In addition, standards used globally will influence the nature of technology and product development. Some U.S. companies and organizations are acutely aware of the strategic importance of international standards issues. The great majority are not. These companies are surrendering decisionmaking authority on standards to their better-organized foreign competitors. This needs to change.
First steps Getting organized is a key first step for our peculiarly American standards system.
Unlike most other nations, the United States does not have a single private sector organization or government agency that has overriding responsibility for standards. It should be no wonder that the rest of the world is confused by our standards system and that it sometimes dismisses our efforts. Government's role is to serve as a facilitator of private sector efforts to work together. Under the ANSI umbrella, U.S. industry, SDOs, and government must act collectively to shape the international standards framework and level the international playing field for all. We must act determinedly and intelligently to advance U.S. technologies and concepts as the basis for international standards.