Industry Sells Congress on Internet of Things

Lawmakers are increasingly interested in applying the Internet of Things -- the same network that lets consumers control their toasters and thermostats by smartphone -- to public issues, such as unemployment and economic growth. At an Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on March 24, representatives asked witnesses from technology companies about applications beyond consumer electronics, as well as Congress' role in regulating that ecosystem of connected devices, objects and sensors. This hearing happened weeks after the first-ever congressional hearing on the topic, held in February by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

Separately, the Senate passed a bipartisan resolution on March 24 to develop a national strategy on the Internet of Things, incentivizing its development and deployment. Congressional discussion has touched on various applications for such a network -- monitoring the electrical smart grid and farm fields in remote rural areas and providing communication platforms for public defenders, among others. At the Energy and Commerce hearing, Brian Van Harlingen, chief technology officer at consumer technology company Belkin, noted that the company had received a Defense Department grant to reduce energy costs at two test sites in the US, using sensor and machine-learning algorithms. Rose Schooler, vice president of Intel’s Internet of Things business group, noted that the US is behind other nations, including Germany, Brazil and China, which already have national plans on the topic.