The Association said the new plan for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) will allow the marketplace to propose a variety of innovative solutions, ensuring the government has access to the best technology for the job.
"Choosing the solution before asking industry for proposals is putting the cart before the horse, and we are pleased Congress has recognized that," said ITAA President and CEO Phil Bond. "For government, the key to getting its hands on the best technology available is to establish performance-based requirements and then ask industry for the best solution."
The new language outlines the performance standards for the WHTI system, but does not call for the use of a specific Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) standard. Earlier versions of the bill required the WHTI program to use high-frequency RFID tags, thereby preventing the government from considering other types of RFID or other cutting-edge technologies.
Bond explained that either standard can be part of a secure solution. "As long as the right processes and policies are also in place, any technology can be part of a secure solution."
ITAA said it was disappointed in another portion of the recently passed legislation, which only partially funds the US-VISIT program, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) technology-enabled effort to track all American border crossings.
Congress decided to provide only $362 million out of the $399 million requested by the President to pay for the US-VISIT program in FY 2008. Crucial technology solutions are yet to be deployed under the program, in order to integrate the fingerprint system and deploy the exit solution beyond the current pilot program.
"Congress clearly grasps the importance of border security, yet it has chosen not to fully fund a successful border security program that needs to be expanded," Bond said.
