Bill Introduced that would Bar DOT from using Chinese LiDAR

A bipartisan bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would prevent the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) from engaging with LiDAR technology affiliated with the Chinese Government. Specifically, the "Securing Infrastructure from Adversaries Act" would prohibit DOT from:

• Procuring LiDAR from a covered company.
• Contracting with entities using LiDAR from a covered company.
• Providing loans or grants to entities using LiDAR from a covered company.
  • Covered LiDAR companies include –
    • Any entity on the Consolidated Screening List.
    • Any Chinese military company operating directly or indirectly in the U.S., as identified by the Department of Defense.
    • Any entity that is domiciled or subject to unmitigated foreign ownership by the PRC, Iran, North Korea, or Russia.

The bill's introduction was spurred by concern that LiDAR technology could be exploited by the Chinese government to collect a significant amount of data on America, especially with regards to environmental mapping.

Click here to read the bill in its entirety.