The Short List for U.S. Chief Technology Officer

Barack Obama has pledged to name a cabinet-level CTO to oversee a job-creating national broadband buildout if he's elected. Big names abound

By Tom Lowry


Barack Obama says that the U.S. is not doing nearly enough to create jobs through technology. Shortly after he launched his campaign, the Illinois Senator promised that if elected, he would create the first-ever Cabinet-level post of chief technology officer. The economic crisis has since made it certain that a White House CTO would become one of Obama's most important advisers, should he triumph in November. "Obama sees greater broadband penetration as an enormous economic engine, much like the railroads were a century ago," says Andrew D. Lipman, a veteran communications lawyer in Washington. "That is why the CTO will play such a critical role in any recovery plan."

Among the candidates who would be considered for the job, say Washington insiders, are Vint Cerf, Google's (GOOG) "chief internet evangelist," who is often cited as one of the fathers of the Internet; Microsoft (MSFT) chief executive officer Steve Ballmer; Amazon (AMZN) CEO Jeffrey Bezos; and Ed Felten, a prominent professor of computer science and public affairs at Princeton University. An Obama campaign spokesman did not return phone calls seeking comment about potential CTO candidates.

Obama—who has effectively used the Internet and social networks throughout his campaign to raise funds, engage voters, and put forward policy positions—has long criticized the Bush administration for not doing more to increase broadband penetration in the U.S., particularly in rural areas. The country ranked 15th among industrial nations in penetration, with a mere 23 out of 100 Americans having access to broadband service, according to a report released earlier this year by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

A White House CTO would be expected to help create incentive programs to expand broadband's reach, particularly tax credits for smaller carriers. But the tech czar would almost certainly be deeply involved in overseeing a federally-backed $50 billion venture capital fund that Obama has proposed to develop more environmentally friendly technology.


CTO vs. FCC?

What is less clear is how a CTO would interact with the Federal Communications Commission. While the FCC chairman does not belong to the Cabinet, the person filling that role has traditionally been a leading voice on issues of media, telecommunications, and technology. It is widely expected that President Bush's appointed FCC chair, Kevin Martin, would step down if Obama were elected. Sources say Obama might then consider appointing his former Harvard Law School classmate and current campaign adviser, Julius Genachowski, to the chairman's post. A former adviser to FCC chairs Reed Hundt and Bill Kennard, Genachowski won plaudits for his work as top executive at Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI). More recently, Genachowski has been running his own venture capital firm, Rock Creek Ventures.

One who does not foresee conflict between a CTO and the FCC, whose charge is mostly regulatory, is Lawrence Lessig, a noted scholar on law in the digital age and the founder of Stanford University's Center for the Internet and Society. Lessig says he sees the positions as "orthogonal"—or perpendicular—to one another. "That said, I do think the CTO could be a critically important position, from deciding how to make government more efficient and transparent through technology, to helping advance public policy questions like those surrounding global warning." Lessig, who would certainly be considered a candidate for the job of CTO, says he has not been approached by anyone on Obama's staff and adds that he would not be interested.

Princeton's Felten says he has not been approached by Obama's team either, but believes a government CTO is necessary for these times. He sees the job as holding far-reaching responsibilities. "First, the CTO could act as the cybersecurity czar, ensuring that reliability of the government infrastructure is protected. And much like the role of presidential science adviser, the CTO could offer advice to the president on all areas of technology. The role could be a catalyst to push us closer to being a more entrepreneurial, high-tech country." When asked if he would be interested in the job, Felten replied: "Almost anyone would be interested in doing that job." Bezos and Ballmer were less forthcoming; each declined to comment. Through a spokesman, Cerf said: "I have not had any contact with the Obama campaign on this topic."


Lowry is a senior writer for BusinessWeek in New York.

Recommendations for a Cleaner, Greener Energy Future

Key policy recommendations for a Cleaner, Greener Energy Future include:

* Providing multiyear tax incentives for renewable-energy production and energy-efficiency projects.

* Setting national mandates that would require utilities to get at least 20 percent of their electricity from wind, solar and geothermal energy by 2020.

* Adding and updating the building code to require energy-efficiency measures in the construction of new buildings and the renovation of existing buildings, and setting a goal to reduce buildings' energy use 50 percent by 2030.

* Setting prices for carbon-dioxide emissions and creating a program that caps emissions from different industries and allowing companies to trade emissions allowances.

* Upgrading and expanding the nation's electric grid to enable it to support electric cars and the transport and storage of renewable energy.

* Providing incentives for utilities to invest in energy-efficiency technologies.

* Increasing the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks and investing more money in private-public partnerships that would develop transportation systems that rely on little or no oil, such as electric cars.

* Providing incentives to consumers and small businesses to buy plug-in hybrid cars and alternative fuels, including natural-gas-powered cars.

* Investing more federal dollars in cleantech research and development, including ways to capture and store carbon-dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants.

* Speeding up the process of setting aside public lands and improving the permitting process for renewable-electricity projects on public lands.

* Shifting from ethanol made from corn to ethanol made from wood chips, agricultural waste and other nonfood feedstock, and encouraging a joint U.S.-Brazil partnership to turn sugar cane into ethanol in the Caribbean.

Call for the Adoption of a National Broadband Policy

Letter to Congress from Open Internet Coalition

United States Congress
Washington, DC

RE: Call for the Adoption of a National Broadband Policy

May 24, 2007

Dear Member of Congress,

We are writing to urge you to support immediate adoption of a national broadband policy that will lead to universal, affordable access for all Americans to high-speed Internet connections.

Congress, the White House, and leaders in the private and non-profit sector have long supported this goal. Yet in the last few years, the US has slipped well behind the world leaders in the performance and penetration of our broadband networks. America has seen nearly a decade of decline in its world standing in broadband services largely because of an uncompetitive marketplace -- with monopolies and barriers to entry written into the law. In part, this is because we lack a comprehensive policy to address the digital divide, ensure the free flow of content, and promote the development of ubiquitous, high-speed Internet access at affordable prices.

Now is the time to give this goal the urgency it deserves. A national broadband policy will provide the unifying principle to enact a variety of needed reforms and changes to our telecommunications laws. As broadband networks become more and more integral to our economic and social life, we are reaching a tipping point where legislation is no longer simply welcome -- it is imperative.

Taking concrete steps in this decade to increase access to the Internet is vital to economic growth, educational development, and social opportunity -- much like rural electrification in the 1930’s and our Interstate Highway system in the 1950’s. The 21st century information superhighway marries the power of free speech and free markets -- producing the greatest engine of democratic deliberation and open commerce since the printing press. With the concerted will of this Congress, backed by the support of the American people, we believe that a national broadband policy will deliver on the full promise of what information technologies have to offer.

To demonstrate our commitment, our coalition has come together in support of principles which we hope will guide your deliberations as we move toward a national broadband policy.

Universal Affordable Access

Broadband Internet access should be universally available and affordable. Rural or urban, rich or poor, every American must be able to access the information superhighway at fair prices and speeds that rival the rest of the world. Like world-class schools and the best research science, the information superhighway must be considered an indispensable part of our society that has the potential to provide economic and social opportunities to all. Programs focused on deploying high-speed Internet access in underserved areas are a key starting point for this goal.

An Open Internet

Access to broadband networks should be open to all producers and consumers of Internet content on fair and equal terms. The Internet should offer a free market to all competitors and maximum choice to all consumers. Consumers should have unfettered access on open Internet networks to all lawful Web sites, devices, applications and services. This principle, known as network neutrality, ensures that no self-interested gatekeeper can hold captive the online economic marketplace or marketplace of ideas.

Quality through Competition

A competitive marketplace creates jobs, helps the American consumer, fosters innovation, and drives economic growth. We must aspire to achieve the world's most advanced communications networks, building on the tradition of American policy and innovation that created the open Internet. We must maximize competition on next generation networks by guaranteeing access and by ensuring that all networks interconnect and interoperate. Regulation should be targeted, technology neutral and consistent across all competitive networks.

We thank you for reviewing these principles, and we look forward to working with the 110th Congress to achieve these vital goals.

Sincerely,

The Open Internet Coalition