Membership Info

The CCIA Opportunity

CCIA advocates public policies that promote open markets, open systems, and open networks, and full, fair and open competition worldwide in the computer, telecommunications, and Internet industries.
  
Our membership is selective, and ranges from well-known names such as Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, RedHat, Oracle, eBay, T-Mobile and AMD, to smaller companies that are only beginning to make an impact in the industry.  More than 85 percent of all Internet searches in the U.S. are made through CCIA member companies.
  
Our members tell us they value CCIA for several reasons, including:

• Ability to make things happen in Washington—rather than simply watch what’s going on.  Member companies support our need to reach consensus quickly to influence and shape events in Congress, the Executive Branch, and the Judiciary.  We don’t need protracted processes to establish positions on issues, and we avoid “least common denominator” solutions.  One or two member companies may take the lead on certain issues;
  

• Relatively small size.  While some trade associations have hundreds or even thousands of members, CCIA’s membership consists of a few dozen companies that receive individual attention.  Our staff works to understand the strategic direction of each member.  In some cases, we serve as the Washington office for companies without such a presence.  All members have a voice in the work of CCIA;

• Presence in the European Community, and ability to influence public policy from our Brussels office to benefit our members;

• Association culture in which no one company or small group of members dominates decision-making or policy advocacy.

Public Policy Priorities      

A few of the major issues we are addressing presently include:

• Copyright law in the context of computer software, open networks and interoperability, and the “fair use” of copyrighted material on the Internet;
• Telecommunications and Internet privacy;
• Secondary liability of Internet companies for misuse of their services by third parties;
• Patent law reform and reduced patent litigation;
• Major FCC proceedings on wired and wireless broadband deployment and access;
• Antitrust law interpretation and implementation;
• Government competition with the private sector;
• Immigration of technically skilled workers.

CCIA’s website features extensive information about these and other public policy priorities.

Recent Policy Impact

Some recent public policy accomplishments include:

• Correctly identified in 2007-08 those Obama policy experts who have been named top FCC, FTC and White House officials with responsibility for tech, telecom and innovation issues, and cultivated ongoing working relationships;

• Led industry effort in support of AMD in its successful antitrust settlement with Intel.  Requested the Department of Justice to open its current investigation of IBM’s anti-competitive practices in the mainframe market;

• Raised the profile of broadband access/terms of service issues, and the special access monopoly business rate issue. Participated in the drafting of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus legislation), which provides grants for broadband deployment, including middle mile transport, that will help companies other than the largest national incumbents to bring broadband Internet access to more Americans;

• Released a study on the economic benefits of the “fair use” exception in copyright law to frame the terms of public debate on this issue, and petitioned to Federal Trade Commission to require copyright holders to fairly communicate this exception to users in copyright warnings.

About CCIA 

CCIA is a nonprofit membership organization consisting of a wide range of companies in the computer, Internet, information technology, and telecommunications industries, represented by their senior executives. CCIA's member companies employ almost one million workers and generate nearly $250 billion in annual revenue. 

CCIA has been highly regarded, respected and trusted by decision makers in government and industry for more than 35 years. CCIA is a vital link to Capitol Hill and the issues directly impacting technology businesses.

Join CCIA

For more information on joining CCIA as a corporate member, please contact Jim LeMunyon or Dan Johnson  at 202-783-0070.

Download CCIA's Corporate Membership Application