The heads of 17 tech and telecom trade groups have written President-elect Donald Trump urging him to make tech infrastructure upgrades a key element in his promised infrastructure spending blitz.
The President-elect has promised to spend $1 trillion on infrastructure upgrades, but Silicon Valley wants to make sure that fiber, as well as concrete and steel, is on the agenda.
"As you advance investment in traditional infrastructure," they said, "we urge also investing in technology infrastructure. Such investments that enable new advances can be an avenue to prosperity and international competitiveness just as much as rebuilding roads and bridges will contribute enormously to our economy."
They also pushed for tax reforms and "modernizing" rules and regs on international data transfers.
The trade group heads also included recommendations for the Trump transition team on the key administration positions for driving tech growth and investment, saying "a critical early step in achieving your goals of moving the country forward in a productive way will be identifying the right people for critical positions."
Signing on to the letter were the heads of 1776, ACT | The App Association, Allied For Startups, BSA | The Software Alliance, Computer & Communications Industry Association, Computing Technology Industry Association, Consumer Technology Association, Engine, Entertainment Software Association, Internet Association, Information Technology Industry Council, Semiconductor Industry Association, Software & Information Industry Association, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, TechNet, Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), and the Technology CEO Council.
