03Jan First U.S. Technology Officer Will Have Hands Full
USA Today (12/30/08) P. 4A; Lawrence, Jill
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has promised to appoint a U.S. chief technology officer (CTO), but there appears to be a disparity between the Obama transition team’s view of what the officer’s responsibilities are and what tech enthusiasts would like them to be. As defined on the transition team’s Web site, the U.S. CTO will ensure that federal computer networks are secure and that agencies “use best-in-class technologies and share best practices.” Others want the CTO to be an Internet evangelist who participates in every practical and policy aspect of government, accorded the same authority and influence as the White House national security adviser. Among the priorities suggested for the officer by scores of people on the maCTO.org site is making the Internet widely accessible and guaranteeing net neutrality, ensuring privacy, rethinking copyright law, and repealing the Patriot Act. Yochai Benkler of Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society says two distinct jobs are being knotted together by the discussion of the CTO’s responsibilities: Bringing the federal technology infrastructure up to speed and developing plans across all sectors to cultivate and sustain American technological preeminence in the 21st century. “A lot of people are projecting the second onto the first because there is so much thirst for something like the second,” he says. The Obama administration has said that it is dedicated to using technology to share federal data and activities with citizens. Among Obama’s campaign promises was the online placement of video and transcripts of agency meetings and the posting of non-emergency legislation on the White House site for five days of public comment prior to signing. Of more immediate concern to the tech community are issues such as the provision of broadband to U.S. citizens and U.S. households without Internet access.
