ENABLING THE INTERNET OF THINGS

A symposium on
ENABLING THE INTERNET OF THINGS

Organized by:
The Center for Policy on Emerging Technologies (C-PET)
McKenna Long and Aldridge, LLP
CCT Program, Georgetown University
TechAmerica

9:00 AM-3:00 PM
December 10, 2009
Washington, DC

Today, the Internet connects about 1.6 billion people to the Web and to each other; in less than ten years, it is likely the Internet will connect hundreds of billions of devices as well. This "Internet of Things" will link appliances, sensors, items on store shelves, even house pets. It is likely that most Americans and Europeans will own at least 50 different items that are ’ÄúInternet-enabled.’Äù The Internet of Things promises many societal benefits including home health monitoring systems, sustainable development, security systems, safer supply chains, smart electric grids, highway traffic management systems, and environmental protection to name a few. This symposium is designed to provide for a free-flowing discussion exploring the potential benefits of the Internet of Things, the steps needed to build the Internet of Things, and some of the thorny policy issues that will need to be addressed.

9:00 - 9:20 AM OPENING REMARKS

Nigel Cameron, President, Center for Policy for Emerging Technologies

Dan Caprio, Managing Director, McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP

Phil Bond, CEO, TechAmerica

9:20 - 10:45 AM PANEL ONE - Potential Benefits

We are already starting to see the power of connecting thousands of inexpensive sensors or wireless identification tags to the Internet. This technology is enabling better tracking and utilization of car and truck fleets. It is improving management of supply chains and tracking of shipments. In the future, the Internet of Things could help emergency responders respond to disasters, it could reduce life-threatening errors in hospitals, and even help farmers grow their crops and manage their herds.

Panelists:

David McQueeney, Vice President, Technology & Strategy, and Chief Technology Officer, IBM Federal

Patrick Sweeney, Founder, ODIN Technologies

Stephen M. Oronte, Director, Networked Systems, QinetiQ North America

Alice Borrelli, Director of Global Health and Workforce Policy, Intel

Moderator: Josh Lamel, TechAmerica

10:45 - 11:00 AM BREAK

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM PANEL TWO - Laying the Foundation

Today's Internet is not capable to connecting hundreds of billions of devices. One prerequisite for the Internet of Things is widespread deployment of IPv6, the next generation of the Internet Protocol, which will provide billions of billions of unique Internet address. Another prerequisite is an extension of the current Domain Name System that would make it feasible to locate all the machines, appliances, and sensors in the Internet of Things. Realizing the full potential of the Internet of Things will require reliable, truly ubiquitous, wireless networks. Another key question is whether the Internet of Things will consist of a truly interoperable ’Äúnetwork of networks’Äù or whether companies will seek to deploy subnetworks using proprietary standards and protocol, which will connect to the Internet but not really be part of it. This lack of interoperability is one reason that the growth of home networking has been quite slow.

Panelists:
Eric Loeb, Vice President of International External and Regulatory Affairs, AT&T
Fiona Alexander, Associate Administrator, Office of International Affairs National Telecommunications and Information Administration, US Department of Commerce
Brian Cute, Vice President, Discovery Services, Afilias

Moderator: Michael R. Nelson, Visiting Professor, Internet Studies, CCT Program, Georgetown

12:30 - 1:15 PM LUNCH

1:15 - 2:30 PM PANEL THREE - Policy Challenges

The idea that each American will own dozens of devices that can be connected to the Internet-and possibly tracked-leads to serious privacy and security concerns. However, there is already work underway to address these concerns by building security and personal controls into devices and machines. In addition to privacy and security concerns, liability and reliability issues will no doubt also arise. Given the evolving aspect of the Internet of Things, how can we develop flexible, forward-looking policies that promote innovation and consumer choice?

Panelists:
Tom Kellerman, CISM, VP of Security Awareness, Core Security Technology
Harriet Pearson, Chief Privacy Officer, IBM Corporation

Moderator: Dan Caprio, Managing Director, McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP

2:30-3:00 PM WRAP-UP KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Gerald Santucci, Head of Unit, Enterprise Networking and RFID, DG Information Society and Media, European Commission