Governments and RFID Leadership
Learning from experience can only bolster RFID adoption, and right now, governments seem to be playing a positive role in the RFID industry.
By Mark Roberti
There are those who believe that governments can play a critical role in helping to jump-start the development of radio frequency identification and foster a local RFID industry. Others, particularly in the United States, argue that the governments mess up everything they touch and should stay away from trying to pick winners and losers—that is, deciding which technologies they will promote and which they won't.
I grew up in the United States, where there is a great deal of skepticism about the government, and for eight years I lived in Asia, where governments have been instrumental in economic development and helped lift millions of people out of poverty. So I can see both sides of the issue.
My view is that governments should not set technology standards—that the marketplace should decide what standards, if any, best suit the needs of industry. Nor should governments fund one technology over another, because they might support a technology that doesn't serve the needs of businesses or consumers.
There are those who believe that governments can play a critical role in helping to jump-start the development of radio frequency identification and foster a local RFID industry. Others, particularly in the United States, argue that the governments mess up everything they touch and should stay away from trying to pick winners and losers—that is, deciding which technologies they will promote and which they won't.
I grew up in the United States, where there is a great deal of skepticism about the government, and for eight years I lived in Asia, where governments have been instrumental in economic development and helped lift millions of people out of poverty. So I can see both sides of the issue.
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