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

  • April 1, 2019
    C-ITS in the EU: ‘A little tribal’
    As the C-ITS Delegated Act begins its journey through the European policy maze, Adam Hill looks at who is expecting what from this proposed framework for connected vehicles – and why some people are insisting that the lawmakers are already getting things wrong here are furrowed brows in Brussels and Strasbourg as European Union legislators begin to consider the rules which will underpin future services such as connected vehicles. The idea is to create a regulatory framework to harmonise cooperative ITS
    Read More
  • March 22, 2022
    Cities get road priorities right
    Cities including Paris, Milan and London have all announced serious expansions to their bicycling infrastructure over the last few years. The era of active travel is here, finds Alan Dron
    Read More
  • July 15, 2015
    Transport MEPs set out steps to achieve transport roadmap goals
    To ensure the competitiveness and sustainability of EU transport, concrete measures are still needed, said MEPs in a report adopted in the Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN) this week and intended to feed into the Commission review of the 2011 White Paper on Transport. Further efforts to boost air, road, rail and maritime transport, reduce road injuries and close loopholes in passenger rights legislation should be made, they add. The transport sector is a driving force of the EU economy and should
    Read More
  • April 12, 2013
    Mexico and the US slow to adopt ETC interoperability
    Splinteroperability is a word devised by Travis P. Dunn and Victor J. Michelet C. to encapsulate the lack of progress towards ETC harmonisation in the US and Mexico. Five thousand miles of tolled roads and bridges. Widespread implementation of electronic toll collection (ETC) systems. One dominant interoperable ETC service provider covering just over half the nation’s toll facilities. Numerous other ETC service providers offering alternative visions of interoperability. Years of customer requests for better
    Read More

Highlighted Content