For Immediate Release
Contact -
ZOT Group
Sally Khudairi
+1.617.818.0177
<sk@zotgroup.com>
B.K. DeLong
+1.617.642.7149
<bkdelong@zotgroup.com>
WASHINGTON, DC, USA - 28 October 1999 --CommerceNet CEO Randall Whiting was
invited to participate at the Senate subcommittee on Science, Technology,
and Space of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
hearing on "The Role of Standards in the Growth of Global Electronic
Commerce." Whiting testified on the importance of interoperable systems
critical to the growth of global electronic commerce, and its role in
enabling eCommerce to reach its full potential.
"Currently there are few broad standards that will enable this type of
environment to exist," explained Whiting. "The fundamental approaches to
setting standards may be far from acceptable in a world of highly dynamic
changing business relationships. Our challenge is to develop a new approach
to enabling businesses to find one another and quickly establish a business
relationship."
IN PURSUIT OF A FREE MARKET ARCHITECTURE
When no common basis for interaction exists, the growth of eCommerce is
restricted. The challenge with eCommerce interoperability today lies in
unifying the numerous solutions in which eCommerce is carried out.
CommerceNet members spearheaded the development of basic interoperability
principles through the launch of the eCo Framework initiative in 1998. The
eCo Interoperability Framework Specification builds a bridge between
disparate, proprietary electronic commerce solutions to enable businesses to
interoperate online without manual intervention.
Today, eCo provides a common, interoperable framework within which the
diverse environments of eCommerce can be represented. By adopting the
framework and a common way of describing its elements, business trading
communities can maintain a level of interoperability without sacrificing
their ability to innovate and adapt.
"The development of a unified, industry-endorsed framework for eCommerce
promises to eliminate many of the current barriers to free Internet
enterprise - providing the catalyst for an explosion of entrepreneurial
activity," added Whiting.
GOVERNMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
In addition to highlighting issues relevant to eCommerce interoperability,
Whiting also provided recommendations on appropriate government policies to
facilitate the development of an international consensus-based environment
for setting standards. Those recommendations include:
- to allow industry to continue to lead the evolution of interoperable
eCommerce
- become a "first mover" in the use and implementation of interoperable
eCommerce
- participate in and support research and development efforts that
encourage continued innovation in technologies, applications and
business models
- interject interoperability in all government eCommerce regulatory
programs and activities
- proactively take actions to encourage increased small business usage of
eCommerce as a foundation to form cooperatives that will enhance the
success competitiveness of small business
- continue to support new technologies such as the Next Generation Internet
- modify patent law processes to take into account the large degree of
innovation that is occurring in the market. Many new concepts of
interoperability could potentially be patented by companies without
sufficient cause due to the complexity of the technologies
- support the development of industry-led organizations that work to
provide management of common areas between the organizations in new
trading communities and online markets
A summary of Randall Whiting's presentation to subcommittee is available
online at http://www.commerce.net/news/rcw1028.html
ABOUT COMMERCENET
Originally established under a Federal research grant, CommerceNet
membership has grown to more than 700 companies and organizations worldwide,
including leading financial, technology, manufacturing, distribution,
government and retail organizations. Additionally, CommerceNet has helped
launch over a dozen successful Internet and eCommerce companies.
For more information about CommerceNet, see http://www.commerce.net
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