For Immediate Release
September 20 , 2006
Final Push Needed by Congress to Make 2006 "The Year of Innovation"
Arlington, Va., September 20 – In a joint letter sent to U.S. Senate Majority Leader William Frist (R-Tenn.) yesterday, the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), its communications industry sector partner, called on the Senate to pass key appropriations bills and related authorizing legislation this year that can help realize the goals of President Bush's American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) and strengthen the U.S.'s long-term innovation economy.
"Among the most important pieces of the competitiveness agenda this year is the final passage of the Commerce, Justice and State and Energy Appropriations Acts," EIA President Dave McCurdy and TIA President Matt Flanigan stated in the joint letter. That legislation "will mark the first step in increased investment in the physical sciences in key federal research offices, including the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards & Technology and the Department of Energy's Office of Science. Approving FY2007 research funding requests is a critical step toward meeting the goal of doubling investment in these three offices over the next 10 years," McCurdy and Flanigan added.
EIA and TIA also called on the Senate to pass legislation that would provide for a seamless extension and enhancement of the R&D tax credit, reform the system for highly skilled worker visas and enact key elements of the bipartisan National Competitiveness Investment Act.
Together with the targeted competitiveness funding included in the Commerce, Justice and State and Energy Appropriations Acts, these provisions, "are an excellent base upon which to build a strengthened U.S. innovation economy that will continue to create high-skilled, high-paid jobs and foster continued entrepreneurship and groundbreaking scientific discovery," McCurdy and Flanigan pointed out. "...The call for a national innovation vision and strategy is no less urgent today than it was when we began our work four years ago."
To view the letter, click here.
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About EIA
The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) is the leading advocate in Washington, D.C., for the U.S. high-tech industry. The Alliance, which traces its origins to the Radio Manufacturers Association (chartered in 1924), is a partnership of electronic and high-tech associations and companies whose mission is to promote the market development and competitiveness of the $400 billion U.S. high-tech and electronics industries through domestic and international policy efforts. EIA's corporate members - nearly 1,300 - provide products and services ranging from microscopic electronic components to state-of- the-art defense, space and industry high-tech systems, as well as the full range of telecommunications and consumer electronics products. Headquartered in Arlington, Va., the Alliance is made up of the Electronic Components, Assemblies & Materials Association (ECA); the Government Electronics & Information Technology Association (GEIA); the Solid State and Semiconductor Technology Association (JEDEC); the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA); and leading consumer electronics companies who participate in EIA's Environmental Issues Council. EIA is also heavily involved in cyber security issues through the Internet Security Alliance (ISAlliance) , and education issues, through the National Science & Technology Education Partnership (NSTEP).
About TIA
The Telecommunications Industry Association is the leading trade association for the information and communications technology (ICT) industry. As owner and producer of GLOBALCOMM™, TIA serves ICT suppliers to global markets through its leadership in standards development, domestic and international policy advocacy, and facilitating member business opportunities. TIA represents the communications sector of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA). Visit us at http://www.tiaonline.org. GLOBALCOMM™ is a trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). The Next-Generation Communications Marketplace and Summit will take place June 18-21, 2007, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Visit www.globalcomm2007.com.
P.A. Release: 06-jointTIA_EIA_Competitiveness/09.20.06
