SECTION 1. PURPOSE.

This Order establishes and prescribes the functions of the Department of Commerce (the Department) Internet Policy Task Force (IPTF).

SECTION 2. AUTHORITY.

This Order is issued under the authority of 5 U.S.C. §§ 301, 302 and 15 U.S.C. §§ 1511, 1512.

SECTION 3. POLICY.

Recognizing the vital importance of the Internet to U.S. prosperity, education, and political and cultural life, the Department has made it a top priority to ensure that the Internet remains open for innovation and that it continues to serve America’s interests. The IPTF will identify leading public policy and operational challenges in the Internet environment to advance Administration policy goals. The IPTF will work in a consensus-based manner that will leverage the expertise of the Office of the Secretary (OS), as well as the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the International Trade Administration (ITA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA), and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) (“the bureaus”).

Collectively, the bureaus participating in the IPTF are responsible for domestic and international communications and information policy, international trade, cybersecurity standards and best practices, intellectual property, business advocacy, and export control. Individually, each bureau brings unique expertise. BIS develops policies pertaining to export issues, national security, and foreign policy; ITA promotes domestic and foreign commerce, and strengthens the international trade and investment position of the United States; NIST provides U.S. industry and trade, government, and the public with measurement, standards, and information services that increase competitiveness and facilitate trade; ESA provides timely economic analysis, disseminates national economic indicators, and oversees the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis; USPTO advises the President and Federal departments and agencies on substantive intellectual property policies, including copyright, trademark, and patent law; and NTIA serves as the principal advisor to the President on telecommunications and information policies.

OS, through the Office of Policy and Strategic Planning (OPSP), is responsible for coordinating, as appropriate, with heads of bureaus and operating units when particular policy matters require consolidated Department positions (DOO 15-22). In addition, the Office of General Counsel provides legal counsel with respect to all Department and bureau activities.

SECTION 4. FUNCTIONS.

.01   The IPTF will develop and maintain Department-wide positions on the range of global issues that affect the Internet. In particular, it will develop and maintain positions on such policy matters that implicate the responsibilities of multiple bureaus and/or are of direct interest to the Secretary or Deputy Secretary.

.02   The IPTF will consult with private sector stakeholders through public symposia, notices of inquiries, and other means to further the objectives of the IPTF.

.03   The IPTF is a forum for discussing and coordinating the Department’s views on Internet policy matters in interagency processes, as needed.

.04   The IPTF will conduct comprehensive reviews of global Internet issues, including, but not limited to:

a.   privacy policy;

b.   copyright policy, creativity, and innovation in the Internet economy;

c.   the global free flow of information over the Internet; and

d.   cybersecurity.

.05   The IPTF will perform other functions, as necessary, to ensure that the Internet remains an open, innovative, and trusted environment for both commercial entities and individuals.

.06   Nothing in this Order is meant to limit the authority of the bureaus to act on Internet-related matters within their jurisdiction.

SECTION 5. STRUCTURE AND OPERATION.

.01   The IPTF will operate as a subgroup of the Department-wide Technology Council established under DOO 15-22. Principals from within OS that participate in the IPTF (e.g., the OPSP Director and the General Counsel), as well as principals from participating bureaus, will meet no less than annually.

.02   On a day-to-day basis, the IPTF will manage Internet policy matters by integrating the strength of all Department bureaus on a particular policy issue area. Each issue area will be led or co-led by senior OS and senior bureau staff with appropriate expertise. OS and bureaus will assign personnel with relevant experience to staff specific IPTF issue areas.

.03   NTIA will serve as the IPTF’s expert convenor, with assigned policy staff in each IPTF issue area, and will work to build policy coordination and consistency across all issues and activities. In this role, NTIA will provide secretariat support, including the responsibility for calling IPTF meetings on a regular basis during which IPTF activities will be reviewed and at which Department work on related matters will be coordinated.

.04   Senior OS staff will provide the IPTF guidance on Secretary and Deputy Secretary interests, and will assure cross-Department collaboration.

.05   The operational goal of the IPTF is to manage Internet policy matters in a consensus-based manner that respects and seeks to integrate the sometimes competing substantive responsibilites of participating bureaus, and strives to reach agreement on major Internet policy issues.

 

Sign by: Acting Secretary of Commerce