i3 - January/February 2016 - 76

BY MICHAEL PETRICONE

TECH POLICY

Consumer
Technology
Association's
Innovation
Scorecard

LOOKING AT 2016

residential
election years
are traditionally
seen as times
when Congress
gets minimal
serious work
done. At
Consumer
Technology
Association
(CTA), we refuse
to accept this
paradigm-
after all, who
feels justified in
taking one out
of every four years off?
Instead, we will be calling on Congress to
address serious issues that impact American jobs
and innovation.
First, Congress must finish the job of cracking
down on legal extortion by patent abusers. The
problem is getting worse and so-called "patent
trolls" operate with impunity, deluging entrepreneurs with bogus and costly legal claims.
Both the House and the Senate committees
have passed common sense patent reform bills.
Now, Congress must bring these bills to the floor
and send them to the White House. It's time to
return the patent system to its original function: an inventive for innovation, rather than a
platform for cheap extortion schemes.
Next, Congress must fix immigration laws to
make America once again the magnet for the
world's best, brightest and most entrepreneurial.
Every day we tell the globe's best scientists and
engineers to "keep out," the United States loses
and our economic competitors gain.
Similarly, we will push government to free up
additional wireless spectrum: the "oxygen for
innovation." We will focus on ensuring that the
76

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

Policy

planned auction of excess broadcast spectrum
goes forward as planned, while incentivizing
government agencies to relinquish underused
airwaves.
We will defend nascent technologies like
drones, driverless cars and the Internet of
Things. All of these innovations offer massive
potential benefits to our economy and society
and they all can be prematurely smothered by
clumsy and unnecessary regulation.
We will continue to fight for the rights of new
"sharing economy" companies to bring their products and services to consumers. Consumer Technology Association members like Airbnb, Uber,
Lyft, Travelocity, TripAdvisor and Yelp create
jobs, provide information and improve our communities and should not be stopped by powerful
incumbent industries and their regulatory allies.
Finally an election year provides an excellent
opportunity to educate policy makers about
innovation, and ensure our industry is a key part
of campaign discussions. Using a number of
tools-from the national party conventions to the
Consumer Technology Association Innovation
House-we will be explaining how our industry
drives jobs and growth, and how prioritizing
innovation is the key to our economic future.
We thank you for your continued help and
support, and look forward to a successful 2016!

The ability to hire
qualified workers
in the science and
engineering fields,
and freedom from
burdensome taxes
are key factors for
entrepreneurs and
business owners
deciding where
to design, make
and sell their products and services.
However, not all
U.S. states offer
the same welcoming environment to
foster innovation
and support entrepreneurial activity.
A state's pro-innovation environment
is especially important today, as new
businesses and jobs
emerge that disrupt
existing models
and entrenched
industries. To recognize and account
for favorable and
unfavorable policy
actions and business environments
at the state level, the
Consumer Technology Association's
Innovation Scorecard provides guideposts for states to
improve their ability
to innovate. To see
how your state
ranks, visit CTA.
tech/scorecard.

I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

dschreiber29/Thinkstock

Policy

http://www.CTA.tech/scorecard http://www.CTA.tech/scorecard

i3 - January/February 2016

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