CRS finds federal CTO role remains undefined

Nearly nine months after Aneesh Chopra was named as the first federal chief technology officer, his role remains undefined.

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has issued its second report in a year looking at the responsibilities of the CTO and how this position integrates with that of the federal chief information officer and others. In a Jan. 7 report, first obtained by the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) OpenCRS Web site, the research service says because the position is not established by Congress, where it would receive statutory authorities and a dedicated budget, the CTO may find it tougher to affect change.

The report states: "In such a case, the efficacy of the CTO may depend largely on the mandate provided by President Obama to the CTO (and agencies' perception of the mandate), the imprimatur of the White House, and the personal attributes of the CTO (e.g., relationship with the President, past accomplishments, knowledge, professional reputation, persuasiveness).... Potential conflict between the CTO and these offices might be magnified with the co-location of the CTO within Office of Science and Technology Policy. While assigning Mr. Chopra the dual roles of assistant to the president and CTO and associate director of OSTP may contribute to better coordination and integration of CTO and OSTP functions, it may also create reporting and issue jurisdiction issues, both within OSTP and with other Executive Office of the President offices."

CRS found that the White House still has not developed an official position description for the CTO nor has it sought to codify the position through legislation.

The report says "the structure and official duties of the CTO remain largely undefined."