Rep. James R. Langevin, D-R.I., has been a consistent voice in Congress in the fight to raise public consciousness about the threats hackers pose to the nation’s computer networks. So too has he been vocal about the opportunity Rhode Island has to get in on the ground floor of the still-fledgling cybersecurity industry.

“The supply of services nationwide doesn’t come close to meeting the ever-growing demand,” Rep. Langevin told PBN in another Page 1 story. Some local schools have taken note of the opportunity. The University of Rhode Island this year was named an academic center of excellence in cybersecurity. And the New England Institute of Technology is involved in an online cybersecurity competition targeting high school students.

But there is no data that Rep. Langevin or anyone else could point to measuring exactly what is being done to grow local jobs in this area and how the state compares with others.

In order to take the lead in this, or any other, employment field, there needs to be a coordinated effort involving private- and public-sector leaders. And on that score, state leaders need to do more than talk about the opportunity – they need to seize it. •