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Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH) participated in a forum hosted by Ice Miller LLP to discuss the benefits, hinderances, and policies relating to the Internet of Things (IoT) in Columbus on Thursday morning. Latta is co-chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee IoT Working Group and Ice Miller is a leader on public policy and legal issues relating to IoT. Also joining the discussion were representatives from the cities of Columbus, Dublin, and Marysville and industry leaders from the health care and technology sectors.
 
Columbus was recently designated a U.S. Department of Transportation Smart City and was awarded a $50 million grant to become a national leader of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The goals of ITS are to improve safety and enhance mobility of our transportation systems, and the IoT will play a critical role in reaching those objectives.
 
“It’s clear from these discussions that the Internet of Things has the potential to reshape our economy and way of life in a positive way,” said Latta. “But with any rapidly developing technology, there are obstacles and policy decisions that need to be considered to ensure that we have an environment that cultivates innovation, not stifles it. With Columbus becoming the national leader of intelligent transportation systems, it’s exciting to know that Ohio will be on the forefront of implementing the Internet of Things into people's daily lives. In addition, today's discussions will be invaluable to the IoT working group as we look to develop a forward-thinking strategy towards new technology.”  
 
“As we heard during our discussion with Congressman Latta, the Internet of Things (IoT) is already having a significant impact on our society, our clients, and our public sector," said Judy Okenfuss, Chair of the IoT Group at Ice Miller. "The IoT industry is poised for explosive growth over the next decade. The discussions we are having with industry experts now, and the standards we will be setting, are critical endeavors to position our State and our Country for the safest and most intelligent use of data and technology in the 21st century.”
 
Latta also participated in a manufacturing Internet of Things roundtable last week at Owens-Illinois, Inc. headquarters in Perrysburg. More information about that forum is available here.
 
The Internet of Things is technology in which physical objects and machines are embedded with Internet connectivity in order to allow them to process data and communicate in real-time with their surrounding environment. IoT can be used to gather information and improve efficiency and effectiveness in the manufacturing, agriculture, health care, and technology fields that can save money and resources. According to one study, the IoT will create $14.4 trillion in global net profit between 2013 and 2022.
 
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