CompTIA Newsroom

Congressional blockchain session with Arizona Congressman David Schweikert to coincide with guide’s release

Washington, D.C. – CompTIA today released its first-ever blockchain guidebook, “Harnessing the Blockchain Revolution: CompTIA’s Practical Guide for the Public Sector,” as a resource for public sector officials to understand, explore and implement blockchain projects for broad range of public sector projects. The guide also includes key policy recommendations for helping to foster more innovation and the development of blockchain technology.

In conjunction with the guide’s release, CompTIA is hosting an event today on Capitol Hill with Congressional Blockchain Caucus Co-Chair David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) on the business, organizational, technological and human capital issues public sector leaders should keep in mind as they consider adopting various blockchain solutions. Following Congressman Schweikert’s remarks, CompTIA will convene a panel of experts from CompTIA member companies — IBM, Dell, Deloitte and Grant Thornton — to discuss public sector applications for blockchain technology.

The Capitol Hill Blockchain Session will be held today from 10:00 a.m. — 11:30 p.m. ET in the Rayburn House Building, Room 2203.

“CompTIA is committed to helping public sector officials understand a wide variety of emerging tech innovations, and blockchain is a perfect example of a promising new technology that is both little understood and yet holds tremendous potential for the public sector,” said David Logsdon, Senior Director of Public Advocacy for New and Emerging Technologies at CompTIA. “With this guide, we hope to demystify blockchain technology and provide officials with the information and tools they need to fully evaluate whether blockchain might be the solution they are looking for to support essential government and public-sector functions in an efficient, secure and transparent way.”

The guide was designed for both the novice and the more sophisticated user, with basic explanations of what blockchain is and its history as well as comprehensive explanations of blockchain’s various use cases, a rundown of current federal and state blockchain projects, and a pilot project toolkit for helping public sector officials to get started.

In addition to demystifying blockchain technology and its applications for public sector use, CompTIA also makes key policy recommendations in the guide to ensure this emerging technology has the opportunity to grow and mature as a public and private sector solution for services like healthcare, education, records management, finance, and supply chain management, to name but a few.

CompTIA’s policy recommendations include the following:

• To facilitate the maturation of blockchain technology, CompTIA recommends that Congress create a working group of federal stakeholders to provide recommendations to Congress on how to plan and encourage the growth of blockchain technology.
• To help manage risk, drive economic development and develop a strong regulatory regime, CompTIA recommends that the federal government and state governments consider creating a blockchain and emerging technology “regulatory sandbox.”

To hear more about the blockchain guide, the general public can tune in live to CompTIA’s State and Local Government and Educational Council Summit on July 26 at 12:30p.m.CT/1:30p.m.ET where authors and experts will walk attendees through the guide and use of this emerging tech. Register here.

The guide reflects the collective contributions and work of CompTIA’s Federal and State Emerging Technologies Committee and its State and Local Government and Education Council.

To learn more, download the guide here.  

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About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $4.8 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the millions of technology and business professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the U.S. economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for advancing the tech industry and its workforce. Visit www.comptia.org to learn more.

Through its Advocacy arm, CompTIA champions member-driven business and IT priorities that impact all information technology companies – from small managed solutions providers and software developers to large equipment manufacturers and communications service providers. CompTIA gives eyes, ears and a voice to technology companies, informing them of policy developments – and providing the means to do something about it. Visit https://www.comptia.org/advocacy to learn more.

Contact:
Lana Sansur
CompTIA
lsansur@comptia.org
202-503-3636