Washington, D.C. – January 11, 2017 – On January 10, 2017, Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) reintroduced the Developing Innovation and Growing the Internet of Things (DIGIT) Act which aims to ensure appropriate spectrum planning and interagency coordination to support the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT has the potential to generate trillions of dollars of economic activity around the world, and Wi-Fi Alliance® applauds the bipartisan effort on the DIGIT Act to support the growing IoT sector.
The bill directs the Secretary of Commerce to convene a working group of Federal stakeholders for the purpose of providing recommendations and a report to Congress related to IoT. This working group may include representatives from within the Department of Commerce as well as the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, Office of Management and Budget, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, and Office of Science and Technology Policy. In addition, the working group will consult with non-governmental stakeholders including subject matter experts representing industrial sectors that are engaged in and can benefit from IoT, including technology, academia, agriculture, manufacturing, and healthcare.
Wi-Fi® has proven itself as a leading technology for connecting devices to the internet, and plays a critical role in connecting a variety of IoT devices. The federal policies proposed in the DIGIT Act will help foster Wi-Fi’s growth in the IoT. Wi-Fi Alliance looks forward to the opportunity to contribute to the efforts of stakeholders in developing policy recommendations in support of IoT.
About Wi-Fi Alliance®
www.wi-fi.org
Wi-Fi Alliance® is the worldwide network of companies that brings you Wi-Fi®. Members of our collaboration forum come together from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision to connect everyone and everything, everywhere, while providing the best possible user experience. Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance has certified more than 30,000 Wi-Fi products. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ seal of approval designates products with proven interoperability, backward compatibility, and the highest industry-standard security protections in place. Today, Wi-Fi carries more than half of the internet’s traffic in an ever-expanding variety of applications. Wi-Fi Alliance continues to drive the adoption and evolution of Wi-Fi, which billions of people rely on every day.
Media contacts:
Rachel Nemeth
ML Strategies for Wi-Fi Alliance
RSNemeth@mlstrategies.com
+1-202-434-7485