CTA Vice President of Regulatory Affairs David Grossman spoke on a range of security topics with Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Tech Anne Neuberger, principal adviser to President Biden on cyber affairs. During CES 2024, the two discussed the debut of the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark and its just-announced international reach, as well as spectrum policy and the reauthorization of the spectrum auction. Neuberger expressed her appreciation for partnerships in the private sector — and especially the Consumer Technology Association — in helping the government bring the Cyber Trust Mark program into being.

The impetus for the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, she said, is to “make consumers aware of the threat, to educate them and to partner with the private sector.” “Think Energy Star for cyber,” she suggested. “The government is setting a cybersecurity standard and then companies earn the ability to put the mark on their products.”

Currently, she told Grossman, the FCC is looking at all the feedback it got from private industry and is thinking how to incorporate it in the final program. The marketplace launch is expected to be by the end of this year.

Neuberger also announced that the U.S. has “signed an agreement with the EU on a joint roadmap for a consumer security standard.” “We want manufacturers to know they can sell in Paris, Texas and Paris, France,” she said. “We want all infrastructure to be safe from disruption. A baby monitor that bears the mark will be able to be sold across Europe as cyber safe.”

At the Aspen Security Forum last month, said Grossman, Neuberger stated that “AI will be a critical asset category in security.” She explained that they are working closely with the U.S. intelligence agencies to be able to quickly incorporate information in data, make sense of knowledge and uncover patterns.

Regarding the National Spectrum Strategy, Neuberger said that President Biden’s goal is to “ensure that U.S. companies have access to the most advanced wireless technologies in the world.”

To that end, the U.S. has committed to a study of 2700 MHz spectrum in five bands, with the goal of making more spectrum available to commercial and government agencies.

To keep up with other countries, she added, the U.S. has taken multiple steps, including working on national dynamic spectrum sharing policies. The U.S. is also giving a grant to Costa Rica, a key ally in the area, for a 5G rollout. At CES, she will sit down with India’s telecom minister to talk about the future of partnerships on key technologies.

“New technology like AI and edge computing are lessons learned that will enable a new generation of spectrum sharing that we hope to kick off soon,” she said.