In contrast to many other nations, the United States employs a “bottom up” standards development process that is driven by industry rather than government. That system permits new products and services to be swiftly introduced into a competitive marketplace, but leaves government with little ability to address its own technology needs, or to advance standards-related policy goals. In this article, I trace the origins of the current system, highlight its shortcomings, and suggest ways that government can achieve its goals without reshaping a process that is otherwise working well.