Policymakers must look at IoT as a whole, not just parts, says industry group

As Internet of Things, or IoT, technology grows and influences multiple market segments, policymakers must consider rules that could apply across the board, a new report states.

The potential IoT holds for vertical markets, such as health care, transportation, energy, manufacturing and government, has led policymakers to focus on specific sectors, but horizontal policy issues must also be taken into account, according to a report (pdf) by the Telecommunications Industry Association. Those common elements include interoperability, privacy, security, data storage and spectrum and bandwidth – all of which are crucial to IoT's success, the report states.

"With these common threads running across IoT applications and use cases, a significant danger exists that vertical regulations imposed in one market will be inappropriate for another," TIA said. "This could lead to a balkanized regulatory approach that stifles innovation and delays or degrades the economic and social potential of the IoT. To avoid this scenario, IoT policy discussions should begin with a common horizontal framework whenever possible, followed by tailoring for specific vertical applications only as necessary."

Technological advancements in geolocation and connection speeds, for instance, in addition to the ability to install inexpensive sensors have helped this new technology along.

Complete uniformity across sectors is likely impossible, but the key is to maximize common denominators, the report states.

To this end, TIA recommends that policymakers:

• Approach IoT by adhering to competition- and technology-neutrality principles.
• Should encourage and make use of voluntary, open and consensus-based standards.
• Should use regulatory approval approaches that are globally harmonized, transparent and streamlined.
• Use a spectrum policy that maximizes continuity of connectivity.
• Promote efforts to modernize wired media for IoT applications.
• Use a voluntary, flexible and collaborative approach to data security based on international standards.
• Ensure flexibility and feasibility in addressing data privacy.

The impetus for TIA's paper was a July 29 House Judiciary Committee hearing on IoT. During the meeting, Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) praised the technology's potential but added that policy must be approached carefully.

"In particular, we need to examine the privacy and security implications of this technology, and look into the security and privacy measures industry is building now and the measures they intend to implement as open standards are developed," he said.

Industry representatives speaking at the hearing included Mitch Bainwol, president and chief executive officer of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which is tracking the impact of sensors in cars. He warned against a "patchwork of state laws" and instead called on Congress to act.

"Federal leadership is needed to establish a single, long-term national vision for personal transportation in the future," Bainwol said.

But Gary Shapiro, CEO and president of the Consumer Electronics Association, cautioned that IoT is still in its infancy and therefore, government should tread lightly.

"Overly prescriptive mandates will stymie growth and become outdated," Shapiro said. "If governments must act, then such actions should be narrowly tailored to address tangible harms without creating roadblocks for future innovation. Government should not attempt to regulate based on hypothetical concerns, but should proceed slowly with targeted solutions to actual problems."

For more:
- read the report
- go to the hearing