One year after announcing the launch of the Non-Traditional and Emerging Transportation Technology (NETT) Council, the U.S. DOT this week released Pathways to the Future of Transportation—a policy document that is intended to serve as a roadmap for innovators of new cross-modal technologies to engage with U.S. DOT.
“Pathways to the Future of Transportation guidance on new, cross-modal technologies will help address legitimate public concerns about safety, security, and privacy without hampering innovation,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said in a statement.
According to U.S. DOT, this policy document is the department’s first step in providing a clear path for innovators of new cross-modal technologies to engage with the department. It lays out a process for innovators and stakeholders to approach the department with their plans and proposals for emerging technologies.
Secretary Chao announced the creation of the NETT Council last year as an internal deliberative body to identify and resolve jurisdictional and regulatory gaps that may impede the deployment of new technologies, such as potential advances in tunneling technology and hyperloop.
Pathways to the Future of Transportation intends to help private sector innovators understand the purpose, structure, and function of the NETT Council; lay out the principles guiding the department’s policies and posture toward transformative technologies; and deliver a high-level overview of the federal framework for supporting non-traditional and emerging technologies.
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SOURCE: U.S. DOT
