Educating people about data to make better decisions, investing in basic research and infrastructure and developing good spectrum policy are areas the next president should focus on, said panelists Tuesday during a Roll Call-sponsored IoT discussion live-streamed during the Democratic National Convention. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., said research investments and an educated workforce are needed to help with short-term thinking and long-term innovation and growth. McKinsey partner Michael Chui said investing and educating people on the use of data is "incredibly important" so they can get insight from "dirty" or "imprecise" data whether it's created from IoT or the internet, generally. Earlier, he said less than 1 percent of data is used for decision-making and much is wasted due to technical issues like the lack of interoperability or the uncertainty of how to use data effectively. Jeff Campbell, Cisco vice president-government affairs, said spectrum is "among the most indispensable resources" and the need for it is only going to grow, so good spectrum policy, including sharing and repurposing it and making it more efficient, will make a huge difference. Former Department of Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, now a Squire Patton attorney, said more investments are needed to develop IoT infrastructure to allow society to grow and get better connected. Chui said the economic impact from IoT is enormous to the gross domestic product and company profits, but also provides value to the individual user. Despite launching the congressional IoT caucus (see 1501130038) last year with Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., DelBene said that many members are still at the "foundational level" because they don't have a lot of experience with or understand technology. That's changing, but she said legislation doesn't move as fast because some are unsure how to move forward. But she said that isn't a partisan issue.

AT&T and IBM are joining forces on an IoT initiative, combining cognitive computing and global connectivity expertise to create open standards-based tools on the IBM cloud, the companies said Wednesday. The tools will allow developers to improve skills while not having to learn new tools, helping to protect investments businesses have made in IoT solutions, said the companies. The demand for IoT technology is creating demand for skilled IoT developers, they said, citing 2016 VisionMobile data forecasting 10 million active IoT developers by 2020. IBM and AT&T are expanding their commitment and investment in open-source based tools, such as Node-Red and the open MQTT standard, essential for creating IoT solutions, they said. Developers will be able to tap IBM's Watson cognitive computing software and AT&T's IoT Flow Designer and M2X platforms, along with access to its global network, they said. AT&T is also working with IBM on a starter kit to speed up development of IoT projects, they said.

House Commerce Trade Subcommittee Chairman Michael Burgess, R-Texas, warned witnesses Wednesday that Congress would act on healthcare apps if industry doesn't appropriately address privacy and security. “Unfortunately, whatever Congress would do would likely limit the potential in this space and limit the success of the health apps market,” Burgess said during a subcommittee hearing on such apps. Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., said “the right regulatory framework” is required, one “that encourages innovation, removes barriers to investment, and advances new opportunities for patients and providers to engage in the healthcare system,” with privacy and security “absolute musts.” Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., raised concerns about hacking and consumer and stakeholder confusion. “Many, if not most, health apps available right now in the app store are not covered entities" under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Pallone said. “So even if those apps collect the same information as a healthcare provider, the same protections may not apply.” Lawmakers and witnesses debated the appropriate roles for the FTC and the Food and Drug Administration. With a seat on "the Consumer Technology Association’s (CTA) Health and Fitness Technology Board, Humetrix actively worked on the CTA Guiding Principles on the Privacy and Security of Personal Wellness Data because it is important that consumers understand both the potential value of health technologies and the privacy options they have,” testified Humetrix CEO Bettina Experton. “We applaud CTA’s efforts to drive these guiding principles across the industry, as we believe it will drive adoption and awareness of important medical apps that can literally save lives.” Diane Johnson, senior director at Johnson & Johnson, told Rep. Leonard Lance, R-N.J., “legislative clarity is needed” on the FDA mobile medical app guidance regarding enforcement. Commerce Committee Vice Chairwoman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., underscored her desire to advance her Sensible Oversight for Technology which Advances Regulatory Efficiency Act (HR-2396) through the 21st Century Cures initiative. She said her legislation addresses much of what was under discussion.

The FTC has enforced laws protecting children's privacy but should work with Congress to better protect children's personal information as mobile apps and internet-connected "smart toys" proliferate, urged Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., in a Wednesday letter to Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. "Over the past few years, security researchers have uncovered some startling vulnerabilities in a wide variety of connected toys," he wrote in the letter. "For instance, researchers have been able to gain control of dolls that respond to children’s questions and alter the doll’s responses. Security analysts have also shown that conversations recorded by toys and uploaded to the cloud are easily accessible to hackers." Warner cited last year's VTech data breach that exposed data on millions of children (see 1512010041). In the letter and news release, Warner said the FTC should work with Congress to identify ways to improve children's privacy, and asked the agency to answer questions about current policies and enforcement of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

The U.S. transportation network could significantly benefit from the IoT by alleviating traffic congestion, reducing cargo shipping delays at ports, monitoring rail and pipeline infrastructure safety, and helping policymakers better focus limited resources in maintaining roads and bridges, said Senate Surface Transportation Subcommittee Chairwoman Deb Fischer, R-Neb., during a Tuesday hearing. Fischer said the Developing Innovation and Growing the Internet of Things (Digit) Act (S-2607) she sponsored with Sens. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii (see 1604270025), could further help the transportation sector since the bill calls for a nationwide strategy to accelerate IoT innovation and use. Booker, the subcommittee's ranking member, said society is in the "stone age" of the IoT. If government doesn't get its act together, it won't help the commercial sector to "flourish" but actually "drag them down" because agencies would be working in silos "tripping up and undermining innovations," he said. Doug Davis, head of Intel's IoT group, testified that by "converting vast amounts of data into meaningful actionable intelligence" The IoT will help improve transportation safety, efficiency and mobility and address infrastructure issues. He pointed to autonomous vehicles as one area that will benefit through the IoT. "The average American commuter spends 38 hours per year stuck in traffic, which collectively costs [the] U.S. economy about $121 billion per year in just wasted time and fuel," he said, using Census Bureau statistics. Intel recommends the government work with the tech and transportation sectors to develop an "ambitious national strategy" that prioritizes safety and security, promotes a technology neutral platform, encourages open global standards and invests in public-private partnerships, he said.

A technical advisory group of engineers and technologists kicked off a review of IoT privacy and security that's expected to produce a report by fall. The Broadband Internet Technical Advisory Group (BITAG) said in a Tuesday news release it won't review computers, smartphones or tablets, but appliances, sensors and other devices that run on the IoT. "When combined with data analysis and machine learning, IoT devices may be able to take more proactive actions, highlight interesting information to end users, or make suggestions to end users that may affect their health, environment, finances, or other aspects of their lives," said BITAG, which counts AT&T, Comcast, Google, the Center for Democracy & Technology and Public Knowledge among its members. Some IoT security flaws also could put users at risk, resulting in a negative internet experience, BITAG said. The technical working group will analyze the issue and "describe the issue in depth, highlight technical observations, and suggest appropriate best practices," it added.

Ayla Networks received $39 million in a series C funding round from a group of investors led by China-based Ants Capital and smart lifestyle product ODM (original design manufacturer) 3NOD, it said Monday. New investors participating in the funding round were Mitsui and Acorn Pacific, said Ayla, while existing investors Cisco Investments, Crosslink Capital, International Finance Corp., Linear Venture, SAIF Partners/Oriza Ventures, SJF Ventures and Voyager Capital reinvested. “The Internet of Things will be the next area where major winners will emerge," said Yin Min, managing partner of Ants Capital, which invested in Ayla due to its "unmatched traction inside China and globally" with manufacturers of IoT products.

AT&T apparently decided to move forward with an all-LTE future for cellular IoT applications, said Jennifer Fritzsche, analyst at Wells Fargo, Friday in an email to investors. “The company previously said it would review other technology options, such as Low-Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) specifications, but ultimately decided to standardize on the LTE stack vs. unlicensed bands.”

Danish audiology supplier Oticon introduced what it called the world’s first internet-connected hearing aid. Called the Opn, the device “opens up a world of possibilities for IoT devices,” Oticon said in a Thursday announcement. With Opn’s internet connectivity, “it is now possible to program hearing aids to talk directly with door bells, smoke detectors and baby alarms,” it said.

Low-power wide area (LPWA) networks will play a big role in the IoT, and the mobile industry is standardizing a new class of GSM technologies to support them, the GSM Association said Thursday in a Q&A. LPWA networks “will support devices requiring low mobility, low power consumption, long range, low cost and security,” the GSMA said. They will play a key role connecting the billions of new devices making up the IoT, the group said. “LPWA technologies are expected to serve a diverse range of vertical industries and support a range of applications and deployment scenarios, which existing mobile technologies may not currently be best placed to connect.” Among the necessary attributes, LPWA solutions must use minimal power -- “a battery life in excess of 10 years,” the group said. Some applications must be optimized for brief messages, about the length of a text message, have a very low device unit cost -- a few dollars for many devices, and “have good coverage outdoors and indoors, enabling connectivity in rural and underground locations,” GSMA said.