Smart Tech: Where's Our Stimulus?

With Congress in the middle of a debate over the massive economic stimulus package, it seems likely that as much as one-quarter of the proposed $800 billion-plus will go to upgrading the nation's badly neglected infrastructure. And based on wish lists that are being drawn up by the states, it looks as if most of that money will be spent on traditional road and bridge projects. Yet tech industry leaders warn that such an outcome could represent a huge lost opportunity. They say Congress should use the stimulus legislation to encourage infrastructure investments that include new "smart" technologies. These are sensors, software, and other tech products that make it possible to build things faster and better, and to operate them more efficiently and safely.