calls for the development of a voluntary, risk-based Cybersecurity Framework—a set of existing standards, guidelines and practices to help organizations manage cyber risks. The resulting framework, created through public-private collaboration, provides a common language to address and manage cyber risk in a cost-effective way based on business needs, without placing additional regulatory requirements on businesses. The Framework was well-received by stakeholders. NIST has continued to conduct significant outreach to promote the use of the voluntary Cybersecurity Framework, enhancing the cybersecurity of critical U.S. infrastructure.
- NIST established the Communications Technology Laboratory to promote the development and deployment of advanced communications technologies. This Laboratory, which conducts leading edge R&D on both the metrology and understanding of physical phenomena, materials capabilities, and complex systems relevant to advanced communications, will be the NIST partner for the joint NIST/NTIA Center for Advanced Communications.
- NTIA coordinated federal agency activities (transition plans, relocation costs) in preparation for November 2014 auction of federal spectrum for commercial broadband use.
- NIST and NTIA continued to develop the Center for Advanced Communications by bolstering its leadership and conducting its first tabletop exercise.
- NTIA hosted two Community Broadband Workshops to spread the lessons learned from its broadband grant programs and share best practices with communities seeking to increase their broadband capabilities.
- USPTO and NTIA conducted several Roundtables on Copyright Internet Policy Topics.
Next Steps in FY 2015:
- In an ongoing effort to optimize DOC’s effectiveness and execution in strengthening the Nation’s digital economy, the Department will implement significant changes to the structure of this strategic objective for FY 2015. Changes to the objective and underlying strategies will better reflect the current positions of the Internet Policy Task Force, and ensure a clear focus on capacity-building, innovation, and economic growth. To this end, the International Trade Association (ITA) will be added as a contributing bureau to the objective.
- Q1: NTIA will build international consensus on the use of multistakeholder processes to address Internet policymaking and governance at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference.
- Q1: NIST will hold Cybersecurity Framework Workshop on use, adoption, and implementation of the framework to engage stakeholders in determining how to improve the Framework to increase adoption.
- Q2: NTIA will initiate Digital Economy Federal Advisory Committee in order to gather input on priority policy areas.
- Q2: NIST will finalize multiyear plan to invest Wireless Innovation Fund from the spectrum license auction in order to efficiently and effectively use the funds to develop cutting-edge technologies for public safety users.
- Q2: NTIA will release Local Government Community Broadband Toolkit and host community broadband workshop in order to help communities improve their broadband capabilities.
- Q3: NIST will begin projects supporting the National Advanced Spectrum and Communications Test Network, in order to facilitate spectrum sharing measurements.
- Q3: NTIA will finalize facial recognition code of conduct multistakeholder process in order to increase trust in and adoption of such innovations, release Request For Information on need for best practices/codes of conduct on the roles of Internet intermediaries in order to assess need for policy efforts.
- Q4: NTIA will review and assess proposals for transition of Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions to the global multistakeholder community to ensure a free and open Internet.
- Q4: NTIA will initiate formal coordination to support transition sharing in 1695-1710 MHz and 1755-1780 MHz in order to increase spectrum available for commercial wireless broadband applications.
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Strategic Goals
Strategic Goal:
Foster a more innovative U.S. economy—one that is better at inventing, improving, and commercializing products and technologies that lead to higher productivity and competitiveness
