Department of Commerce

US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker delivered a keynote address to USTelecom’s eighth National Cybersecurity Policy Reform on a report issued Dec 2 by the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. Sec Pritzker’s remarks highlighted key elements of the Commission’s recommendations, which provide industry leaders, federal lawmakers, and the incoming Administration with a blueprint for securing our economy in the digital age.

President Barack Obama charged the US Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with providing staff and logistical support to the 12-member Commission, comprised of public and private sector experts appointed by the Administration and bipartisan leaders in Congress. A core component of the Obama Administration’s Cybersecurity National Action Plan, the Commission’s recommendations contain short and long-term strategies to strengthen our cybersecurity posture across industry and throughout every level of government.

US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker delivered remarks at the US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) Collaborative Program on the Digital Economy. As part of the “Reimagined JCCT,” this event brought the US and Chinese business communities together with government officials from both countries for a discussion on a topic that is ripe for collaboration.

Secretary Pritzker’s remarks focused on the need for the public and private sectors to work together to protect and promote the Internet as a platform for innovation, commerce, and economic opportunity. She focused specifically on engagement with the business community that is already taking place in two specific areas: the Internet of Things and technology standards. In closing, she asked participants in the discussion to be ambitious and far-reaching in their ideas for how the US and China can build a modern economy that is open, innovative, and global.

Recent advances in technology have changed how workers and employers interact in the 21st century labor market. Companies such as Uber, TaskRabbit, Airbnb, and others are cited as examples of new non-traditional modes of employment and income generation. Although the press has been full of stories premised on the idea that the share of US jobs without a formal employer-employee relationship is large and growing, available survey data seem at odds with this perception.

Individuals engaged in these non-traditional forms of work should be classified as self-employed, yet the percentage of the workforce that is self-employed as reported in household surveys (such as the Current Population Survey) has instead been drifting downwards since at least the mid-1990s. In contrast, administrative data derived from tax filings, such as the nonemployer statistics published by the Census Bureau, provide stronger support for the popular perception that self-employment is a growing phenomenon over the last several decades.

US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker delivered a keynote address at an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations on Privacy and Data in the Age of Surveillance. This symposium convened policymakers, business leaders, and academic experts for a candid discussion of online privacy in an era of fast-moving digital innovation.

During her remarks, Sec Pritzker emphasized that trust in the privacy and security of digital technologies is essential to America’s future competitiveness in the global economy. The Secretary discussed how collaboration between government and industry stakeholders has guided the Commerce Department’s first-ever digital economy agenda, which aims to advance policies that promote a free and open Internet, protect security and privacy, build a workforce prepared for the 21st century, and engage with industry on emerging technologies.

US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker delivered the keynote address at the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Annual Update Conference Luncheon in Washington D.C. Speaking to more than 1,000 public and private sector leaders from across the export control landscape, Secretary Pritzker highlighted the key role BIS plays in national security and emphasized the vital work the agency has undertaken in support of significant foreign policy issues related to Cuba and Russia.

During her speech, Secretary Pritzker discussed the Bureau’s significant work over the last several years in support of U.S. economic growth and national security. In addition, Secretary Pritzker highlighted the success of this Administration’s export control reform initiative, which has helped rationalize the export control system and streamline the licensing process for exporters. Secretary Pritzker also illustrated BIS’ continued commitment to supporting U.S. national security and foreign policy through employing the range of tools at its disposal.

US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker delivered opening remarks at the Commerce Data Advisory Council (CDAC) meeting. This was the fifth and final meeting of CDAC of the Obama Administration, during which Sec Pritzker received recommendations on data management practices, external uses of Department of Commerce data, and open data standards.

In her remarks, Secretary Pritzker reflected on the ways in which the Commerce Department has worked to make federal data more accessible, including through the launch of the Commerce Data Service, the Commerce Data Academy and the Commerce Data Usability Project. In addition, the Secretary noted the value of CDAC’s past recommendations and how they have played an integral role in making Commerce data more widely usable. In closing, Sec Pritzker emphasized the importance of continuing to make Commerce data accessible by institutionalizing CDAC efforts. Through effective institutionalization, Sec Pritzker pointed out that the efforts of CDAC will persist long after the end of the Administration.

[Commentary] We are in the midst of a transition from an economy with a growing digital component, to an economy where digital issues are of first and foremost importance. Four months ago the Digital Economy Board of Advisors (DEBA) was charged with an ambitious agenda to advise the Department of Commerce on how to navigate and respond to this transition. We are honored to co-chair this accomplished group of leading technologists, business leaders, social sector executives and expert policy makers. This past week the Board convened for its second public meeting at the Mozilla offices in Mountain View (CA) to review the outputs of our work to date. Each of the working groups presented their initial discussion drafts, meant to create a space for broader conversation with the Board and to invite additional input from a variety of voices. Through our discussions insights emerged around several key issues, including encouraging the Department of Commerce to engage with the tech sector to:

Develop innovative models that better connect people to high-quality, minimal-time, and low-cost training programs for the most high-demand skills
Foster solutions that encourage and facilitate the growth and usage of digital platforms among SMEs
Protect the benefits that such platforms hold for businesses in the global marketplace
Develop more accurate measures for the impact of emerging digital activities on the economy.

[Zoë Baird is CEO and President of the Markle Foundation. Mitchell Baker is Executive Chairwoman of the Mozilla Foundation. Both Co-Chair the Digital Economy Board of Advisors.]

US Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews traveled to Silicon Valley to participate in two meetings of the Digital Economy Board of Advisors (DEBA). Established by Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker in 2016, the DEBA is comprised of technology industry leaders, innovators, and experts, and serves as a centralized forum to help businesses and consumers realize the potential of the digital economy to advance growth and opportunity. The Board provides advice in furtherance of increasing domestic prosperity, improving education, and facilitating participation in political and cultural life through the application and expansion of digital technologies.

Deputy Secretary Andrews moderated a discussion of the DEBA Working Group Coordinators’ Committee (WGCC), which included Working Group members and outside experts, representing corporations ranging from General Electric to Uber to Microsoft. Deputy Secretary Andrews expressed his interest in the WGCC’s advice on how the Department can transform to meet the demands of the 21st century economy and remain as relevant as possible to its constituents. The Deputy Secretary also received valuable information about what companies need from the Department of Commerce in today’s digital economy and how Commerce can improve its outreach to its constituents.

Andrews delivered opening remarks at the second public meeting of the full DEBA, thanking members for their contributions to the Commerce Department’s successes in the digital economy space.

Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced the reappointment of three leading experts on public safety, wireless broadband communications, and state and local government to serve three-year terms on the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) Board. Secretary Pritzker reappointed three current Board members to another term:

• Jeff Johnson, FirstNet Vice Chair, former Fire Chief and CEO of the Western Fire Chiefs Association.
• Sue Swenson, FirstNet Chairwoman and CEO of Novatel Wireless.
• Teri Takai, senior advisor at the Center for Digital Government and former CIO for the states of Michigan and California.

In addition, Secretary Pritzker announced that Swenson would continue to serve as chairwoman of the FirstNet Board for another two-year term.

The National Technical Information Service has just posted a Federal Register Notice inviting proposals from for-profit, non-profit, or research organizations to enter into Joint Venture Partnership agreements with NTIS to develop and deliver innovative, agile data solutions within the Department of Commerce or around the federal government. We’re looking for companies and organizations—selected through a merit-based process—that will partner with NTIS to assist Federal agencies in developing and implementing innovative ways to collect, connect, access, analyze, or use Federal data and data services. To illustrate, the Joint Ventures could help provide:
New technical capability or private sets to help statistical agencies derive economic, demographic and social insights from Federal and private sector data;
Assistance through the integration of public and private data, the “Internet of Things,” cloud computing and predictive analytics, to derive insights for land use planning, and delivering improved public services; and
Aggregation of multiple and disparate data sets from several Federal agencies into an insightful data suite of knowledge to drive business decisions.
The NTIS Joint Ventures also could help address time-to-market innovations and complexity of solutions, and facilitate new partnerships with the private sector focused on delivering value for public service, business outcomes, and economic growth.