The U.S. Government Wants To Play A Role In IoT

With the quick advancement of the internet of things in all directions, issues are bound to crop up. Many companies and entities developing IoT gadgets are creating their own standards and protocols, while more established fare is fighting for attention and supremacy. This fragmentation of standards, however, is only the beginning of the wide range of problems facing IoT, from security concerns to things like the recent controversy over Nest’s remote bricking of all Revolv IoT hubs. With all of these issues, it’s not hard to imagine higher powers looking to involve themselves in the burgeoning revolution before it’s too late and the barely emergent scene is left in shambles, hurting consumers. The United States government seems to be the first in line wanting to do just that, with the Department of Commerce having begun to collect commentary from regular citizens and industry insiders on how Uncle Sam can help the IoT scene.

As well as possibly getting involved themselves, the Department of Commerce is gathering this feedback, on top of their own research, in the hopes of producing a paper on the topic in the near future that would detail all of the big issues facing IoT, how they could be solved and how the government may be able to help solve them. The paper would also go over potential benefits to mass deployment of IoT, along with current policies that either pertain to IoT or could affect it. This so-called “green paper” will hinge on public commentary and the answering of 28 key questions about IoT, such as laws that may help with IoT development or are hurting the development scene unnecessarily.

With the bulk of the paper hinging on public comments and opinions, it’s quite understandable that there would be a deadline for the information, giving the Department of Commerce ample time to compile the input and draft up the paper. Although there was no timeline given for when the paper would be out, all comments and other input has a deadline of May 23 of 2016. The comments will become part of public record and, in all likelihood, end up in the final paper in some form. Head through the source link to see how to submit comments and read the full report.