Commerce Dept. and its National Institute of Standards and Techno...

Commerce Dept. and its National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will issue a position soon on S-2037, NET Guard bill introduced in March by Senate Commerce Technology Subcommittee Chmn. Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sen. Allen (R-Va.), Commerce Dept. Undersecy. Samuel Bodman said Tues. Bill would create at NIST Center for Civilian Homeland Security Technology Evaluation, with charge of helping federal govt. sift through myriad private sector suggestions on homeland security. At Commerce Committee hearing on Advanced Technology Program (see separate item, this issue), both Wyden and Allen pressed Bodman on bill. After first demurring, Bodman said that personally “I think it’s a good idea to have a repository.” However, he said he wasn’t sure NIST employees had requisite backgrounds to perform technology assessments called for in bill. He also said “I get a little concerned” when federal govt. “picks winners and losers and you don’t have market involvement.” Wyden said “we don’t want the federal government picking winners.” Instead, he said, “we want an objective opinion on what looks promising.”