| Offices : Beckley • Charleston • Fairmont • Martinsburg • Washington, DC | E-mail Senator Rockefeller |
April 5, 2001
ROCKEFELLER HOLDS ONLINE PRESS CONFERENCE TO ANNOUNCE THE DEMOCRATIC HIGH TECH AGENDA
Washington, DC – Today, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) held an online press conference to announce major pieces of legislation that are included in the Democratic High Tech Agenda. Recognizing the role that technology will play in West Virginia’s future, Senator Rockefeller sponsored several pieces of the legislation that are included in the plan. "At a time where we see Republicans willing to sacrifice everything on the altar of irresponsible tax cuts, we Democrats want to lay out a strategy designed to strengthen the economy. That means responsible tax cuts partnered with policies that spur innovation and productivity, and create new jobs," Rockefeller said during the online press conference. Rockefeller, along with most of his Democratic colleagues, supports tax cuts and regulatory relief where appropriate, but also believes that America needs a comprehensive plan to take advantage of information technologies and the economic opportunities they provide. Rockefeller added, "We must return federal investment in science and technology R&D to the funding levels of the 1960's. Those levels led to today’s technology revolution. The Bush budget slashes science and tech R&D, and it will undermine American technology leadership in the future. "We must pass the Broadband Internet Access Act, which uses tax credits as an incentive for bringing broadband telecommunications services to rural areas and inner cities, and to develop the "next generation" of broadband services. Expanding the reach of broadband will give more Americans access to powerful Internet services and will strengthen the infrastructure on which our technology companies rely for future growth. "We must protect the E-Rate. The E-Rate brings telecom and Internet services to thousands of schools and libraries across the country. It works, and it is critically important to bridging the digital divide. Attempts to undermine its funding, or to cripple the program threaten to make kids computer screens across America go dark. Technology is critical to many states, but especially West Virginia because without access, West Virginia’s economy will be left behind.
The Democratic High Tech Agenda includes four key areas:
I. Accelerating digital opportunity
• Make broadband Internet available to every American by the end of the decade
• Help all regions take full advantage of information technology to prosper
• Keep costs of information technology low and within everyone’s reach
II. Boosting research and development• Increase federal support for basic research and developmentIII. Enhancing education, training and skills
• Support science and technology programs and strong intellectual property protection
• Improve math and science education for our children and ensure their computer literacy by sixth grade
IV. Transforming to an Information Age
• Foster e-business with secure networks and workable solutions to protect personal privacy
• Smooth the transition to the Information Age by updating policies on exports, trade, Internet taxation, immigration and small business
• Foster e-government to improve efficiency and speed public interactions with government
• Encourage companies to invest more in training and recruitment, and help workers develop the information technology skills they need
For more specifics on any of these programs, please call 202-224-6101.
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