Wireless RERC on the Record: Role of Government in the Advancement of IoT

The Wireless RERC, in collaboration with Georgia Tech’s Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP), and the Center for the Development and Application of Internet of Things Technologies (CDAIT), Georgia Tech Research Institute, filed comments in response to The National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) inquiry: “Notice, Request for Public Comment, The Benefits, Challenges, and Potential Roles for the Government in Fostering the Advancement of the Internet of Things [Docket No. 160331306–6306–01]. NTIA sought broad input from all interested stakeholders—including the private industry, researchers, academia, and civil society on the potential benefits and challenges of the Internet of Things (IoT) and what role, if any, the U.S. Government should play in this area.  The comments submitted address, among other things, IoT’s potential to advance the social inclusion and independent living of people with disabilities; and improve the dissemination of emergency information.  The submission encouraged (a) the consultation of people with disabilities throughout the design and development phases of the IoT, and (b) the accessibility implications of future technologies become a high‐level consideration when planning Federal level technology development strategies and policy.