Subcommittee Examines the Role of Standards in Increasing U.S. Exports
(Washington, DC) – Today the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation held a hearing entitled, “Promoting Innovation, Competition, and Economic Growth: Principles for Effective Domestic and International Standards Development.” The purpose of the hearing was to examine the principles of effective domestic and international standards development processes; analyze how the Federal government, industry and other organizations promote these principles internationally; and understand how standards may be used as technical barriers to trade.
In her opening statement, Ranking Member Donna Edwards (D-MD) said, “As the global marketplace has grown over the last 30 years, we have learned how important it is that the playing field is level and that all of the players on that field are playing by the same rules. Standards can open up new or expanding markets to a U.S. company. However, standards can also serve as a barrier to trade, keeping U.S. companies out and sending profits elsewhere. When things go awry in the international standards realm – when someone tries to manipulate the standards system or rig it to their own ends – it really matters for U.S. companies and the U.S. economy.”
She continued, “As we continue to look for opportunities to spur economic growth in this country and keep the U.S. competitive in the global marketplace, it is critical that we preserve the ability of our companies – big and small alike – to export their products to markets throughout the world. To make that happen, we need to do what we can to ensure that the standards that are being put in place worldwide do not unfairly disadvantage our home-grown businesses.”
The incorporation of the best technologies into global standards and the harmonization of existing domestic standards into a single global standard is a key factor in opening the global market to U.S. companies. Witnesses at the hearing stressed the challenges U.S. businesses face in complying with unique standards in different markets.
Democratic members emphasized the need to ensure that technical standards adopted by the international community do not disadvantage U.S. businesses, citing the need for U.S. companies, standards development organizations and the Federal government to work together to lower technical barriers to trade. Democratic members also expressed concern about U.S. trading partners developing their own standards which benefit their own companies at the expense of U.S. businesses, rather than adopting widely-accepted global standards. Finally, Democratic members expressed unease about the number of Federal agencies involved in the international standards-related matters and the challenges businesses, particularly small businesses, may face in identifying and contacting the appropriate Federal agency if they need assistance with an international standards-related issue. Ms. Edwards noted that the House version of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 called on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to coordinate the Federal government’s position on specific policy issues related to the development of international technical standards to ensure that the Federal government is an effective partner to U.S. industry.
Ms. Edwards said, “We have a very successful standards development system in this country. We produce incredibly high quality standards. And the task of promoting our standards internationally or harmonizing our standards with those developed elsewhere, while also weeding out those that leave something to be desired or disadvantage our companies, is certainly not an easy one.”
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