In 2010 the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy concluded that it was "more important than ever" for federal agencies to work in a more responsive and timely fashion with the private sector to ensure meaningful standards are developed and put into practice to meet urgent national needs.  As a result, the federal government established an interagency group to provide high-level leadership encouraging federal agencies to strategically focus, and actively engage, on critical standards-related issues.

Millions of products and services rely on industry standards, including standards related to public policy goals such as energy efficiency, accessibility, and product safety.  For decades, the private sector has committed significant funding and countless hours of their experts’ time in developing the comprehensive, detailed, and evolving network of standards in use today.

The National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 directs the federal government to adopt private-sector standards wherever possible, in lieu of creating proprietary, non-consensus standards.  This workshop will explore the use of private-sector standards by agencies.  Industry and government leaders will discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with identifying – and referencing – private-sector standards in federal regulations.  Industry case studies highlighting the federal use of private-sector standards will be reviewed.  Mechanisms to improve the private-sector standards developer’s responsiveness to the needs of federal regulators and agencies will also be explored.  The workshop is part of the ongoing exploration of the government’s participation in standards development, including whether and how the Office of Management and Budget should consider supplementing OMB Circular A-119 to improve industry/government collaboration. 

Schedule: 

9:00 – 9:30 AM         Onsite Registration and Badge Pickup

9:30 – 9:45 AM         Opening Keynote: Joe Bhatia, President and CEO, ANSI

9:45 – 10.45 AM       Panel 1 – Success Is Possible

The need for cooperation in standards development has never been greater.  Coordinated standards development, aligned with government priorities when necessary, is critical to a healthy economy.  Successful standards setting fosters innovation by enabling new products to come to market quickly and encouraging interoperability with existing devices. More, industry standards can be used effectively to address public policy initiatives.  This panel will explore past and present successful cooperation in standards setting.  How can these positive examples offer guidance for future collaboration?

Moderator:
Brian Markwalter, Consumer Electronics Association

Panelists:
Jon Fairhurst, Sharp Labs of America
Tony Jasionowski, Panasonic Corporation of North America
Katharine Kaplan, Environmental Protection Agency
Tim Creagan, US Access Board

10:45 – 11:00 AM     Coffee Break

11:00 – 12:00 PM          Panel 2 – Challenges to Overcome

The federal government is the single largest consumer of goods and services within the U.S.  As such, the government benefits greatly from a standards-setting environment that fosters cooperation between the public and private sectors.  This panel will discuss the barriers to government participation in industry standards setting and adoption of the results.  What are the current communication paths between government agencies and industry, should they evolve, and if so, how?  How can greater participation in the private-sector standards-setting process encourage the use of those standards in regulations?

Moderator:
Doug Johnson, Consumer Electronics Association

Panelists:
Julius Knapp, Federal Communications Commission
Jeremy Dommu, Department of Energy
Wayne Morris, Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers

12:00 – 1:00 PM       Lunch

1:00 – 1:15 PM         Afternoon Keynote: Gary Shapiro, President and CEO, CEA

1:15 – 2:15 PM         Panel 3 – Towards Greater Government and Industry Cooperation
OMB is studying responses to its Request for Information regarding whether and how to supplement OMB Circular A-119, “Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities.”   This panel will discuss some of the questions raised in the RFI.  What factors should government agencies take into consideration when examining industry standards for regulatory purposes?  How can the regulatory process be structured to ensure industry standards are written or modified in time to be considered for reference in a regulation?  What are some of the future opportunities for cooperation between industry and government in standards setting?

Moderator:                                       
Scott Cooper, American National Standards Institute

Panelists:    
Gordon Gillerman, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Emily Bremer, Administrative Conference of the United States
John Card II, EchoStar Technologies
Jeff Grove, ASTM International

2:15 – 2:30 PM         Closing Remarks

For more information on the workshop, please contact Catrina Akers at cakers@CE.org.