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The Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) is one of House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa’s major pieces of legislation this year. The bill is designed to bring greater efficiency and technology into the federal acquisition system, and he should be commended for taking on the daunting task of acquisition reform. Originally introduced earlier [...]
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Data centers are the workhorses of the latest wave of ICT innovation: cloud computing, the rapid expansion of mobile technology, and the shift from physical media to digital streaming. None would be possible without data centers. However, there is a consequence, namely the growing energy and water use of data centers and the stress that places on the larger system. Industry has responded swiftly by [...]
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This week has seen positive developments on patent reform in both the House and Senate, suggesting the potential for even more progress in 2014. On Wednesday, House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) secured a strong bipartisan House Judiciary Committee vote of 33-5 to pass the Innovation Act. This important legislative effort to curb abusive litigation by patent trolls picks up momentum as [...]
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Dateline GENEVA: After much erratic and obstructionist behavior by China over the course of the last ten days, it has just blown up the negotiations to expand product coverage of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA). In a high-level meeting between the United States and China this afternoon, Beijing’s negotiators said they have zero mandate to move off their tepid list of import-sensitive products. [...]
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Dateline GENEVA: At an ambassadors’ meeting this afternoon here in Geneva, negotiations to expand product coverage of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) were extended an additional two days until close of business on Friday. The reason for the extension is China, which has refused to seriously engage in the multilateral negotiations while virtually everyone else at the table has bent over [...]
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Earlier this week, Congressman John Kline, the Chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, convened a hearing to discuss the increasing need for a reauthorized and revamped Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. First passed by Congress in 1984, the Perkins Act authorizes federal funds to supplement state and local investments in what was then known as vocational education, [...]
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Senator Max Baucus, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, is well-known and regarded for his depth of knowledge, pragmatism, and bipartisanship. That’s why ITI has been patiently awaiting the release of his plan for comprehensive tax reform. While Christmas did not arrive early in the form of an actual bill, Chairman Baucus did release a staff discussion draft today with proposed reforms for [...]
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Ericsson recently released its latest Mobility Report, providing a great, updated look at mobile communications trends and growth. Earlier this summer, ITI chatted with Ericsson’s Brian Jones about the June Mobility Report, and what it signaled to policy-makers about the need to continue finding opportunities to make spectrum available for mobile broadband. This latest report reinforces these points [...]
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Dateline GENEVA: Despite being on the receiving end of withering criticism here in Geneva, China is continuing its refusal to play ball in the multilateral effort to expand product coverage of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA). As a result, the entire negotiations are at serious risk of collapse. Shortly after ambassadors directed very pointed questions to China for refusing to provide [...]
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Dateline GENEVA: After a long and grueling week of negotiations to expand product coverage of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), there is one big question hanging in the air: Will China really blow up this once-in-a-generation effort to significantly eliminate tariffs on tech products that will bring huge benefits to China and the global economy? In fact, you can taste the irritation laced [...]
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