BSA Issues Technology Policy Agenda for 2009

Software Group Says Smart IT Policies Can Help Revive the Economy and Promote Long-Term Solutions and Progress

Washington, DC – December 11, 2008

The world’s leading software companies and their hardware partners today issued their 2009 Technology Policy Agenda, calling on the new Congress and Obama Administration to take action on a range of issues from economic stimulus to innovation, a skilled workforce, cyber security, trade, and intellectual property.

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) represents leading computer software and hardware companies with collective annual revenues in excess of $200 billion and employment of nearly 1 million.

In a Washington press conference, BSA President and CEO Robert Holleyman said, “Software and computers are indispensable tools of daily life, making our lives easier and more enriching in a variety of ways. As a group, BSA member companies employ and partner with some of the most visionary business leaders of our time, and they invest billions of dollars a year in the next generation of technology solutions. The software industry clearly has a role in contributing to America’s future, and the policy debate needs to reflect that.”

“Innovation has been responsible for about 80% of the growth in the US economy since World War II,” Holleyman added. “Promoting innovation and technology is one of the best ways to strengthen the US and global economy.”

The Technology Policy Agenda lists a number of specific recommendations in five broad categories, which are based on the policy principles that BSA advanced earlier this year with the Obama and McCain campaigns. The five policy principles and a few illustrative examples of BSA’s policy priorities include the following:

Innovation and Solutions Across the Economy

  • Economic stimulus: Ensure that economic stimulus measures promote innovation and investment in advanced technologies throughout the economy.
  • Taxes: Ensure US tax policies promote investment in new technologies
  • Health: Improve health care quality, reduce costs, and ensure privacy and security by promoting the increased adoption of health IT
  • Connectivity: Promote broadband deployment and wider access for all Americans
  • E-Government: Establish e-government programs to give citizens a greater voice and to improve government efficiency and service delivery
  • Environment and energy: Use IT to improve energy and resource efficiency and integrate sustainable design practices throughout the economy

Intellectual Property, Creativity, and Innovation

  • Patent reform: Reform outdated patent law by improving the quality of patents and restoring balance within the patent system
  • Enforcement: Step up anti-piracy efforts at home and abroad 
  • Tech mandates: Oppose prescriptive technology mandates that dictate one business model, system, or architecture over another

Cyber Security, Online Confidence and Trust

  • Data breach: Establish a national standard requiring that consumers be notified when the security of their personal data has been compromised.
  • Critical infrastructure: Reform and strengthen the public-private partnership that protects the nation’s critical cyber infrastructure
  • Cyber crime: Fight against the growth of cyber crime by increasing law enforcement’s domestic resources and capabilities, while forging stronger international partnerships

Global Trade and Commerce

  • Trade:  Open foreign and online markets to American goods and services
  • Government procurement:  Support transparent and open government acquisition policies that do not discriminate against American goods and services.  

A Competitive Workforce

  • Education: Fully fund efforts aimed at improving science, technology, engineering and math education in elementary and secondary education
  • Immigration: Secure meaningful reforms to the H1-B Visa and Employment Based Green Card systems

Click here for the complete 2009 Technology Policy Agenda.

“As documented by the Economist Intelligence Unit in research sponsored by BSA, the United States provides the best environment in the world for innovation and IT. But the same study shows that other nations are nipping on our heels and gaining ground. So we cannot afford to be complacent about the future of the US IT industry,” Holleyman said.

“All of us in the IT industry are committed to helping lawmakers understand that a healthy IT industry is essential to reviving our economy, solving problems, and making real change possible in the United States and around the world.”  


Additional Information

BSA President and CEO Robert Holleyman recently joined Congress Daily’s Andrew Noyes on BlogTalkRadio.com/BSA to discuss the implications of the recent election and the tech policy agenda for 2009-2010. You can click here to listen to the 15-minute discussion.  

On Monday, BSA issued a statement responding to the important recommendations of the nonpartisan Commission on Cyber Security for the 44th Presidency.

On Wednesday, BSA issued a letter to Pres.-elect Obama outlining recommendations for the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer, who is expected to be appointed in the coming weeks.


About the Business Software Alliance

The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the voice of the world's software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the international marketplace. BSA members include Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Avid, Bentley Systems, Borland, CA, Cadence Design Systems, Cisco Systems, CNC Software/Mastercam, Corel, CyberLink, Dell, EMC, HP, IBM, Intel, McAfee, Microsoft, Monotype Imaging, PTC, Quark, Quest Software, SAP, Siemens, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks, Sybase, Symantec, Synopsys, and The MathWorks.


Media Contact

Robert Jameson
media@bsa.org
202-715-1535