US lawmakers re-introduce smart cities bill

Proposed US legislation which advocates funnelling hundreds of millions of dollars into smart city developments has been brought back before lawmakers. Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, senator Maria Cantwell and congressman Ben Ray Luján have re-introduced the Smart Cities and Communities Act to promote the advancement of smart cities. DelBene says: “Utilising smart technologies to our advantage will allow cities to invest in clean infrastructure projects that reduce pollution, create good-paying jobs, and e
May 17, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Proposed US legislation which advocates funnelling hundreds of millions of dollars into smart city developments has been brought back before lawmakers.

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, senator Maria Cantwell and congressman Ben Ray Luján have re-introduced the Smart Cities and Communities Act to promote the advancement of smart cities.

DelBene says: “Utilising smart technologies to our advantage will allow cities to invest in clean infrastructure projects that reduce pollution, create good-paying jobs, and expand our middle class.”

The bill, originally introduced in 2017, authorises $220 million for smart city investments for over five years and will also:

  • Enhance federal coordination of smart city programmes, including improved reporting and demonstration of the value and utility of smart city systems.
  • Provide assistance and resources to local governments interested in implementing relevant technologies.
  • Develop a skilled and tech-savvy domestic workforce.
  • Improve the quality and performance of smart city technologies while assessing and enhancing cybersecurity and privacy protections.

Tommy Ross, senior policy director at Business Software Alliance, has applauded the decision to re-introduce the bill.

“Smart cities are the future and it’s important that governments have the resources they need to advance workforce development initiatives and enhance cybersecurity and privacy protections for the US economy,” he adds.

UTC

Related Content

  • July 10, 2014
    House proposes US$10.5 billion eight-month highway bill
    The US Government House Ways and Means Committee is proposing a US$10.5 billion, eight-month transportation funding bill to push the debate over road and transit spending into the next Congress. The proposal, which calls for a temporary extension of current transportation funding levels until 31 May 2015, comes as lawmakers try to come up with a way to replenish the Department of Transportation's depleted Highway Trust Fund before a predicted August bankruptcy date. The traditional funding source fo
    Read More
  • May 7, 2025
    US Automated Vehicle Framework to 'slash red tape'
    NHTSA insists safety will be prioritised and 'unnecessary' regulation removed
    Read More
  • June 25, 2018
    US Cities push for smarter poles
    US Cities The need to connect existing infrastructure has led various US transit authorities into imaginative alleyways: David Crawford examines some new roles for street furniture. US cities are vying with each other in developing schemes to create a new generation of connected places. Their strategies include taking advantage of their streetlight poles’ height and ubiquity to give them new roles in supporting intelligent nodes. They are now being equipped for collecting real-time data on key transport
    Read More
  • February 7, 2019
    No need for safety drivers in AVs, says UK government
    The UK government has signalled that it is ready to allow autonomous vehicles (AVs) with no driver to be tested on public roads. It is already committed to having fully self-driving vehicles on UK roads by 2021. At present, operators are legally required to test AVs only when “a driver is present, in or out of the vehicle, who is ready, able, and willing to resume control of the vehicle”. But the Department for Transport (DfT)’s updated code of practice on trialling AVs on public roads - as opposed t
    Read More

Highlighted Content