AeANET : AeA Monthly News, November 2007

AeA Launches Tech Tutorial Series for Capitol Hill

It is my great pleasure as the 2008 Chairperson of the AeA Board of Directors to announce a new educational program based on a series of informal surveys and interviews with Members of the U.S. Congress and their staffs. They told us that they need to know more about technology and how it works. They have said that failure to understand the technology could result in unintended and harmful consequences to the high-tech industry and to the economy at large.

Based on these surveys and interviews, AeA is launching a series of educational programs for Members of Congress and their staffs called �AeA Tech 101.� These tutorials will be conducted by senior executives from member companies who will explain the current generation of that technology, its evolution, and its future potential applications. In many instances, the faculty will be chief technology officers of our member companies, with an emphasis on clear and concise presentations tailored for non-technologists. The purpose of these tutorials is to educate and explain - it is not to lobby. We at AeA are convinced that the more that Members of Congress and their staffs understand technology, the better the resulting public policy will be, and furthermore, fewer unintended consequences will result from that policy.

The Tech 101 series will kick off in December and will focus on microchips and microprocessors. These are perhaps the most fundamental building blocks for many, if not most, technologies. They also have a pervasive presence in our lives, some of which we know about, some of which we don�t know about.

The need to host these tutorials was reinforced in a Technology Daily article on the initiative where, David Marin, a spokesman for House Oversight and Government Reform Committee ranking Republican Tom Davis of Virginia, was quoted as saying:

"that the number of members and staffers with a thorough understanding of tech issues is significantly less than the number who claim such knowledge, and that's not very many to begin with. 'Committee members would not hesitate to send staff to an AeA briefing on an issue important to them,' he said.

'Knowledge is king around here, and there's a heck of a lot more innovative thinking going [on] in the private sector than in government,' Marin said. The IT industry drives our economy and is our best hope at keeping the U.S. competitive in the global economy. If more members and staff don't get it, and get it soon, we'll continue to fall behind."

It is interesting that within minutes of the press release being issued, a reporter from another prominent news service e-mailed AeA and said, �I could use this kind of tutorial.� AeA is considering separate tutorial sessions for the press, if the demand warrants it.

A steering committee has been established for this new series with Intel, Texas Instruments, Agilent Technologies, Motorola, Xerox, and Citrix as founding members. Additional members will be named in the next few weeks, including representation from our smaller member companies. Future tutorials will include new green technologies, broadband deployment, and nanotechnology. The steering committee will select on tutorial topics based also on input received directly from Capitol Hill.

The in-person tutorial events will be held regularly in the Association�s flagship state-of-the-art David Packard Conference Center on Pennsylvania Avenue, just six blocks from the Capitol. They will take place Fridays over lunch.

For more information on the program or to become involved in the educational efforts, please contact John Palafoutas, Senior Vice President, Domestic Policy & Congressional Affairs, at 202.682.4451.

Sincerely,

Deirdre Hanford
Senior Vice President, Global Technical Services
Synopsys, Inc.

International Environment Committee Reviews Regulatory Developments in Europe, China, Korea, Argentina and Explores New Work on Chinese Energy Efficiency Initiatives

On October 9, over 30 member company representatives participated in an all day meeting of the AeA International Environment Committee in Santa Clara, CA. Participating members heard from several speakers who provided updates on a broad range of issues, including the European Energy Using Products (EuP) framework directive, REACH, RoHS and WEEE directives, updates on Korea RoHS, the Argentine Battery Law, China RoHS, Chinese Energy Efficiency initiatives, and updates on various regulations appearing on the domestic front.

In addition to several AeA staff members, participating speakers included Tad Ferris, Partner at Holland & Knight, LLP; Steve Andrews from the UK Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform; DaeYoung PARK, Secretary General at the Korean Environment Council in Europe; Felise Cooper from Allen & Overy, LLP; and Angeles Murgier from the Argentine law firm of Brons & Salas, LLP.

The committee ended the all day meeting with a productive discussion about committee priorities for the upcoming year. AeA will continue to lead coordination of the China RoHS Steering Committee as work is expected to increase on the catalogue and certification issues. AeA is also the leading association on efforts of the International Substance Restriction workgroup to develop global harmonization position papers and advocacy strategy. The group also decided to increase its activities related to the Chinese energy efficiency efforts. They will gauge members� interest in Chinese energy efficiency standards, labeling and the possibility of issuing a position paper that would build on the AeA Europe Energy Efficiency report with a focus on the Chinese market. The meeting agenda, speaker presentations and supporting documents are available on the AeA website. For more information contact Michaela Muranova Chen, Director for International Environment and Trade Policy, at 202.682.4445.

For more information on AeA�s international activities contact Rob Mulligan, Senior Vice President International, at 202.682.4452

Rob Mulligan (bio)
Senior Vice President, International

For more information on the International Issues affecting your company, visit:

House & Senate Pass Extension of Internet Tax Moratorium, Still Need to Reach Compromise

On October 25, the Senate passed a seven-year extension of the moratorium on Internet access taxes. The vote came a week after the House passed a four-year extension. AeA and five other leading technology associations sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on October 1 to advocate making the extension permanent.

The Internet tax moratorium, which bans state and local taxes on Internet service, was first passed in 1998 and is set to expire again on November 1. The two chambers still need to reach a compromise on the length of the ban and a few other differences before they can send the bill to the White House for the President to sign.

Rangel Introduces "Mother of all Tax Bills"
On October 25, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman, Charlie Rangel (D-NY) introduced the "mother of all tax bills." The $1.3 trillion tax bill is a "revenue-neutral" measure that would repeal the alternative minimum tax after 2007 and extend for one year all provisions set to expire at the end of 2007 (including the R&D tax credit). In addition, the bill includes a corporate title that would reduce the top rate from 35 percent to 30.5 percent and eliminate a number of corporate provisions as a way to pay for the rate cut. A summary of the bill can be downloaded online on the House Ways and Means website.

John Palafoutas (bio)
Senior Vice President for Domestic Policy & Congressional Affairs

Major AeA Win in California -- Bill Misrepresented as Privacy is Vetoed by Schwarzenegger

AeA's California Government Affairs Office in Sacramento is pleased to announce a significant political win with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's veto to AB 779 (Jones), a personal information bill which was misrepresented as a privacy bill. The bill, vigorously opposed by AeA and many other business groups, was a bold gambit by politically influential credit unions to impose their voluntarily incurred business costs on literally every other business and state taxpayers.

The credit union sponsors of the bill spent hundreds and hundreds of thousands in radio and newspaper ads to try and persuade the public that this was, in fact, really a privacy bill.

The bill actually did two things:

First, it imposed certain credit card data storage requirements on all businesses. Those standards applied no matter how small the business, no matter how few credit cards they took, even if they conflicted with national standards required by national credit card issuers.
Second, it dealt with reimbursing credit card issuers, like the sponsors, for the costs they incur when they get a notice under California's landmark breach notice law. Under that law, a business is required to send out a notice to credit card issuers when it reasonably suspects a breach might have occurred. It is the voluntarily chosen policy of the credit unions to cancel cards when getting this notice, even if no breach has in fact occurred. Banks, in contrast, monitor their accounts before incurring such large costs.

Revealing the true, non-privacy purpose of the bill, the measure gave credit card issuers a cause of action against anyone who sent them such a breach notice. Any business, no matter how small, even if they had unquestionably complied with the privacy portions of the bill, and even if there was no evidence of any actual breach of data, would have to pay all of the credit union's costs, even the cost of credit card replacement that were actually listed as a per se compensable cost in the bill itself.

AeA's September 19 letter to the Governor explained the true, purely financial motivation behind the bill. This was further revealed when an amendment was refused. One business group offered to drop its opposition to the bill if it was amended to provide that if a business actually complied with the privacy provisions of the bill, the credit union sponsors would not be able to sue them for costs anyway. The sponsors and author refused this amendment. Since no rational business would spend sums to comply with the so-called privacy provisions of the bill without also knowing that such expenditures would prevent them from being sued by multi-million dollar credit unions, it was obvious that cost recoupment for the sponsors and not promoting privacy was the true aim of the bill's sponsors. This conclusion was bolstered by the fact that, under such a scheme, the only way a business could protect itself would be to interpret the data breach law in a more stingy fashion; again, a result that should have concerned the sponsors if privacy was truly their motivating concern.

We want to thank all our coalition partners -- especially the California Retailers Association -- in helping to get this bill vetoed. For more information on this bill, AeA's work on obtaining the Governor's veto, or to become involved in the California State Government Affairs Committee, please contact Roxanne Gould, Senior Vice President, CA Government and Public Affairs, at 916.443.9059.

Roxanne Gould (bio)
Senior Vice President, California Legislative and Public Affairs

Read AeA's 2007 California End of Session Report

Download the Report

There were over 3,000 bills that were introduced and considered during the first year of our current two year legislative session in California. AeA successfully represented the interests of the Technology Industry in a multitude of subject matters ranging from the creation of a State Chief Information Officer, Internet Privacy, Elective Sales Factor, Research and Development Tax Credit Enhancement to promoting Online Learning in Classrooms, Chemical Substance Bans in Electronic Products and even an attempted all out ban of a specified Technology (RFID).

Attend AeA�s Upcoming Government-Industry Executive Interchange

NOTE EVENT DATE CHANGE FROM DEC. 14 TO JAN. 17

On Thursday, January 17 Federal Chief Information Officers, Program Managers, and procurement officials will meet with the leaders of the high-tech industry to discuss Mobility/Wireless, Telework, and Identity Management solutions and best practices at AeA's offices in Washington, DC.

This half day forum is held for Government and Industry executives to discuss their similar experiences, share insights, exchange best practices, and discuss ways they can collaborate together. To register please go to: www.aeanet.org/InterchangeAeA or contact Goldy Kamali, Director of AeA's Government and Commercial Markets Group, at 202.682.4432.

Recent Government VIP speakers and attendees (by agency) include:

AIR FORCE
Mike Wynne, Secretary, Air Force
ARMY
Vernon Bettencourt, Acting CIO, Current Deputy CIO, ARMY
Jeffrey Sorenson, Deputy Acquisition and Systems Management, ARMY
Gary Wetterhall, Asst PEO for Enterprise Information Systems, ARMY
DARPA
John Zolper, Director, Microsystems Technology DARPA
Dean Collins, Deputy Director Microsystems Technology DARPA
Tony Tether, Director, DARPA
DCMA
Mike Williams, Chief Information Officer, Defense Contract Management Agency
Department of Education
Patrick Pizzella, Assistant Secretary, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Education
DHS
Scott Charbo, Chief Information Officer, Department of Homeland Security
Charlie Armstrong, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Department of Homeland Security
Elaine Duke, Chief Procurement Officer, Department of Homeland Security
Rod MacDonald, CIO Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security
Soraya Correa, Director, Office of Procurement, Department of Homeland Security
Ken Ritchhart, Deputy CIO Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security
Jonathan Scharfen, Deputy Director, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration, Dept. of Homeland Security
Sara Schroerlucke, Director IT Acquisition, Department of Homeland Security
William Thoreen, Contracting Officer, Department of Homeland Security
Andrew Anderson, Program Executive, Department of Homeland Security
DISA
John Garing, Chief Information Officer, Defense Information Systems Agency
Roberta Stempfley, Deputy CIO, Defense Information Systems Agency
Jana Jackson, Director, Corporate Outreach, Defense Information Systems Agency
DNI
General Dale Meyerrose, CIO, Director National Intelligence
DOD
Mark Krzysko, Deputy Director, Electronic Business, Department of Defense
DOJ
Vance Hitch, Chief Information Officer, Department of Justice
DOL
Karen Czarnecki, Director, Office the 21st Century Workforce, Department of Labor
Thom Stohler, Senior Legislative Officer, Department of Labor
DOS
Gary Galloway, Office of Diplomacy, Department of State
DOT
Darren Ash, Associate CIP, Department of Transportation
Dan Mintz, Chief Information Officer, Department of Transportation
Samuel Mok, Chief Financial Officer, Department of Transportation
Tim Schmidt, Chief Technology Officer, Department of Transportation
DSS
John Skudlarek, Chief Information Officer, Defense Security Services
FDA
Gary Washington, Director IT Government Staff, Chief Enterprise Architect, FDA
GSA
Jim Williams, Commissioner, Federal Acquisition, Service, General Services Administration
David Drabkin, Deputy Chief Acquisition Officer, General Services Administration
John Johnson, Assistant Commissioner General Services Administration
Steven Kempf, Assistant Commissioner IT Integration, General Services Administration
Georgia Marsh, Deputy Program Manager, e-Authentication Initiative, General Services Administration
Tom Kirelis, Sr. Procurement Manager, SmartBUY, General Services Administration
GPO
Reynolds Schweickhardt, Chief Information Office, Government Printing Office
Bruce O'dell, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Government Printing Office
HHS
Dr. Robert Kolodner, National Health IT Coordinator, Department of Health & Human Services
Dr. Karen M. Bell, Director, Office of Health IT Adoption, Department of Health & Human Services
NIH
Jack Jones, Chief Information Officer, National Institute of Health
Helen Schmitz, Acting Chief Architect, National Institutes of Health
OMB
Karen Evans, Administrator, Office of Management & Budget
Pamela Piper, Office of Management & Budget
Richard Burk, Chief Architect, Office of Management and Budget
Robert Burton, Deputy Administrator, Office of Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management & Budget
Dan Byers, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of Technology & Policy, Office of Management & Budget
SBA
Nicholas Owens, National Ombudsman, Small Business Administration
TSA
Deborah Kent, Secure Flight Program, Transportation Security Administration
Patricia Titus, Chief Officer Information Security, Transportation Security Administration
VA
General Bob Howard, CIO, Veterans Affairs
Adair Martinez, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Information Protection, Veterans Affairs
Stephen Warren, Deputy, Chief Information Officer IT, Veterans Affairs
Ray Sullivan, Executive Director of Field IT Operations, Department of Veterans Affairs
Charles Gephart, Director of Field IT Security Operations, Department of Veterans Affairs

If your company would like to expand its visibility with other AeA members, enroll today in the AeA Member to Member Discount Program. Visit www.aeanet.org/MtoM for complete details and an application and don't forget when you are shopping for technology products and services to check the directory for potential savings from fellow AeA members!

New AeA Member to Member Discounts:

Antares Advanced Test Technologies

U.S. Headquarters - Vancouver, WA
Antares Advanced Test Technologies is reducing the cost of semiconductor test, with concentration on high-sensitivity areas like yield and integration of test disciplines, by focusing on customer support, delivering innovative technologies and offering a single point of contact for your semiconductor ATE test cell requirements as well as burn-in and thermal management solutions. Antares is are offering a 10% on products and services using discount code: AEA

Christopher & Weisberg, P.A.

Associate Member - Law Firm - Fort Lauderdale, FL
Christopher & Weisberg, P.A. is a boutique intellectual property law firm. They offer AeA members 10% off fees for all legal services including all litigation and intellectual property matters such as patent, trademark and copyright procurement, patentability and trademark searches and validity and infringement opinions. They also offer free initial consultation to AeA members. Mention your AeA membership to take advantage of these discounts.

Sevista

U.S. Headquarters - Alpharetta, GA
Sevista Technologies is a leading developer of eMarketing solutions. The Sevista platform is a web-based ASP application that enables users to create and manage fully branded HTML eMarketing campaigns such as newsletters, surveys, promotions, fundraising drives, announcements and sales/marketing events, while providing the ability to track results in real-time. Sevista offers a 25% Discount off of their standard List Pricing for any new Enrollment of Sevista's Email Marketing Services. Call 678.405.6044 and request want the AeA Discount.

Zendex Corporation

U.S. Headquarters - Dublin, CA
Zendex designs and manufactures printed circuit boards and industrial enclosures for OEM's in the Aerospace, Medical, Industrial Controls, Gaming, and Transportation industries. Zendex offers a 5% discount on all of its standard products to fellow AeA member companies. They also offer a 5% discount on embedded board design and manufacturing services.

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Learn How to Reduce Your Healthcare Costs with AeA

70% of all healthcare costs generated in the United States are attributable to preventable risks and unhealthy choices, including smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise.¹

Through the AeAHealth! Program you and your employees can have access to UnitedHealthcare�s myuhc.com. This online resource provides: the most up-to-date medical and wellness information, tools to manage diet and exercise, as well as tools to help you find the provider that is right for you.

Preventative maintenance is critical to a healthy, productive employee! To find out more about the AeAHealth! Program, and how your organization can benefit, contact your local broker. You may also call Tiffany Barrett at 202.682.4459 and she can provide a referral to an AeA partner and preferred broker. (The AeAHealth! Program, through UnitedHealthcare, is only accessible through AeA Partners who are licensed preferred brokers.)

¹ Research findings compiled by the Wellness Counci