Commerce Department Seeks Comments on Internet of Things Policy Issues

On April 6, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, issued a Request for Comment (RFC) seeking public feedback on the benefits, challenges, and potential roles for the government in fostering the advancement of the Internet of Things (IoT).

NTIA issued the RFC as part of the Commerce Department’s Digital Economy Agenda, which, among other things, is meant to identify and address leading public policy and operational challenges in the Internet ecosystem. Noting that thus far no U.S. government agency has taken a holistic, ecosystem-wide view that identifies opportunities and addresses the risks of IoT across the digital economy, NTIA explained that it is seeking broad input from all interested stakeholders and will use that input to draft a “green paper” on key IoT issues. Comments are due on or before 5 p.m. Eastern Time May 23, 2016.