Trade ministers from APEC’s 21 economies descended on the sprawling city of Surabaya in East Java this weekend in their annual discussions to promote trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region.  Though progress was achieved on a number of fronts, the tech community especially welcomed the clarion call issued by the ministers to conclude negotiations to expand the Information Technology Agreement [...]

It’s another good day for the global campaign to expand the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) and the accompanying prospects for fostering growth, innovation, and jobs.  This afternoon, U.S. Reps. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., and Ron Kind, D-Wisc., along with 39 of their colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives, sent a letter to President Obama saying:   [S]ustained U.S. political leadership at [...]

This afternoon, ITI’s Dean Garfield participated in a news conference on immigration reform with the Senate’s bipartisan “Gang of 8,” who, on Tuesday, introduced a significant comprehensive immigration reform proposal. The Senators – four Republican, for Democratic – today discussed their proposal and pledged to consider every constructive idea as the legislation moves forward.  Almost every Senator [...]

The bipartisan Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) is generating a lot of questions about not only why we need an enhanced national cybersecurity information-sharing structure, but also how an improved information-sharing structure would work.  Many criticisms are built on the false premise that CISPA would put people’s personal privacy at risk.  In reality, CISPA’s main goal is to [...]

Today, the House of Representatives renewed its work on cybersecurity with a series of votes on bipartisan proposals to enhance and improve U.S. cyber defenses.  At the heart of this debate is the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), offered by the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Intelligence Committee -- Chairman Mike Rogers of Michigan and Ranking Member C.A. Dutch [...]

Each day, seemingly, there’s another attention-grabbing news story about a threat to the U.S. national security by a rogue group or foreign government attempting to hack their way into state secrets.  Without question, the dangers from these groups are real, and have been increasing.  But the headlines fail to account for the group most threatened by cyber threats and intrusions, namely you and me.  [...]

Proponents of a more activist, broader-reaching International Telecommunication Union (ITU) are continuing their campaign to take that international body into inappropriate territory.  As you recall, there were multiple proposals tabled at last December’s World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) that addressed an array of topics, including Internet governance, spam, and standardization [...]

Less than a month removed from the announcement by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that his nation would seek a seat at the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiating table, the Obama Administration has given its approval to the move.  Adding Japan to the TPP represents a global economic game-changer.  Word came this morning from Acting USTR Demetrios Marantis…   “[W]e are pleased to welcome Japan’s [...]

Dateline Beijing:  Spending this week in Beijing -- participating in the U.S.-China Internet Industry Forum, meeting with government and industry officials from both countries, talking with Chinese entrepreneurs and tech investors -- has given me fresh perspective on how to address the challenges facing both countries, especially as it relates to technology issues. I’m not suggesting there is a magic [...]

There is one word that shows up consistently in President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget:  innovation.  We see it in the descriptions of almost every federal agency’s spending blueprint.  (In fact, the word “innovation” shows up 107 times in the 244-page budget.) The investments that the president proposes in research and development (R&D), in scientific exploration, in cutting-edge education initiatives, [...]