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Bond Tries To Engage Utah Techies
by Maureen Sirhal
The governance of technology coupled with the changing political and economic landscapes worldwide make it a critical time for technology firms to engage in debates that will determine the future of their industry, a top Bush administration official said last week.
Philip Bond, head of the Commerce Department's Technology Administration, told members of the Utah Information Technology Association (UITA) that converging digital technologies such as voice and data systems over the Internet pose various policy challenges. He cautioned UITA that it is a critical moment in Washington, as policymakers debate the rules that will govern how new products make their way to consumers.
"The advocacy work that UITA does is vital," Bond said. "But the IT industry needs to be even more vigilant at all levels of government -- particularly at the federal level. I believe the industry needs a bigger, sustained presence -- beyond the wide variety of associations and shifting, short-term coalitions."
Bond also highlighted Commerce's recent initiatives, including a trade mission to China. He said China is learning that planned economies no longer work and is expanding its reach into the technology sector. The nation's government also is recognizing the value of American companies, he said. For example, Bond noted a trip to the Children's Hospital in Shanghai, where U.S. firms have "underwritten" a facility called Project Hope.
Commerce officials also met with China's Ministry of Science and Technology, where they outlined the necessity of open and voluntary standards in developing technologies for enabling economic growth.
The Bush administration is committed to the tech industry, Bond said, outlining key initiatives aimed at boosting the sector. He cited a proposed boost in federal research and development spending and more funding for key agencies such as the Patent and Trademark Office as examples. Bond also said technology is "mission critical" in the administration's strategies for economic recovery and homeland security.
Wolverine Businessmen Head To China
A slew of technology and manufacturing firms based in Michigan headed to China this week. In 2000, the federal Commerce Department's Market Development Cooperation Program (MDCP) awarded one of seven grants to Michigan's Automation Alley, a consortium of more than 450 companies in the southeastern region of the state. Fifteen of those 450 Wolverine State businesses will take the 12-day trade mission to meet contacts in Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhouz.
"This grant is designed to help businesses participate in more export-expansion activities," assistant secretary for trade development Linda Conlin said in a statement last week. "By increasing their exports, these businesses will grow, create more jobs and add to the economic well-being of the entire nation."
MDCP grants to nonprofit groups such as states and trade associations seek to build public/private partnerships to facilitate export. The International Trade Administration also will provide the companies with resources, including expert advice, briefings on markets, meetings with key Chinese contacts and assistance in planning follow-up sessions.
The companies participating in the trip are: Analytical Process Systems, ASTI Engineering, Bach Group, the Classic Companies, Data Management, Energy Conversion Devices, Evolve, Managed Programs, Numatics, Opticore, The PCI Group, Quantum Electronics, Reliable Analysis, Showtech and The Wireless Source.
In other trade news, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is partnering with state governors for trade educational tours in June. The tour will feature Missouri Gov. Bob Holden and Texas Gov. Rick Perry and is part of the chamber's "Trade Roots" program aimed at cultivating grassroots activity and developing long-term support for expanded trade.
Holden will tour his state June 6 to extol the benefits of trade to the technology, biotechnology and other sectors, said Leslie Schweitzer, a senior trade adviser at the chamber. Perry's trade tour is scheduled for June 12.
The tours come as Congress is considering legislation to grant presidential trade-negotiating authority. Texas and Missouri lawmakers are divided over the legislation. Chamber officials recently sponsored a delegation of Texas business leaders to meet with lawmakers in Washington, and last week, chamber officials sought support for the bill from Latino business leaders in Texas.
Pennsylvania Lawmaker Targets Spam
Pennsylvania Rep. Ron Raymond, a Republican, last week unveiled a measure that would require businesses to give consumers a viable way of opting out of commercial communications, including unsolicited e-mail, wireless messages and faxes. He introduced the bill to complement existing laws that require truthful information in the headers of unsolicited e-mails, or spam.
The measure, H.B. 2614, would place the state attorney general's office in charge of enforcement. The bill would allow 10 percent of any damages collected by the attorney general's office to be returned to victims of spam. That provision aims to encourage residents to report egregious spammers.
"A person's privacy is an issue of increasing concern for people throughout the commonwealth," Raymond told the Delaware County Times. "Prudent consumer protections must keep pace with advances in technology to ensure an individual's personal information and their personal time is protected."
Local Groups Fight Rule On Cable Modems
The National Association of Counties (NACo), National League of Cities (NLC), U.S. Conference of Mayors, National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors and other national groups have formed a new legal defense fund to fight a decision of the FCC to remove cable-modem services from local regulation and franchise fees.
The group, called the Alliance of Local Organizations Against Preemption (ALOAP), will fight a March 14 FCC ruling that high-speed Internet service offered over cable modems is "an interstate information service" that is not subject to local regulation under the 1996 Telecommunications Act. Comments on the FCC rule are due by June 17.
According to ALOAP, not only does the ruling pre-empt local authority, but it also could affect local budgets because governments could lose as much as $300 million in reduced franchise fees in 2002 alone. Cable companies already have told local-government franchising authorities that they no longer will collect fees for cable-modem service.
In other news, Rep. Gil Gutknecht, R-Minn., will host a fundraising reception next Monday in Minneapolis to highlight recent efforts to boost Minnesota science and technology communities on the national stage. The Minnesota High Tech Association is sponsoring the event.
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