ABSTRACT: The Role of Government in ICT Standardization

Andrew Updegrove, Partner, Gesmer Updegrove LLP

3/13/2008
(Original Publish Date: 2/1/2007)

Governments interact with standards in many ways: as developers, when they draft regulations; as adopters, when they reference private sector standards in laws and regulations; as influencers, when they exercise their vast procurement powers in the marketplace, and when they send representatives to participate in private sector standard setting organizations; and as end-users, when they utilize standards-based products. The role that a given government decides to play in relation to standards varies, depending upon the subject matter of the standard, and also among governments, and over time. To date, governments have not as often acted as developers or adopters in the area of information and communications technologies (ICT) as they have in traditional areas of interest, such as public health and safety. However, with the redeployment of a vast range of essential services (including government services) over the Internet, the digitization of public records, and the increased use of information technology in the work place, it is incumbent upon governments to reevaluate their relationship to ICT standards, and decide what roles they wish to play in ensuring that standards development and uptake best serves the public interest. In this article, I seek to facilitate that process, by reviewing the various roles that government can play, using accessibility standards (broadly construed) as an example.