Tech industry group the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) has outlined the five things the tech industry wants to hear from President Trump in tonight's (Feb. 4) State of the Union address.
ITI president Jason Oxman said that to keep the state of the Union one that foster's innovation and insures U.S. leadership in tech, the President's address needs to address:
1. Trade truce
ITI praises the "phase one" deal with China, but said the President must make it clear he is working on a long-term deal rolling back remaining tariffs.
2. Federal privacy legislation
ITI wants a national privacy law out of Congress and says the President should urge that as well.
3. U.S. transportation and infrastructure
Integrating smart technology with traditional infrastructure is key, said Oxman. The President should reiterate his pledge to helping cities leverage smart technology.
4. STEM workforce
The Trump Administration has taken important steps, but more needs to be done to close the "skills gap." ITI said the President should remind the public that that is a collaborative effort, and also propose immigration policies that allow high tech smarts into the country to study and then tap that expertise for U.S. innovation.
5. Spectrum, 5G networks, and broadband expansion
ITI cited the President's Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence and said he should talk about building on that commitment to create and deploy new tech, particularly focused on making more spectrum available for 5G. "More can be done to free unused spectrum," said Oxman.
