Bipartisan bill to create national immersive tech strategy introduced in House, Senate
Lawmakers in the House and Senate introduced a bipartisan bill Wednesday that would create an advisory panel aimed at developing a national strategy for technologies such as virtual and augmented reality.
Under the United States Leadership in Immersive Technology Act, the Department of Commerce would be directed to establish such a panel that would advise the president on how to use those technologies, known collectively as immersive technologies or XR, for commerce, trade and economic competitiveness.
That panel would also study XR and its impact on national security, according to a release from sponsor Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., announcing the bill.
“We cannot allow ourselves to be left behind in the burgeoning XR field,” DelBene said in a written statement. “As our world becomes increasingly technological, it is crucial that we prepare to compete effectively on the global stage while protecting our interests.”
Delbene, the co-chair of the Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality Cacus, sponsors the House version with Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas. The Senate version is sponsored by Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Mark Warner, D-Va.
“We need to stay two steps ahead of our adversaries when it comes to applying immersive technology in American industries and stimulating economic growth,” Blackburn said.
She added that the bill “would make certain we can compete with adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party and safeguard national security as virtual reality and augmented reality become more prevalent on the world stage.”
According to the release, the U.S. has fallen behind other countries in creating a strategy for using the technology in commercial and personal settings. South Korea, the U.K., the European Union, and China all have created strategies. Without one of its own, the U.S. is “relinquishing its role on the international stage to guide the creation of XR standards,” the release said.
The bill has the support of the XR Association — which represents companies throughout the immersive reality industry, from headset manufacturers to technology platforms — and George Washington University’s Digital Trade and Data Governance Hub.
In a statement included in the release, Elizabeth Hyman, CEO of the XR Association, called the legislation a “pivotal moment” for the country to lead on immersive technologies.
“Establishing this advisory panel will be instrumental in harnessing expertise and steering the industry towards a future where immersive technology delivers widespread benefits,” Hyman said.
While some immersive technologies are geared toward entertainment, others are focused on making advancements for research and the workplace. Already, the U.S. government itself is using immersive technologies for things like training, medical treatment, and design.
An August report by the Government Accountability Office found use and plans to use immersive technologies in government were widespread. The Department of Homeland Security, for example, is using it for law enforcement training, and NASA said it used it for physiological and cognitive studies on humans in simulated off-Earth environments, according to the report.
