Press Releases
DelBene Hosts Roundtable Highlighting Importance of Smart Cities Technologies
Seattle, Washington,
August 23, 2019
Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) continued her “Suzan Shows Up” tour by meeting with local government officials in addition to representatives from private companies and universities to highlight the value of smart cities technologies. DelBene toured the King Country Metro Traffic Control Center and got an up-close look at their traffic grid, followed by a roundtable discussion to see how government, the private sector and others can work together on investing in smart cities. “The United States is the unmatched global leader in innovation, but we are lagging behind on developing support systems for improving the way our cities operate. Smart city practices can reduce pollution, increase our quality of life, and create good-paying jobs. Washington state is already seeing these benefits, with Seattle installing sensors to aid in hyper-local weather forecasting and detect potential flash flooding, and the King County Metro Transit Control Center’s use of real-time traffic data,” said DelBene. “Congress needs to support the improvement of our communities by providing the resources local governments need to make the switch to smart and sustainable practices.” DelBene’s legislation, the Smart Cities and Communities Act (H.R. 2636) would enhance federal coordination of smart city programs, provide assistance and resources to local governments interested in implementing smart city technologies, and develop a skilled workforce to support smart cities.
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