Washington, D.C., February 13, 2014 – As part of the third annual 2014 TechVoice Fly-In organized by CompTIA and TECNA, more than 100 leaders from small and medium-sized technology companies, representing 26 states, gathered in the nation’s capital to discuss technology policy priorities.
More than 100 IT executives met with more than 95 Congressional offices and heard from leaders in Congress and key Executive Branch agencies.
Wednesday morning’s session included FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel; Chairman Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet; Chairman Lee Terry (Neb.-2), House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Manufacturing and Trade; and Adam Sedgwick, senior information technology policy advisor at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Amy Kardel talks with others during the conference.
“The TechVoice Fly-In is an opportunity for business leaders from small and medium-sized companies within the tech industry to hear from policymakers who are working on issues critical to the innovation, growth and global competitiveness of their companies,” said Amy Kardel, chief administrator officer of Clever Ducks. “The speakers at this year’s fly-in are leading on issues before Congress and the Administration today – from patent reform and cyber security to spectrum and data breach notification. It was an honor to hear from an impressive line-up of policymakers who are also on the front lines of the debates impacting our industry.”
“We were fortunate to have this year’s fly-in at a time when many of our policy priorities are advancing,” said Todd Thibodeaux, president and chief executive officer of CompTIA. “Adam Sedgwick was able to provide a preview of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework standards being released today, while Senator Mark Pryor and Congressman Lee Terry discussed the cyber security and data breach issues currently being considered within their committees. It was also an honor to have Commissioner Rosenworcel discuss spectrum, which is both a priority of hers, as well as the many small business leaders participating in the fly-in.”
“Technology is the underpinning of virtually every sector of our economy,” said Steve Zylstra, president of the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) and president and chief executive officer of the Arizona Technology Council. “We see great value in bringing tech business leaders to Washington, DC, to meet with their elected officials and reinforce policies which stimulate innovation and growth for the American economy.”
TechVoice is a partnership of the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA), and participating regional technology associations. Collectively, TechVoice represents thousands of technology companies across the country employing millions of workers. TechVoice is dedicated to empowering and mobilizing the grassroots tech community to impact legislative and regulatory issues important to growth, innovation and job creation. For more information, visit www.techvoice.org and http://twitter.com/tech_voice.
CompTIA is the voice of the world’s information technology (IT) industry. Its members are the companies at the forefront of innovation; and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their investments in technology. CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through educational programs, market research, networking events, professional certifications and public policy advocacy. Visit http://www.comptia.org/home.aspx, http://www.facebook.com/CompTIA and http://twitter.com/comptia to learn more.
The Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) represents almost 50 IT and technology trade organizations that, in turn, represent more than 16,000 technology-related companies in North America. TECNA serves its members and the industry through its strong peer-to-peer network and its regional initiatives to raise the visibility and viability of the technology industry.