Kevin Walsh, a director of IT and cybersecurity at the Government Accountability Office (GAO), told lawmakers today that modernizing the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) decades-old technology is “going to be the work of many years, billions of dollars, and thousands of people.” […]

Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., are spearheading new artificial intelligence legislation that would aim to protect both consumers and entrepreneurs, and task the Commerce Department with new regulatory work.  […]

Michael Whitaker, President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), was well-received at his Oct. 4 confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.   […]

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee today advanced the nomination of Anna Gomez to serve as a commissioner for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), sending it to the Senate floor for a final vote. […]

President Biden’s embattled pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) participated in his confirmation hearing before Congress amid a series of technological challenges for the agency. […]

The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) acting administrator said today that modernization work on the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system is set to be complete by fiscal year 2025, but the agency is looking to accelerate that timeline. […]

For more than a year, President Biden’s nomination of Gigi Sohn to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has been stalled in the Senate. On Feb. 14, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held its third hearing on her nomination, and it was largely a rinse and repeat of previous hearings. […]

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee kicked off its first hearing of the 118th Congress on Feb. 9 with a focus on strengthening airline operations by upgrading the sector’s IT systems and technology. […]

While the announced framework for the bipartisan infrastructure plan agreed to last month includes $65 billion for broadband infrastructure deployment, Republican senators on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee are urging House Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other negotiators to pull the broadband portion of legislation from the compromise agreement, and instead try to get it approved as a separate piece of legislation under normal rules. […]

Senate-approved legislation that would boost Federal funding for U.S.-based semiconductor manufacturing and provide the National Science Foundation (NSF) with another $52 billion over five years for research initiatives received strong endorsements from private sector witnesses at a July 15 Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing. […]

In a short executive session today, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee advanced the nomination of Eric Lander to be the next director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). His nomination will now go to the full Senate for consideration. […]

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation advanced a number of bipartisan bills out of committee in an executive session today including four with tech implications. Those bills are a telecommunications workforce bill, one on tech research, one that would map broadband connectivity and maternal health outcomes, and another to protect victims of domestic violence. […]

Several former commissioners of the Federal Trade Commission warned the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the consequences of delay in passing a Federal privacy standard during a hearing on Wednesday. […]

A group of Republican senators introduced a bill to create a national data privacy standard, formally bringing forth a bill that had been released as a staff draft almost a year ago. […]

The Spectrum IT Modernization Act, which advanced on a voice vote out of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on May 20, takes aim at revamping the way the Federal government manages the airwaves. […]

 At least two senators reaffirmed their support for Federal data privacy legislation at a virtual Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing this week, with committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., citing the collection of coronavirus-related data as another good reason for lawmakers to act. […]

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee today approved legislation on broadband connectivity, protecting the public from online scams, and promoting industries of the future at a markup session March 11. […]

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said today he expects President Trump to sign into law “in just a few days” legislation approved by the Senate late last month that will provide up to $1 billion to pay for smaller U.S.-based communications providers to remove and replace network equipment made by China-based suppliers Huawei and ZTE, among others. […]

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee is poised to take action next week on a range of tech-related legislation including bills dealing with making available spectrum for 5G wireless services, and further action to rein in robocalling. […]

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee approved by voice vote today the Harvesting American Cybersecurity Knowledge through Education Act (HACKED Act) (S 2775), which aims to boost the Federal cybersecurity workforce with new guidelines for agencies, clearer career paths for the workforce, and improved coordination between agencies. […]

A panel of witnesses explained to senators the challenges and potential solutions for securely using and regulating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones at a June 18 Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Security Subcommittee hearing. […]

Panelists representing consumer privacy perspectives discussed an array of strategies for approaching data privacy protection laws at a hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee today. […]

Panelists representing small businesses advocated for Federal uniformity and preempt over state data privacy laws and against data protection regulations that would disproportionately burden smaller companies at a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade, and Consumer Protection hearing today. […]

The Senate may actively take up national data privacy legislation someday, but one key senator in the process indicated today that there is currently little institutional urgency to hurry toward that goal. […]

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., former chairman and current member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, said today at an event organized by Axios that he is working with Sen. Gary Peters, R-Mich., on an effort to reintroduce legislation in the Senate that would allow manufacturers to sell tens of thousands of autonomous vehicles each year in the U.S. […]