From RFID to Smart Dust: The Expanding Market for Wireless Sensor Technologies

Wireless sensor technologies will be explored at a U.S. Department of Commerce Forum on April 1, 2004 that addresses the current and potential uses of sensor technologies by both industry and government as well as the public policy implications of widespread deployment. The forum is open to the public on a first come basis. Registration is onsite, no pre-registration required. A link to the forum webcast will be posted here on the day of the event.
DATE & TIME: The Wireless Sensor Technology Forum will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, April 1, 2004. Registration and demos open at 8:00 a.m.

LOCATION: The forum on wireless sensor technologies will be held at the U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Auditorium, Washington, D.C. (Enter through the Department of Commerce Main Lobby on 14th Street between Constitution and Pennsylvania avenues. Photo identification required.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wendy Lader, Office of Policy Analysis and Development, NTIA, at (202) 482-1880, or electronic mail: wlader@ntia.doc.gov. Please direct media inquiries to the Office of Public Affairs, NTIA, at (202) 482-7002.

Commerce To Host Wireless Sensor Technologies Forum April 1st, Panel Discussions Will Examine Marketplace Expansion “From RFID to Smart Dust”

Wireless sensor technologies, the next highly anticipated billion-dollar market for the information technology sector, will be explored at a U.S. Department of Commerce Forum on April 1, 2004 that addresses the current and potential uses of sensor technologies by both industry and government as well as the public policy implications of widespread deployment.

Panel discussions will be moderated by Federal Communications Commissioner Kevin J. Martin and senior Commerce Department officials including Jon W. Dudas, Acting Under Secretary for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; Michael D. Gallagher, Acting Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information; Elizabeth Prostic, Chief Privacy Officer; and Benjamin H. Wu, Deputy Under Secretary for Technology.

"Designing an appropriate regulatory framework for wireless sensor technologies requires an understanding of different policy objectives. We look forward to a lively discussion," said Acting Under Secretary Dudas.

“Widespread use of wireless sensor technologies is moving from factory floors to store shelves to family living rooms,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Gallagher. “We want to make sure government is a smart consumer. We also need to explore the implications for spectrum management and privacy, and we must adopt policies that maintain our economic competitive advantage,” Gallagher said.

The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and Technology Administration will host the half-day forum. The first panel will address the present and future market for sensor technologies. Panelists will include developers, manufacturers, market analysts, and industry and government users. The second panel will address public policy issues facing sensor technologies such as spectrum use, privacy and security, and intellectual property. Panelists will include representatives from industry and government, as well as public policy analysts.

The Wireless Sensor Technologies Forum will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Auditorium, Washington, D.C. More information is available on the NTIA Web site at www.ntia.doc.gov .

Program:

8:00 AM Registration and Demo Area Opens

9:00-9:15 Opening Remarks by Mario W. Cardullo, Counselor for Technology and Entrepreneurism,

Office of the Under Secretary, International Trade Administration



9:15-11:00 Panel 1: The Market and Uses for Sensor Technologies



Moderators:

Michael D. Gallagher, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and

Information

Kevin J. Martin, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission

Benjamin H. Wu, Deputy Under Secretary for Technology



Panelists:

Jon Brendsel, Director of Technology, VeriSign

Lyle Ginsburg, Managing Partner, Products Operating Group, Accenture

Ralph M. Kling, Principal Researcher, Intel

Ron Moser, Strategic Applications Analyst for RFID, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Thomas M. McAuliffe, Vice President, Strategy & Business Development,

Secure Asset Solutions, Motorola

Robert Poor, Chief Technology Officer, Ember

Piyush Sodha, President & CEO, Matrics, Inc.

C. Stewart Verdery, Jr., Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security for Border

and Transportation Security Policy and Planning



11:00 - 11:30 Break



11:30 –1:15 Panel 2: Policy Issues Related to Sensor Technologies



Moderators:

Jon W. Dudas, Acting Under Secretary for Intellectual Property and Director of the

U.S. Patent & Trademark Office

Michael D. Gallagher, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and

Information

Elizabeth Prostic, Chief Privacy Officer, U.S. Department of Commerce



Panelists:

Paula Bruening, Staff Counsel, Center for Democracy and Technology

Sandra R. Hughes, Chief Privacy Officer, Procter & Gamble

Ari Juels, Principal Research Scientist, RSA Laboratories

Elliot Maxwell, Fellow, Center for the Study of American Government, Johns Hopkins University

Paul Moskowitz, Research Staff Member, IBM Watson Research Center

Ravi Rajapakse, Chief Technology Officer, Savi Technologies

Steven J. Winter, Senior Vice President, Global Service and Intellectual Property,

Intermec Technologies Corporation

Badri A. Younes, Director, Spectrum Management, U.S. Department of Defense

1:15 Close