Elizabeth Hyman Posts

As we have been reporting, the Republicans and Democrats both held their conventions and formalized the nominations of President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney.  While we would have liked to have seen additional focus on the tech sector and policies to ensure it remains globally competitive, CompTIA had a significant presence at each convention.At the Republican and Democratic conventions, CompTIA joined a number of tech associations in sponsoring events highlighting the contributions of ...

It’s been a whirlwind of political activity for CompTIA’s staff these past two weeks. This week, we joined the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte to spotlight the contributions of innovation to our economy.  We’ve been working on-the-go to ensure that the views – and contributions – of the tens of thousands of small and medium sized tech companies and entrepreneurs are recognized.This week in Charlotte, the Democratic Party focused on several policy provisions significant to CompTIA and ...

A look at the week of September 4 in public advocacy for the IT channel: Veterans are finding it harder to find work and harsh economic times are forcing employers to downsize and thus exclude more former soldiers from being hired, says CBS News. The Democratic Party – outlining its platform heading into the Democratic National Convention – affirmed that President Obama will be taking executive action to ensure American businesses and consumers are safe from cyber attacks, says the Washington Po ...

This election cycle CompTIA has joined several of its tech association peers and several IT company sponsors in hosting receptions in Tampa and Charlotte honoring the contributions of innovation to our economy. Our objective is to continue to highlight to policy-makers the diversity of the industry and the fact that it is driven not just by large OEMs and service providers but also by tens of thousands of small- and medium-sized tech companies and entrepreneurs. This week in Tampa, the Republi ...

A look at the week of August 28 in public advocacy for the IT channel: Michelle Obama announced in Florida last week that 2,000 businesses have trained or hired more than 125,000 military veterans and spouses, exceeding the White House goal of 100,000 for 2012, says the Associated Press. Federal regulators warned yesterday through a statement that our existing federal laws may not protect “against fast-moving cybersecurity threats,” says CNET. Former senior director for cybersecurity ...

A look at the week of August 21 in public advocacy for the IT channel: Large retail chains like Walmart and Amazon are fighting to make sure that small businesses are taxed as much as they are under future online tax legislation, says the Philadelphia Inquirer. Small business owners were less optimistic about their future sales and growth in July, says The Hill. Republican senators are still debating the merits and details of online sales tax legislation, says the Daily Caller.Internet Tax Wars: ...

A look at the week of August 14 in public advocacy for the IT channel: President Obama is currently weighing an executive order that would help prevent cyber attacks on critical infrastructure one week after the Senate failed to pass legislation, says the National Journal. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak believes that cloud computing is dangerous and will lead to major problems in the next few years, says the Huffington Post. GOP lawmakers in the Senate are firing back against Senate Democrats th ...

A look at the week of August 6 in public advocacy for the IT channel: Even though cybersecurity legislation was blocked by Senate Republicans last Friday, the White House still might issue an executive order to push legislation through if Congress doesn’t step up, says The Hill. Two bills currently in Congress that would allow states to collect sales tax on items sold online could add more than $800 million in tax revenue for the District, Maryland and Virginia, says the Washington Post. Technol ...

Monday evening in Santa Ana, California marked the official kick-off of the California Chapter of CompTIA’s TechVoice Network. Nearly 100 people attended a reception and fireside chat at the headquarters of Powerwave Technologies with David Kappos, Undersecretary of Commerce and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.   Kappos shared his insights on the U.S. intellectual property system and efforts the Obama Administration is taking to restore credibility and responsiveness to that sys ...

Recently, CompTIA and the Congressional Caucus on Small Business IT held a briefing on the issue of lagging interest in IT-related careers by our nation’s youth. A group of concerned representatives from CompTIA, Congress and a panel of IT, education and small business experts set out to frame the issue and offer possible solutions. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), the co- chair of the Congressional Caucus on Small Business IT, gave opening remarks, discussing the IT industry’ ...