What to Expect When Congress Talks Blockchain Tomorrow

A pair of Congressional subcommittees will continue their fact-finding mission on blockchain during a hearing tomorrow.

Tomorrow's session will be more narrowly focused compared to a similar hearing held by the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology's Research and Technology and Oversight Subcommittees in February.

A representative for Lamar Smith, the chairman of the House Science Committee, told CoinDesk that the hearing will host "Experts in intellectual property, cybersecurity, as well as shipping and logistics."

"This hearing is intended for information-gathering for the committee members. We look forward to learning a lot from the witnesses."

Those hoping for the kinds of fireworks seen in February when the heads of the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission hearing before the Senate Banking Committee - or during a House hearing on initial coin offerings in March - will likely be disappointed, given its info-gathering nature.

"This hearing will build upon the previous one, which explored the science behind blockchain technology. I know the intent of the hearing is to be informative but look forward to seeing where the discussion will go and the questions my colleagues ask," he said.

"This hearing will help examine how new technologies are improving the ways in which consumers can be better informed about where their products are coming from, how companies can validate a secure, ethical supply chain and how U.S. intellectual property can be better defended against unlawful practices," Hultgren said in a statement.

"The hearing will focus on how this technology can be leveraged to provide greater supply chain visibility and combat the distribution of counterfeit products," the document states.

The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies.

CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups.