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Federal Programs
Everywhere you look, there’s an IoT initiative
At least a dozen federal agencies are actively involved in developing, encouraging and regulating internet-of- things applications.The list below comes from a report by the Government Accountability Office released earlier this year.
In its report, GAO cites a number of factors that can hinder smart-city projects. For instance, isolated activi- ties and federal grants that focus on a single sector
— such as transportation, energy or public safety — inhibit IoT project integration. Effective leadership and a federal strategy could break down such barriers, the report states.
Proprietary systems are another problem.The use of such systems “raises confidence that the components
within a system will work together, but challenges arise when communities seek to integrate systems from different vendors, perhaps across sectors,” the report states.
That challenge can be overcome through the use of standards-based and open-data platforms that support broad projects.
Resource constraints also limit the integration of complex IoT projects because cost-conscious commu- nities tend to invest in smaller projects that are easier to deploy. Additionally, city officials might hesitate to spend money on a project whose scope and technology are continuing to evolve.
Department of Health and Human Services
• Promotes awareness of and mitigates risks to network-enabled medical devices.
Department of Homeland Security
• Works to analyze and reduce cyberthreats and vulnerabilities.
• Coordinates response to cyber incidents.
Energy Department
• Supports fundamental scientific research for energy and is the nation’s largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences, including the use of IoT technologies for the electrical grid.
• Supports applied research and de- velopment on energy-efficient buildings, building equipment and mobility systems.
Environmental Protection Agency
• Awards grants and conducts research, challenges and education activities in areas relating to public health and environmental monitoring, such as air-quality sensors.
Federal Communications Commission
• Identifies and allocates spectrum to support evolving service needs, including IoT.
• Hosts a technological advisory council that has produced position statements, recommendations, forecasts and related material on IoT technologies.
• Works with industry to understand evolving needs for IoT deployment.
Federal Trade Commission
• Recommended a series of concrete steps that businesses can take to enhance and protect consumers’ privacy and security when using IoT devices.
Justice Department
• Investigates and prosecutes cyber- crimes where the exploitation of IoT vulnerabilities causes communal harm.
• Recommends precautions to shield IoT devices from cyber intrusions and prevent their use in disruptive cyberattacks.
• Formed a threat analysis team to study the security of IoT.
National Institute of Standards and Technology
• Supports the development and appli- cation of standards, guidelines and related tools to improve the cybersecurity of con- nected devices.
• Collaborates with stakeholders via NIST’s Cybersecurity for IoT program to cultivate trust and promote U.S. leadership inIoT.
— Matt Leonard
National Science Foundation
• Supports research and education
into IoT technologies across all fields and disciplines of science and engineering and at all levels of education.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
• Manages federal spectrum and identifies potential commercial spectrum for IoT needs.
• Develops policy on issues related to the internet economy, including online privacy and cybersecurity.
• Performs research and engineering to support telecommunications policy and spectrum management.
Office of Science and Technology Policy
• Oversees the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development program, a multiagency effort to ensure the country’s continued technological leadership and to meet the federal government’s needs for advanced information technologies.
Transportation Department
• Conducts research, development and outreach activities to facilitate adoption of IoT technology that can improve transit systems.
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