Washington – We are pleased that President Obama, as part of his proposals to grow the economy, highlighted pro-innovation priorities like trade and open Internet access and fast networks.
The following can be attributed to Computer & Communications Industry Association President & CEO Ed Black:
“We believe the President has identified several areas where action is needed that deserve bipartisan cooperation during the year ahead.
“The digital economy is becoming the backbone of the economy. The President is urging numerous policy measures that are responding to the realities of our 21st Century economy. Adopting these proposals and refraining from policies that are tied to the past can nurture our economic turnaround. Failure to develop good policies risk slowing down our economic dynamism.
“We are hopeful that Congress is also motivated to find creative ways to encourage innovation by giving innovators the tools they need, including:
-a reformed and balanced patent system
-policies that encourage competition
-education and immigration policies that create more skilled US students, and reliable access to global talent
-forward looking trade agreements that foster the economic potential of the Internet
-assurance that the open Internet will be preserved.
“We appreciated the president highlighting what we hope becomes an agenda to cooperatively build the innovation economy — from expanding trade to ‘protecting the free and open Internet’ and building the ‘fastest Internet’ so innovators have a platform to reshape our economy.”