Broadband Funding Just the Start of Innovation Overhaul, Group Says
The estimated $100 billion in technology funding in the economic stimulus package will be the impetus for technology to pull the country out of its “economic morass” and emerge stronger, said TechAmerica CEO Chris Hansen at a media briefing Friday. TechAmerica was formed from the merger of AeA, ITAA, GEIA and CSIA. The association estimates there’s $100 billion for technology in the legislation, including funding at the National Science Foundation, NASA and other science agencies, but concedes it won’t know for sure until there’s more specific accounting of the money.
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Although TechAmerica’s members will clearly benefit from technology investments, Hansen said, the importance of the investments goes beyond technology companies. “Technology is what’s going to make the whole economy competitive,” he said. There’s a “confluence of interests” between the association and the agenda of President Barack Obama, who “clearly gets it on this,” Hansen said.
The funding for broadband deployment is an important part of TechAmerica’s agenda, Hansen said. But the group probably won’t get much involved in policy debates touched upon in the legislation, like net neutrality or privacy and security, because its membership could have disparate and competitive views on the subjects. Hansen said he doesn’t see a clear either/or choice between deploying the fastest broadband possible or the most widespread broadband possible. “We need as much coverage and as much good coverage as we can get,” he said.
Josh Lamel, TechAmerica senior vice president of federal government affairs, said the broadband stimulus funding is “just the beginning.” The legislation requires the FCC to develop a national broadband strategy within a year, he said. Though most interest now is focused on fiber, there are other technologies that could emerge as contenders, he said. Fiber rings could be built at community institutions like schools, and from there a wireless mesh network could cover a 10-square-mile area, he said. He predicted lots of collaboration in this area, rather than simply seeing local ISPs bidding on projects. The NTIA will be looking for partners on the best way to deploy broadband, he said.
The funding for research is an exciting part of the stimulus, speakers said. Particularly of note is funding to the Department of Energy for high-risk research into energy sources and energy efficiency, Lamel said. “That’s $400 million for stuff no one’s even thought about yet.”
A lot of the funding will flow through the states, and they are still figuring out how to best spend it, the group said. Roxanne Gould, senior vice president for state government affairs, said states are finally expanding their definitions of infrastructure to include technology. Some states are appointing stimulus czars. California created a blue-ribbon commission and Texas intends to cordon off its stimulus funds in a separate section of the state budget to increase transparency, said Gould and Jeff Clark, executive director and regional director of Texas. “There’s a lot of confusion in the states at this point,” said Clark.
Hansen also alluded to the organization’s Innovation Now drive. The agenda listed 12 issue areas, including cybersecurity, broadband, patent reform and health. The group said more will be forthcoming on the agenda soon.