I just spent my morning out in Gaithersburg on the NIST campus, listening to the meeting of the EAC’s Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC). The day has just ended. However, tomorrow will be a full agenda, too. You can listen in by going to the following link: http://www.nist.gov/itl/vote/. Tomorrow’s agenda will focus on UOCAVA-related issues. Check it out.

As I was watching today, I reflected on proposals to abolish the EAC, and just to let NIST deal with standards. As I watch the interaction between the EAC staff and commissioner Davidson, TGDC members, and NIST staff, it’s clear that each provides a set of distinct perspectives and, some would say, checks and balances. In particular, the EAC provides a distinctly public perspective on the proceedings, which would be difficult to replace if it weren’t responsible for the proceedings.