Testimonies & Filings

Biotechnologies have seen remarkable, rapid advances and the discovery and development of powerful new techniques. But nothing has changed that presents new or unique hazards, and the same steps long required to streamline and improve relevant regulations remain valid, albeit even more urgent than before.

The FTC is considering updating the Funeral Rule to require funeral providers to display or distribute itemized price lists online and through electronic media. The Center for Data Innovation supports the proposed change, noting that updating the rule would allow consumers to more easily compare prices across the funeral services industry and likely lead to cost savings for funeral services.

The draft Cyber Resilience Act is too broad in scope and needs clearer definitions. The legislation’s fundamental pitfalls will burden businesses with compliance and undermine avenues for innovation like open source software. With targeted changes, the Cyber Resilience Act can promote better cybersecurity in the internal market without hurting competition and innovation across Europe.

Rescinding the 2021 rule without a clearer, more modern framework to replace it risks misclassifying workers in the fast-growing gig economy.

Making productive use of spectrum is central to the FCC’s purpose and goals. It has an opportunity to increase the productivity of the 60-64 GHz band by permitting airborne radar devices to operate near ground level. Specifically, it should seek a technical arrangement that permits the maximum commercial use of this band while also protecting the federal interest in the Earth Exploration Satellite Service.

A coalition of 70 individuals and organizations, including the Center for Data Innovation, sent an open letter to the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak opposing the Online Safety Bill’s clauses that erode end-to-end encryption in private messaging and other online services.

The United States must get the CHIPS Incentives program right, because if it fails to do so, the United States is seriously at risk of losing long-term competitiveness in the semiconductor industry.

In preparation for the 2030 Census, the Center for Data Innovation would encourage the Census Bureau to consider its role in closing the data divide. The data divide refers to the social and economic inequalities that result from a lack of data collection and use of data by certain individuals and communities. In a world where opportunities and services are intricately linked to data, the way people are reflected in datasets and their ability to use datasets about themselves significantly impacts their ability to participate in the data economy.

AI is transforming economic sectors and industries, creating new areas for innovations, and making its way into global trade discussions. A strong understanding of the AI landscape will be important to the International Trade Administration (ITA) and the Department of Commerce to ensure policy actions effectively strengthen the international competitiveness of U.S. industry and foster economic growth by promoting trade and investment.

In response to the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) request for information on the collection and use by federal agencies of equitable data, the Center for Data Innovation offers three main recommendations: The OSTP should support partnerships that bolster access to high-performance computing of historically underrepresented groups in the field, promote robust data literacy curriculums in U.S. schools, and prioritize closing the “data divide”—the social and economic inequalities that result from a lack of collection or use of data about individuals or communities.