Ron Wyden, US Senator for Oregon, has proposed a new bill requiring the messaging and video conferencing tools used by the federal government to be interoperable.
Even if different vendors provide the tools, the bill notes that they should communicate with one another and adhere to strict security standards, including end-to-end encryption.
As shared with The Verge, a discussion draft of The Secure and Interoperable Government Collaboration Technology Act would mandate that a government user on Microsoft Teams could converse with an agency that leverages Zoom – for example.
Of course, the bill would only require such interoperability within government operations. Yet, if passed, it could further increase interoperability within the enterprise communications space.
Another benefit of the bill – according to Wyden – is challenging Microsoft’s reach across the federal government. That comes after the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently released a report finding that the tech giant could have halted a Chinese hack on US government emails.
“It’s time to break the chokehold of big tech companies like Microsoft on government software, set high cybersecurity standards, and reap the many benefits of a competitive market,” said Wyden in a statement attached to the bill.
Vendor lock-in, bundling, and other anticompetitive practices result in the government spending vast sums of money on insecure software.
If passed, the bill would instruct the General Services Administration (GSA) to create a list of collaboration tech features that the government uses.
That list would likely include text messaging, video conferencing, audio calling, file sharing, live documenting, and other tools.
From there, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) would develop a set of interoperability standards that cross each solution.
Such standards would include end-to-end encryption to safeguard government communications against foreign surveillance threats.
Yet, they must also ensure the government complies with federal record-keeping requirements.
Mandating Communications Interoperability, a Possible New Trend
Wyden is not alone in calling for greater interoperability between communications platforms.
In 2022, the EU launched its Digital Markets Act (DMA), which tightens regulations on “digital gatekeepers” – otherwise known as designated messaging services.
The DMA requires companies like Meta – with WhatsApp and Messenger – to “be ready to enable interoperability with other services within three months of receiving a request.”
Elsewhere, Microsoft has come under scrutiny from the EU for bundling Teams and Office – a move that Wyden also seemed to take issue with.
Although the tech giant ended this worldwide practice last week, the EU’s antitrust case rumbles on, and Zeus Kerravala, Founder and Principal Analyst at ZK Research, would like to see further action.
The prominent enterprise communications analyst told CX Today last year that Microsoft should increase interoperability with and open up migration paths to competitive offerings.
“If they really feel Teams is the best product, then unbundle products and provide a migration path to move the data that’s in Teams, particularly chat, out of the platform into a competing product,” said Kerravala. “Frankly, this should be a requirement for all the vendors, including Webex, Zoom, RingCentral, and others.
Only by making it easy to switch platforms will we find out who has the best product.
While that possibility seems a long way off, with mandated communications interoperability a trend coming to the fore, communication giants may wish to keep one eye over their shoulder.
For further analysis of the bill, check out the story on UC Today – our sister publication – which focuses much more on the UC & collaborations market: New Senate Bill Would Require Zoom and Teams to be Interoperable
