Department of Commerce

The Department of Commerce and First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) announced the selection of AT&T to build the first nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated to America’s first responders. This record-breaking public-private partnership is a significant investment in the communications infrastructure that public safety desperately needs for day-to-day operations, disaster response and recovery, and securing of large events. It will also make 20 MHz of prime broadband spectrum available for private-sector development. The broad terms of this 25-year agreement between FirstNet and AT&T are:

FirstNet will provide 20 MHz of high-value, telecommunications spectrum and success-based payments of $6.5 billion over the next five years to support the Network buildout – FirstNet’s funding was raised from previous Federal Communications Commission spectrum auctions;
AT&T will spend about $40 billion over the life of the contract to build, deploy, operate and maintain the network, with a focus on ensuring robust coverage for public safety;
Additionally, AT&T will connect FirstNet users to the company’s telecommunications network assets, valued at more than $180 billion.

This innovative public-private partnership will create more than 10,000 new jobs and ensure public safety has a voice in the growth and evolution of the Network. In addition, FirstNet and AT&T will maximize the resources they are bringing to the partnership to create a financially self-sustaining network.

The goal of this paper is to identify elements of an approach for the Department of Commerce to foster the advancement of the Internet of Things (IoT).

The record of comments underlying this green paper, however, does set forth a series of issues that should be considered in any future discussions related to the possibility of a national IoT strategy. The publication of this green paper will be followed by a further Request for Comment that will solicit feedback on the findings of the paper and the proposed approach and next steps. This further consultation will inform the Department's approach and next steps as we work with interagency partners on the U.S. Government's approach to IoT.

Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker submitted her exit memorandum to President Barack Obama highlighting the Department of Commerce’s major accomplishments that helped grow the US economy during the past eight years. Sec Pritzker’s “Open for Business” agenda focused the efforts of the Department’s 12 bureaus and 46,000 employees on five pillars – trade and investment; innovation; data; environment; and operational excellence – in order to achieve its single mission of helping to create the conditions for economic growth, job creation, and opportunity across the United States. Two specific areas of achievement denoted in the memorandum were strengthening the digital economy and trade enforcement.

Cybersecurity: In an economy increasingly vulnerable to cybersecurity threats, the Department plays a central role in the federal government’s policymaking focused on securing America’s data networks and systems. In 2014, the Department released the Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. Created through unprecedented collaboration between private industry and government, the voluntary Framework consists of standards, guidelines, and practices that promote the protection of critical infrastructure networks. The Framework has become the gold standard for cyber-risk management and has gained widespread acceptance.

The Obama Administration has worked aggressively on several fronts to rapidly expand and train the cybersecurity workforce of the future. We launched the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), a program led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology at the US Department of Commerce, to create an ecosystem of cybersecurity education, training, and workforce development. And at the community level, we are supporting the development of fast-track tech training programs through TechHire, building public-private collaboration to help train and place people into tech jobs.

NICE was designed to expand the cybersecurity workforce by accelerating learning and skills development; nurturing a diverse learning community; and guiding career development and workforce planning. NICE is undertaking a range of strategies to put these goals into action. This June, the Department of Labor awarded $150 million in TechHire grants for partnerships to develop tech talent following this model across the country. Through these funds and other investments, local communities are launching a range of innovative training and placement models in critical tech fields, including cybersecurity. The demand for cybersecurity skills will only continue to grow. Through local collaborative efforts between employers, training providers, and community leaders, we can be sure that all individuals have the opportunity to build on their tech knowledge and participate in the thriving tech economy.

US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker received a series of recommendations from members of the Digital Economy Board of Advisors that identify key actions the US Department of Commerce can take to support the digital economy, encourage growth and increase opportunity. The recommendations, with accompanying reports, were issued by three working groups of the Board of Advisors that focused on areas where the digital economy has fundamentally transformed the economy. The working groups were established by the Board last spring, and their reports cap six months of intense work to offer actionable recommendations to the Department along with areas worthy of further study.

US Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews delivered keynote remarks at an event hosted by the Urban Alliance on “Young People, Tech and the Future of Work.” The event brought together leaders in government, business, and academia to collaborate on creating opportunities for young people and the business community to train, prepare, and leverage the skills of the next-generation of workers and innovators. During his remarks, Deputy Sec Andrews highlighted the Department of Commerce’s partnerships with industry to help close the nation’s talent gap through the Skills for Business agenda. In closing, the Deputy Sec underscored the critical importance of preparing the nation’s young people to succeed in the high-tech jobs of the 21st century.

US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker delivered a keynote address to USTelecom’s eighth National Cybersecurity Policy Reform on a report issued Dec 2 by the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. Sec Pritzker’s remarks highlighted key elements of the Commission’s recommendations, which provide industry leaders, federal lawmakers, and the incoming Administration with a blueprint for securing our economy in the digital age.

President Barack Obama charged the US Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with providing staff and logistical support to the 12-member Commission, comprised of public and private sector experts appointed by the Administration and bipartisan leaders in Congress. A core component of the Obama Administration’s Cybersecurity National Action Plan, the Commission’s recommendations contain short and long-term strategies to strengthen our cybersecurity posture across industry and throughout every level of government.

US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker delivered remarks at the US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) Collaborative Program on the Digital Economy. As part of the “Reimagined JCCT,” this event brought the US and Chinese business communities together with government officials from both countries for a discussion on a topic that is ripe for collaboration.

Secretary Pritzker’s remarks focused on the need for the public and private sectors to work together to protect and promote the Internet as a platform for innovation, commerce, and economic opportunity. She focused specifically on engagement with the business community that is already taking place in two specific areas: the Internet of Things and technology standards. In closing, she asked participants in the discussion to be ambitious and far-reaching in their ideas for how the US and China can build a modern economy that is open, innovative, and global.

Recent advances in technology have changed how workers and employers interact in the 21st century labor market. Companies such as Uber, TaskRabbit, Airbnb, and others are cited as examples of new non-traditional modes of employment and income generation. Although the press has been full of stories premised on the idea that the share of US jobs without a formal employer-employee relationship is large and growing, available survey data seem at odds with this perception.

Individuals engaged in these non-traditional forms of work should be classified as self-employed, yet the percentage of the workforce that is self-employed as reported in household surveys (such as the Current Population Survey) has instead been drifting downwards since at least the mid-1990s. In contrast, administrative data derived from tax filings, such as the nonemployer statistics published by the Census Bureau, provide stronger support for the popular perception that self-employment is a growing phenomenon over the last several decades.

US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker delivered a keynote address at an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations on Privacy and Data in the Age of Surveillance. This symposium convened policymakers, business leaders, and academic experts for a candid discussion of online privacy in an era of fast-moving digital innovation.

During her remarks, Sec Pritzker emphasized that trust in the privacy and security of digital technologies is essential to America’s future competitiveness in the global economy. The Secretary discussed how collaboration between government and industry stakeholders has guided the Commerce Department’s first-ever digital economy agenda, which aims to advance policies that promote a free and open Internet, protect security and privacy, build a workforce prepared for the 21st century, and engage with industry on emerging technologies.