A new inspector general report urges the agency to "stay informed and continue to explore the technology."

The chairman of the Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force laid out an agenda that included commitments to ensuring the federal IT infrastructure is secure against cyber attacks, support innovative transportation technologies and plans to work on issues ranging from copyright modernization and patent reform, to encryption. In his speech on Capitol Hill Thursday, Hatch also urged the tech community to let him serve as their contact to President Donald Trump.

In her nomination hearing, Transportation secretary pick Elaine Chao said the department would need to conduct a national conversation around the issues.

CTO Maria Roat discusses the Department of Transportation’s foray into big data, cloud and smart city technology.