Senator Markey RAO Investigation Findings — Safety Gaps and Overseas Operators

Headline Finding

On March 31, 2026, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) published findings from his investigation into autonomous vehicle companies’ use of Remote Assistance Operators (RAOs), revealing serious safety gaps and a near-total lack of transparency. The investigation — which opened February 3, 2026 and examined all seven major AV operators — found that Waymo is the only company using overseas RAOs (based in the Philippines), that none of the companies could adequately document RAO qualification standards, and that no federal latency or response-time standards for RAO-vehicle communications exist. Markey is drafting legislation to impose enforceable standards.

Detail

Investigation timeline:

• February 3, 2026: Markey formally opened investigation into seven major AV operators’ RAO practices
• February 2026: Waymo CSO confirmed in Senate hearing that some Waymo RAOs are in the Philippines — the only operator using overseas personnel
• March 31, 2026: Markey published investigation findings; simultaneously filed call for federal oversight

Key findings:

1. Overseas RAOs (Waymo): Waymo’s use of Philippines-based remote operators triggered bipartisan national security and cybersecurity concerns among US lawmakers. RAOs access live camera feeds and 3D sensor visualisations — data transmitted internationally with unclear routing and security protocols.
2. No federal latency standards: No regulations govern maximum vehicle-to-RAO latency. Communication delays in remote assistance could mean a vehicle has passed through a critical decision point before a RAO can respond.
3. No qualification standards: None of the seven operators could provide standardised documentation of RAO training, certification, or qualification requirements.
4. No mandatory reporting: There are no federal requirements for operators to report how frequently RAOs are used, in what circumstances, or with what response outcomes.
5. “Stunning lack of transparency”: Markey’s phrase. Companies resisted disclosing basic operational data about RAO frequency of use.

Proposed legislation: Markey is working on legislation to establish:

• Location standards for RAOs (domestic vs. international)
• Maximum vehicle-to-RAO latency requirements
• Minimum RAO qualification and training requirements
• Mandatory reporting on RAO deployments

Relationship to prior work: Senator Markey’s investigation builds directly on the 2025 Markey RAO report (see EV45) and the earlier cybersecurity concerns raised at Senate hearings. The new findings add operational data revealing that the governance gaps identified in principle in 2025 are real and documented in 2026.

Governance Implication

This is the most significant RAO governance development since the 2025 Markey report (EV45) and directly updates that evidence note. Three implications:

1. RAO governance is now a legislative live issue: With enforceable federal legislation being drafted, the CAM paper’s argument for RAO regulation in the Governability Stack (Rules layer) now has Congressional backing and political momentum.

2. Overseas RAOs are a sovereignty issue, not just a safety issue: The Philippines-based RAO revelation reframes remote operations as a national security and digital sovereignty question that city authorities are not equipped to govern. This is an argument for federal preemption of RAO standards, with cities able to set additional local requirements.

3. Data gap persists: Even with the investigation, the underlying problem — that operators don’t have to report RAO usage — means cities have no basis for informed licensing decisions. The paper’s Governability Stack data/sensing layer should note RAO activity data as a required city reporting obligation.

Sources

• “Markey Investigation into Autonomous Vehicle Companies’ Use of Remote Assistance Operators Reveals Serious Safety Gaps, Lack of Transparency,” Senator Markey press release, March 31, 2026
• “Senator calls for federal oversight of remote helpers for autonomous vehicles,” Axios, March 31, 2026
• “Senator’s Probe Reveals Lack of Transparency in Remote Assistance Use in Self-Driving Cars,” Carrier Management, April 1, 2026
• “Waymo admits overseas human agents help guide robotaxis, alarming US lawmakers,” Cybernews, February 2026
• “Waymo denies remote driving after Senate questions on Philippines operators,” Cybernews, February 2026