The 463: Inside Tech

CEA CEO on Progressives and Free Trade

In a well-timed Huffington Post piece, Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, wonders when "progressives in this country gave up on free trade."

He writes:

When it comes to boosting living standards in places like Colombia and Panama, we hear hardly a peep from progressives. These stalled trade deals would improve economic and humanitarian conditions in those countries while helping U.S. companies, including many consumer electronics and technology companies, access new markets. The last 15 years are proof of that.

I understand that at a time of economic pain, nations tend to look inward, but that is why it's so important for President Obama, as he heads to the G-20 Summit on April 2, to rise above insular, regressive politics and truly work to protect and expand global trade. His choice is either to embrace the world of trade or to build on the barriers Congress has begun to create.

CEA is a 463 client.

It's Blogtastic -- Comcast Launches a Company Blog

In addition to explaining what the colors in the on-screen viewing guide mean*; why the "Twilight" VOD release is a big deal; and, the reason the site exists in the first place, the blog has a distinct home for the cable company's plentiful policy issues.

Comcast's Senior Vice President, External Affairs and Public Policy Counsel Joe Waz made quick use of the blog today by setting the record straight on news coverage that suggested that the company has specifically bought into the RIAA's three-strike plan with ISPs. Waz declares that Comcast has "no plans to test or implement a so-called 'three strikes and you’re out' policy."

Also posting to the blog, is Sena Fitzmaurice -- Comcast's Senior Director for Corporate Communications and Government Affairs. Fitzmaurice has posted on Julius Genachowski's nomination as FCC chair and a NCTA white paper on broadband in unserved areas. We will watch for the always professional, but selectively sharped-tongued policy communications lead to step up the rhetoric as the blog matures out of its infancy.

* Regular TV programming = Blue

   Sports = Green

   Movies = Purple

   Kids = Light Blue

Four Years Later

Four years ago, I took this photo at a TechNet event in DC....

Yep, that lonely, staffer-free figure to the left was then-Senator Obama giving his vision on innovation and education just months after he was first elected to Congress.

I'll let Frank Davies of the Mercury News take it from here:

More than 100 tech heavyweights from Silicon Valley and elsewhere trekked to Congress and the White House during a one-day lobbying blitz Wednesday, celebrating recent victories and excited that the Obama administration is on their wavelength.

The executives from TechNet, a bipartisan network of CEOs, made a pitch to government officials that innovative tech companies can play a leading role in an economic recovery and help transform energy, health care and education — major themes of President Barack Obama.

"It was wonderful to hear the administration supporting much of the tech agenda," said Chris Kelly, chief privacy officer at Facebook. "They're also looking to use online channels to build on what they're trying to do."

Looking back:

Much of the day was spent with tech leaders thanking members of the new administration for supporting parts of their agenda. Several members of TechNet recalled that four years ago, a little-known senator — Obama had just been won election in Illinois — spoke to the group about tech issues.

"None of us expect or want the government to lead the next technological revolution, but I believe that we can provide the spark that fuels America's innovation and competitiveness in the global economy," Obama told TechNet in 2005. He decried cuts in science funding and the lagging deployment of broadband.

And, while the expectations were almost equally high when TechNet first trekked back for their first meeting with the Bush White House as a group (a meeting that was delayed -- it was scheduled for September 12, 2001), the observation was made yesterday that it sure is nice that technology and science now hold a high level of respect in the White House. Many heads nodded knowingly.