“To establish the Immersive Technology Advisory Panel to promote the use of immersive technology in the United States, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section states congressional findings on immersive technology (i.e., augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality), including its inclusion in the initial list of key technology focus areas under 42 U.S.C. 19107(c), its designation as a critical technology by the National Science and Technology Council and Department of Defense, its expected role as the next major computing platform, and the need for U.S. leadership relative to foreign competitors.
This section establishes definitions for terms used in the Act, including (1) agency, having the meaning given in 5 U.S.C. §551 (i.e., each authority of the U.S. government other than Congress, courts, certain territorial or D.C. governments, and specified other entities); (2) Advisory Panel, meaning the panel established by section 5(a); (3) appropriate committees of Congress, meaning the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce; (4) immersive technology, meaning technology deployed into interstate commerce that integrates the physical environment with digital content to support user engagement, including augmented reality (overlaying digital information onto the physical world), mixed reality (blending augmented and virtual reality for real-time interaction with virtual elements), and virtual reality (replacing physical surroundings with a simulated environment); and (5) Secretary, meaning the Secretary of Commerce.
This section directs the Secretary, in consultation with the appropriate congressional committees, to designate a principal advisor on immersive technology. The advisor must (1) support and promote the improvement, deployment, and security of recommendations on the use of immersive technology in the United States; and (2) consider policies and programs to encourage and improve coordination among agencies with respect to immersive technology.
This section establishes the Immersive Technology Advisory Panel not later than 180 days after enactment of the Act to assess the economic impact of immersive technology and make related recommendations to the Secretary. The panel is chaired by a Secretary appointee (in consultation with the appropriate congressional committees) and comprises a vice chair; designees of the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Secretaries of Defense, Energy, State, Labor, Education, Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Agriculture; and 6 to 10 additional experts appointed by the Secretary from academia, think tanks, private sector technology firms, civil society, or other appropriate sectors. The panel's recommendations address using immersive technology to promote U.S. economic competitiveness; federal-private sector collaboration on technical standards, strategic investments, cybersecurity, and commercialization; ethical safeguards for individual data and privacy; and federal global leadership and allied-nation collaboration. The panel meets at least every four months, with administrative and technical support provided by the Secretary.
This section directs the Advisory Panel to complete, not later than two years after enactment, a study on the state of the immersive technology industry and its effects on U.S. economic competitiveness and national security—including its role in the emerging technology ecosystem and key technology focus areas under 42 U.S.C. 19107(c), economic impacts across specified sectors (e.g., manufacturing, health care, education), benefits to businesses, investment and personnel needs, required standards and best practices, and security risks and benefits. Not later than 90 days after the study's completion, the Secretary must submit to the appropriate congressional committees, and publish on a White House website, a report on the study's findings and recommendations for congressional action.