Our Working Groups are committees focused on specific issue areas. Each group meets regularly to engage with policymakers, regulators, and representatives from the Administration. They also develop strategies to advance the goals of the collective group.
To educate the public and policymakers on the different types, uses, and policy challenges associated with artificial intelligence, and coordinate industry efforts to effectively advocate for a favorable policy environment.
Automated vehicles working group
Systems (ADS) and ADS-equipped vehicles, colloquially known as autonomous vehicles, have the vast potential to increase road safety, enhance mobility for the elderly and people with disabilities, and improve transportation efficiency across the nation. To meet this potential, we must focus on developing appropriate public policies as well as common industry safety standards and technology-neutral safety performance benchmarks. Also, public-private consortia, broad-based consumer education coalitions, and global standards bodies can play a critical role in building the trust necessary to test and deploy ADS-equipped vehicles at scale, and save thousands of lives in the United States.
Automated Driving Systems (ADS) and ADS-equipped vehicles, colloquially known as autonomous vehicles, have the vast potential to increase road safety, enhance mobility for the elderly and people with disabilities, and improve transportation efficiency across the nation. To meet this potential, we must focus on developing appropriate public policies as well as common industry safety standards and technology-neutral safety performance benchmarks. Also, public-private consortia, broad-based consumer education coalitions, and global standards bodies can play a critical role in building the trust necessary to test and deploy ADS-equipped vehicles at scale, and save thousands of lives in the United States.
C_TEC encourages U.S. legislators and regulators to consider the principles below in order for America to assume a leadership position and invest in this globally competitive sector. These principles were developed by C_TEC’sAutonomous Vehicle Working Group, which consists of a broad and diverse set of leading companies and trade associations, including original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), technology companies, transportation network companies, insurers, telecommunications providers, automotive suppliers, trucking, and retail.
The following policy principles will ensure that the United States remains a leader in automated vehicle (AV) innovation and that America’s policy framework can be a model for other countries worldwide.
ENSURE A SAFETY FIRST APPROACH As an industry and nation, our first and foremost collective goal must be safety. The safe development, testing, and deployment of ADS and ADS-equipped vehicles are essential to build and retain public trust in order to realize the multifold benefits that these vehicles will deliver for society. Therefore, safety is C_TEC’s top priority.
PRESERVE EXISTING DELINEATION OF REGULATORY ROLES For America to be at the forefront of innovation, policymakers must create an environment for ADS technology to advance. Clarity and certainty of regulatory roles are crucial to spur investment in the United States amid the global race among nations to lead in this sector. C_TEC believes that policymakers should preserve the existing clear delineation of traditional federal, state, and local roles for motor vehicle regulation, as well as interstate commerce, in the context of automated vehicles.
Absent federal clarity, the current patchwork of regulations creates uncertainty, which hinders economies of scale and continued ADS development and testing in the United States. In short, preserving existing federal authority over testing and deployment regarding the design, construction, and performance of ADS and ADS-equipped vehicles and components is critical to ensure American leadership in this highly competitive global industry.
PROMOTE TECHNOLOGY AND STAKEHOLDER NEUTRALITY The transportation industry is undergoing a rapid transformation. Consistent with this evolution, the AV industry includes a breadth of stakeholders from traditional original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers to technology companies and other new entrants. To ensure a level playing field that facilitates safety and innovation and increases new investment and jobs in the United States, all stakeholders’ testing and/or deploying ADS and ADS-equipped vehicles should be subject to the same testing and deployment policies under a uniform federal framework.
C_TEC also supports ongoing proactive industry collaboration in leading standards bodies to develop a technology and stakeholder-neutral ADS safety validation approach, which may set forth consensus-based minimum safety performance requirements, guidelines, or benchmarks. These efforts must be open to all AV industry stakeholders to ensure that the United States benefits from diverse expertise, as well as wide acceptance and adoption of the approach. Any new U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) ADS working group should ensure similar composition.
ADVANCE SAFE AUTOMATED VEHICLE DEVELOPMENT, TESTING AND DEPLOYMENT Testing is essential to advancing ADS performance and thus strengthening motor vehicle safety. To demonstrate that an ADS-equipped vehicle is at least as safe as a human driver, C_TEC recognizes the need for metrics beyond vehicle miles traveled and disengagements. Therefore, policymakers should encourage the broad AV industry to collaboratively develop a technology-neutral and transparent performance-based model for ADS safety decision-making in conjunction with leading standards bodies.
Also, to increase consumer trust, C_TEC supports a comprehensive test of the safety of a vehicle’s decision-making and perception systems. Consistent with the USDOT recognition that on-road testing is one of several aspects for ADS safety assurance, C_TEC recognizes that ADS/AV safety testing can be performed along multiple paths, for example, (i)on-road testing; (ii) verification of the vehicle’s decision-making to an industry accepted, performance-based safety model; and (iii) testing of the vehicle’s perception system using data sets.
MODERNIZE FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS ADS-equipped vehicles may include unconventional designs that are incompatible with some existing Federal MotorVehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Therefore, some FMVSS may need to be modernized to encompass advances inADS technology. As the USDOT considers which regulations may need to be modernized, USDOT’s existing temporary exemption authority allows the introduction of new motor vehicle features or designs where the petitioner’s data supports that those innovations provide a safety level at least equal to the safety level of the standard. This data-intensive exemption process provides a valuable opportunity to demonstrate the safety benefits of ADS technologies and inform future rulemakings.
C_TEC supports making this exemption process available to all petitioners (e.g., traditional OEMs, suppliers, tech companies, and new entrants) on a level playing field. To ensure that the United States continues to lead in this sector and reduce barriers to deployment, C_TEC supports increasing the number of ADS-equipped vehicles that may be exempted and lifting the current cap of two years for each exemption.
Data privacy working group
To bring together members from all industry sectors with the goal of passing balanced federal legislation that protects consumers and promotes innovation. The Working Group also monitors state and local privacy legislation and works to develop evidence-based solutions to address the issue of consumer and government privacy.
Get the highlights from the American Data Privacy and Protection Act below:
Learn more about children’s privacy legislation, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA), Children and Teen’s Online Privacy Protection Act, and the Kids Online Safety Act:
During the pandemic, America has experienced an acceleration in digital transformation. Companies have had to rely further on the cloud and connectivity for remote work, and new technologies like extended reality (XR), identity management, and blockchain provide significant efficiencies to the business community. However, government IT has lagged far behind the private sector. From fulfilling vaccine deployment commitments to managing supply chains and distributing financial aid to small businesses and struggling households, government stumbles during the pandemic have highlighted how outdated government IT harms both the public sector’s ability to respond to a crisis and the public’s ability to receive vital assistance. Government must fully embrace cutting-edge technology and data analytics to generate the necessary resilience against future crises
Sadly, this problem existed way before the COVID-19 pandemic. For decades, federal and state IT infrastructure has woefully lagged the private sector. In fact, during the last decade, government agencies such as the Defense, Treasury, and Veterans’ Affairs departments have continued to use legacy hardware and software from as far back as the 1950s. This lack of investment and modernization has only been exacerbated by COVID-19 disruptions. The following are examples of how underinvestment in IT at both the state and federal levels have harmed the public:
Recently, the Federal Communications Commission admitted it did not have the technology to effectively map and deploy broadband funding.
The Small Business Administration’s loan processing system crashed twice in April of 2020.
Health agencies are still using paper filing instead of digital, making tracking much slower.
Connecticut’s website could not handle more than 8,300 unemployment benefits applications, “a fraction of the applications coming in.”
New Jersey had to put out a request for volunteers who know programming language from the 1950s that runs the state’s employee benefits system.
This transformation and investment must take place at every level of government, as digital collaboration and communication have become essential for cities, state, and federal initiatives.
A digital transformation is enabled by different kinds of technology:
Cloud computing enables the processing and storage of data to securely deliver services via the internet.
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how critical our connectivity infrastructure is to education, work, and many other elements of our daily lives. While policymakers have primarily, and correctly, focused on ensuring widespread broadband adoption in the United States, continued progress on advanced communications technologies such as 5G is essential to maintain U.S. global economic leadership and enable new opportunities for millions of Americans.
Internet of Things (IoT) technology is revolutionizing how we live and do business. By some accounts, “IoT has a total potential economic impact of $3.9 trillion to $11 trillion a year by 2025.” Americans will benefit from IoT in the form of smart traffic and transit technologies, improved supply chain management, sustainable infrastructure, environmental quality, public safety, and modernized healthcare.
Technologies such as blockchain also hold the promise of securely transmitting information. Blockchain uses cryptographic methods to support secured transactions ranging from applications such as food security in supply chains to real estate title transfer.
In March, we surveyed 165 Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) across mid- and large-sized U.S. corporations on the impact of outdated government IT systems.
Telecommuncations and E-Commerce
To educate policymakers, consumers, and businesses on the value of the digital economy and the elements necessary to power e-commerce such as data and connectivity and to advocate for policies that enable online and broadcast commerce to thrive.
New Aviation Entrant
To educate the public and policymakers about Unmanned Aircraft Systems—how they are used and why they are important and support policies that enhance C_TEC members’ ability to operate UAS’ in the US.