CompTIA, the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA), and our State Technology Council Alliance Partners, this week sent letters to Congress and the Administration to voice strong, unified support for NAFTA and provide recommendations for the NAFTA modernization.
Top among the priorities include the opportunity to strengthen the agreement to reflect the 21st century digital economy such as securing provisions that protect the movement of data across borders without forced localization. The group urges the U.S. to require Mexico to join the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), and preserve the parts of the agreement that have worked well for the tech industry, including the rules of origin chapter. We also strongly support preserving the government procurement chapter in NAFTA, of which the U.S. ICT sector is a huge beneficiary.
The letter was signed by 38 technology councils across 32 states including: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
Stefanie Holland is CompTIA’s director of international government and regulatory affairs
