USA Act Highlights Importance of U.S. Leadership in International Standards

The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology has advanced bipartisan legislation designed to increase American involvement in setting international technical standards for artificial intelligence and other critical and emerging technologies.  

On July 21, the Committee favorably reported H.R. 9326, the Utilize Standards for All Act, or USA Act, sending the legislation to the full House for further consideration. The committee action marks the latest congressional effort to address how the United States engages in international forums where technical requirements for emerging technologies are developed. 

Participation in international standards development requires significant organizational resources. Standards experts may need to travel internationally, attend meetings over extended periods, and navigate different standards jurisdictions, organizations, and processes. Those demands can create barriers for smaller companies, universities, nonprofit organizations, and other stakeholders that may have valuable technical expertise but fewer resources to support sustained international engagement. 

H.R. 9326 approaches those barriers in several ways. The bill would direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to create a centralized resource where U.S. stakeholders could identify international standards activities and learn how to participate. It would also improve coordination among federal agencies and private sector participants and establish a five-year pilot program, subject to available funding, to help eligible organizations host international standards meetings in the United States.  

The legislation also reinforces the model behind the U.S. standards system. H.R. 9326 calls on NIST to “strengthen the unique United States public-private partnership approach” to standards development, describing the approach as “critical to the United States economic competitiveness.” The bill further recognizes voluntary consensus standards developed through private sector led processes as a central component of the U.S. standardization system. 

With H.R. 9326 now reported out of committee, the legislation awaits further consideration by the House. To read the bill, click here.