The US government may finally start to take some substantial action on the Internet of Things. As Nextgov reports, a Senate committee has issued a new piece of legislation aimed at getting the US ahead of the IoT in terms of commercial interests.

Called the DIGIT Act, the legislation still needs to pass a vote in the Senate, but given that it was drafted by a bipartisan committee as a response to earlier legislation calling for a national IoT strategy, it stands a good chance. The act would invite private sector interests to work with government to advise on IoT policy, and would compel the Federal Communications Commission to determine how spectrum support could accommodate the many devices that will comprise the IoT.

It’s an encouraging sign given how US government authorities have struggled to come to terms with the rise of the IoT. While some government officials have pressed the issue, sensing both opportunities and risks in the IoT, groups like the Federal Trade Commission have encountered difficulty trying to establish a regulatory framework for such a nebulous concept.

Meanwhile, new market research has indicated that the spectrum issue with which the FCC would be tasked could prove very important in pushing growth in the IoT market, at least with respect to facilitating IoT connections; and more broadly, the UK government has begun to substantially invest in its own domestic IoT industry, seeing a major commercial opportunity. The DIGIT Act, therefore, could prove important in allowing the US industry to stay competitive as the IoT emerges.

Source: Nextgov