The Internet of Things: CRS Experts

October 13, 2015 – April 24, 2020 R44225

“Internet of Things” (IoT) refers to networks of objects that communicate with other objects and with computers through the Internet. “Things” may include virtually any object for which remote communication, data collection, or control might be useful, such as meters, vehicles, appliances, medical devices, electric grids, transportation infrastructure, manufacturing equipment, or building systems. Although the full extent and nature of the IoT’s impacts remain uncertain, economic analyses predict that it will contribute trillions of dollars to economic growth over the next decade. Sectors that may be particularly affected include agriculture, energy, government, health care, manufacturing, and transportation. The IoT can contribute to more integrated and functional infrastructure, especially in “smart cities,” with projected improvements in transportation, utilities, and other municipal services. There is no single federal agency that has overall responsibility for the IoT. Various agencies have relevant regulatory, sector-specific, and other mission-related responsibilities, such as the Departments of Commerce, Energy, and Transportation, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission.

S.1611, S.734, H.R.4774, H.R.3789, H.R.1668, H.R.2644. Internet of Things, IoT, cyber-physical systems, industrial Internet, intelligent transportation, smart building, smart city, smart cities, smart grid, smart meter, connected city, connected vehicles, Internet address, Internet Protocol, IPv4, IPv6, precision agriculture, telehealth, telemedicine, health monitoring, medical device, broadband, communications, telecommunications, wireless, cellular, radio frequency, spectrum allocation, sensor, remote monitoring, technical standard, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Department of Commerce, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Energy (DOE), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Science Foundation (NSF), Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program (NITRD), Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Defense (DOD), cybersecurity, privacy, consumer.

The Internet of Things: CRS Experts

Updated April 24, 2020 (R44225)

The table below provides names and contact information for CRS experts on issues before Congress related to the Internet of Things (IoT)—networks of objects that communicate with other objects and with computers through the Internet. "Things" may be virtually any object for which remote communication, data collection, or control might be useful. The full extent of the IoT's impacts is uncertain, but analysts predict contributions to economic growth of trillions of dollars over the next decade. Sectors that may be particularly affected include agriculture, energy, government, healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation. The IoT can contribute to more integrated and functional infrastructure, such as through "smart" electric grids and "smart" cities. Issues that might affect development and implementation of the IoT include economic policy, Internet policy, legal matters, privacy, radio spectrum management, security, technical standards, and the roles of federal agencies. No single federal agency has overall responsibility for the IoT. Various agencies have regulatory, sector-specific, and other mission-related responsibilities, and each agency is responsible for the functioning and security of its own IoT. See also CRS Report R44227, The Internet of Things: Frequently Asked Questions, by Patricia Moloney Figliola.

Legislative Issue	Name/Title	Phone	Email
Cybersecurity and Data Breaches	Chris Jaikaran Analyst in Cybersecurity Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Data, Statistics, and Reports	Rita Tehan Information Research Specialist	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Defense Cyber Systems and Operations	Catherine A. Theohary Specialist in National Security Policy and Information Operations	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Economic Sectors
Agriculture	Megan Stubbs Specialist in Agricultural Conservation and Natural Resources Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Aviation	Bart Elias Specialist in Aviation Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Energy	Richard J. Campbell Specialist in Energy Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Healthcare	Victoria L. Elliott Analyst in Health Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Manufacturing	John F. Sargent, Jr. Specialist in Science and Technology Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Motor Vehicles	Bill Canis Specialist in Industrial Organization and Business	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Railroads	John Frittelli Specialist in Transportation Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Federal Agencies	Patricia Moloney Figliola Specialist in Internet and Telecommunications Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Agriculture (USDA)	Megan Stubbs Specialist in Agricultural Conservation and Natural Resources Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Commerce	John F. Sargent, Jr. Specialist in Science and Technology Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Defense (DOD)	Catherine A. Theohary Specialist in National Security Policy and Information Operations	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Energy (DOE)	Richard J. Campbell Specialist in Energy Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)	Patricia Moloney Figliola Specialist in Internet and Telecommunications Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)	Eric Holmes Legislative Attorney	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
	Chris Linebaugh Legislative Attorney	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Homeland Security (DHS)	Daniel Morgan Specialist in Science and Technology Policy Chris Jaikaran Analyst in Cybersecurity Policy	[phone number scrubbed] [phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed] [email address scrubbed]
	Brian Humphreys Analyst in Science and Technology Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Health and Human Services (HHS)	Victoria L. Elliott Analyst in Health Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Justice (DOJ)	Kristin M. Finklea Specialist in Domestic Security	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
National Science Foundation (NSF)	Laurie A. Harris Analyst in Science and Technology Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST)	John F. Sargent, Jr. Specialist in Science and Technology Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Transportation (DOT)	Bill Canis Specialist in Industrial Organization and Business	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Treasury and financial agencies	Andrew Scott Analyst in Financial Economics	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)	John F. Sargent, Jr. Specialist in Science and Technology Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Cybercrime and Law Enforcement	Kristin M. Finklea Specialist in Domestic Security	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Federal Procurement	L. Elaine Halchin Specialist in American National Government	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Financial Services	Andrew Scott Analyst in Financial Economics	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Legal Issues	Eric Holmes Legislative Attorney	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
	Chris Linebaugh Legislative Attorney	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Legislation	John F. Sargent, Jr. Specialist in Science and Technology Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
National Strategy and Policy	Patricia Moloney Figliola Specialist in Internet and Telecommunications Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Privacy Policy	Patricia Moloney Figliola Specialist in Internet and Telecommunications Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Public/Private Partnerships	Patricia Moloney Figliola Specialist in Internet and Telecommunications Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Smart Cities	Patricia Moloney Figliola Specialist in Internet and Telecommunications Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Smart Grid	Richard J. Campbell Specialist in Energy Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Technology	Patricia Moloney Figliola Specialist in Internet and Telecommunications Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Cyber-Physical Systems	Patricia Moloney Figliola Specialist in Internet and Telecommunications Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Emerging Technologies	Patricia Moloney Figliola Specialist in Internet and Telecommunications Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Industrial Control Systems	Richard J. Campbell Specialist in Energy Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
	Chris Jaikaran Analyst in Cybersecurity Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Internet Governance	Patricia Moloney Figliola Specialist in Internet and Telecommunications Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Net Neutrality	Angele A. Gilroy Specialist in Telecommunications Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Research and Development (R&D)	Patricia Moloney Figliola Specialist in Internet and Telecommunications Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Standards	Patricia Moloney Figliola Specialist in Internet and Telecommunications Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]
Telemedicine/Telehealth	Victoria L. Elliott Analyst in Health Policy	[phone number scrubbed]	[email address scrubbed]

Author Contact Information

Patricia Moloney Figliola, Coordinator, Specialist in Internet and Telecommunications Policy ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])

Jason A. Gallo, Section Research Manager ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])