@dch @cjd I've been getting grant funding for protocol work, but grants will not take this past a prototype/reference and a draft, most likely.
I'm setting up a small NGO in the hopes of capturing further backing. My dip into the IETF seems to suggest that if I get enough people to support it, I can get a WG, even if none of the big players are in it.
Since the work overlaps with industry concerns, there's at least some hope here. But I'm not a politician, so...