U.S. Debuts National Standards Strategy, Prioritizes Transparent International Standards Development

Line of Effort 3: Ensure International Standards Processes are Transparent, Open, Inclusive, and Impartial

International technology standards facilitate technology advancement, trade, global economic growth, and market access, particularly for startups and small- and medium-sized enterprises. They are also an area of strategic and economic competition, with the PRC in particular pushing top-down approaches to standards development process and using its economic influence to compel support for its standard proposals. In May 2023, the Biden-Harris White House published the first ever U.S. Government National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology (USG NSSCET). As outlined in the USG NSSCET, the United States will work with allies, partners, the private sector, and civil society to ensure that international standards development embraces transparency, openness, impartiality and consensus, effectiveness and relevance, coherence, and broad multistakeholder participation. The Department of State, in cooperation with the Department of Commerce and other agencies, is building enhanced capacity to engage directly in international standards development organizations and to coordinate with industry and civil society to ensure robust participation by U.S. stakeholders in standards making processes.

Working with the FCC, NIST, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and other federal agencies, the Department of State supports standards development processes for a wide range of critical and emerging technologies and platforms, including IoT, energy grids, smart cities, and connected vehicles. The United States will continue to promote and leverage cybersecurity and privacy standards and guidelines developed by NIST through open processes with a strong connection to international standards.

This approach reinforces the U.S. policy for standards: a private-sector led, industry-driven approach with government participation that emphasizes the use of international standards developed in open, transparent, and consensus-based processes. This alignment helps stakeholders reduce the burden of international regulatory and legal regimes, leading to a reduced cost of operation and a greater understanding of international policies. It also highlights the value of a bottom-up approach for other governments as they develop their cybersecurity priorities.

The U.S. government has developed formal and informal methods of information sharing and standards development monitoring through regular engagement with partners and allies. Quad partners and members of the TTC, for example, have signed memoranda of cooperation to enable increased information sharing, coordination, and influence in international standards development. The Department of State has also supported increasing participation in standards development organizations from historically underrepresented nations.