How Will Presidential Appointments Affect Tech?
Aug 21, 2008
If you follow us on Twitter, you might have seen this link to an interview with Mozilla Foundation chairman Mitch Kapor. MIT's Technology Review asked Kapor (who developed Lotus 1-2-3 and co-founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation, among other things) why he thinks the United States needs a national chief technology officer.
Kapor, one of the individuals who advised Sen. Barack Obama on his technology platform, explained his belief in a federal CTO as follows:
The underlying premise is that tech is inextricably intertwined with virtually everything. You can't talk about homeland security or education or energy without it being in large part a conversation about technology. The president will be well served if policy making is done in a more technologically sophisticated way.
Kapor's interview is also the subject of a post today at The 463: Inside Tech Policy blog. According to 463's Sean Garrett, "the most telling tech policy appointment by the next president will be Secretary of Commerce (yes, more so than FCC chair)." He adds, "A national CTO would be a nice to have. A savvy Commerce Secretary is a need to have."
All eyes may currently be on the Presidency, and the soon-to-be-announced VP candidates. But it's a reminder that there are other key positions to be filled once the next administration takes office, including several of critical importance to tech policy.
Tags:
2008 elections, 463, Commerce Secretary, Mitch Kapor, national CTO, tech policy
