“The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA),” also known as “No Child Left Behind,” expired at the end of fiscal year 2008 and while it has been due for reauthorization, it has been operating at FY 2008 levels. In recent weeks, we have seen a lot of activity around this legislation as both the House and Senate have begun work on reauthorizing the bill. In the Senate,[...]

This guest editorial is by Amy Kardel, chief administrator officer of Clever Ducks, an IT service firm in San Luis Obispo, CA. At Clever Ducks, we know our customers need to invest in new technology. However, during the economic downturn over the last few years, many of our clients haven’t been able to update their technology infrastructure, because they’ve had to make[...]

Since the IT industry plays such an important role across so many sectors of the U.S. economy, it has direct influence over our nation’s ability to innovate, grow and create sustainable jobs. Not surprisingly, then, federal policy-makers want to know what they can do to help expand our industry. While these efforts are often well-intentioned and sometimes quite helpful,[...]

This guest editorial is by Ron Culler, chief technology officer of Secure Designs, a managed security services provider based in Greensboro, NC.  Like 90 percent of our customers, we are a small business – we have only 22 employees. Most of our clients are small businesses with just a handful of computers. Last year, our company revenue was $3.4 million, and over[...]

Our company, ASI System Integration, recently landed a huge contract for technology migration; a year-long project requiring more than 100 technicians working at multiple locations across the country. If the project was centered in the New York metro areas, our home base, it would be a piece of cake for us. But it’s not. It’s in multiple locations across the United States,[...]

The House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Subcommittee on the Internet held back-to-back hearings on May 21 focused on “Cyber Threats and Security Solutions” and “An Examination of the Communications Supply Chain” in what was a marathon day of testimony. The first hearing consisted of two panels. The first panelist was Patrick Gallagher, undersecretary of commerce[...]

This week, CompTIA was invited to attend an event with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) at the American Legion Hall in Alexandria, VA. Kaine has introduced his first piece of legislation since joining the Senate last fall, called the “Troop Talent Act of 2013,” and Duckworth introduced the companion bill in the House. They were there to[...]

This week, CompTIA’s EVP for Skills Certification Terry Erdle and I attended the National Journal policy briefing, “The Underemployed Generation: Matching Skills to Jobs.” The discussion was informative and included a lot of great experts on the subject. The first part of the morning was a discussion between National Journal reporter Fawn Johnson and Jane Oates, assistant[...]

The Senate is continuing its work on reviewing S. 744, “the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013.” The Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), has held several sessions, known as mark-ups, in which they have made substantive changes to the legislation. In between the formal[...]

Today, TechVoice hosted a WebEx webinar with two of Washington, D.C.’s experts on immigration reform. Alix Burns, founder of Bay Bridge Strategies, and Dan Turrentine, co-chair of Compete America, discussed comprehensive immigration reform legislation titled, “The Border, Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013.” Burns and Turrentine provided[...]