Last week, the president issued a long-awaited executive order that seeks to protect critical infrastructure – an action he promised soon after Congress didn’t reach agreement on cyber-security legislation last year. This week, the New York Times reported that a link has been established between cyber-attacks against U.S. companies and firms that provide a variety of services, including those that provide services to critical infrastructure owners and operators. This is an alarming development that has been years in the making. To make matters worse, the report cited numerous security experts that expect the Chinese military to become increasingly more sophisticated and adept at launching cyber-attacks.

CompTIA firmly believes that protecting our nation’s infrastructure against cyber-attacks is among the most important issues facing our national and economic security and well-being. These attacks and ongoing threats to our nation’s IT infrastructure only highlight the need to implement sound security measures. That is why CompTIA will continue to advocate for the priorities of the IT industry within the cyber-security debate.

It is clear that many laws are out of date or not relevant in the fast moving cat-and-mouse game of cyber-security. Therefore, it is important that we modernize our laws to better reflect today’s cyber-threats and the current IT infrastructure.

For example, CompTIA has strongly advocated for a national data breach notification standard in order to avoid the patchwork of state laws that are hamstringing the ability of small- and medium-sized businesses to expand. Currently, there are more than 45 varying state data breach notification laws, creating a complex patchwork of rules and regulations. This poses significant and duplicative legal, regulatory and compliance costs on the sector that can least afford to shoulder these expenses. The burdens and cost associated with compliance of multiple state laws – especially in this mobile economy – seems unfair and outdated. A national standard will help to protect consumers while allowing industry to grow.

Additionally, better coordination between the private and public sector must take place in a manner that incentivizes the various private sector stakeholders to share information and adopt more robust cyber-security measures and controls.

Congress must also address our cyber-workforce needs of today and tomorrow. Without a steady stream of cyber-warriors, we stand no chance at competing with our cyber-adversaries – let alone defeating them. More must be done to motivate the best and the brightest to enter the cyber-security workforce with the necessary skills to be successful. Congress can help by providing scholarships, training and certification to those who will enter the federal workforce and by working with the private sector on developing a strong pipeline of talent.

Finally, we have to develop a better pipeline for small- to medium-sized (SMB) IT companies that can develop new and innovative cyber-security products and services. Dedicating a larger pool of research and development funding aimed at the SMB IT sector can spawn many new and innovative companies that, in turn, develop products and services.

We urge Congress to tackle, on a bipartisan basis, the ongoing threat of cyber-security with the adoption of comprehensive cyber-security reform. There is still a great deal of work to be done and we stand ready to continue to work with Congress on these issues of national consequence.

Last week, I was in our nation’s capital, along with 60 or so other CompTIA staff, members and TECNA partners, taking part in CompTIA’s second annual TechVoice D.C. Fly-In. While I would not consider myself politically savvy, I am politically curious. I have tremendous appreciation and respect for this country’s history and government. I never imagined I would have the opportunity to walk the halls of the Senate and Congressional offices, let alone sit down with policy makers to represent the IT industry. It was an absolute privilege to participate in the government process and to meet personally with our country’s elected state officials. Collectively, our mission was to educate policymakers on the many issues that impact our IT businesses and to make sure the policy priorities of the IT industry are heard and represented on Capitol Hill.

The TechVoice D.C. Fly-In is a very well organized event. Kudos to Liz Hyman, vice president of CompTIA’s Public Advocacy group, along with her team; David Valdez, Lamar Whitman, Randi Parker and Matthew Evans. This year, we had attendees representing 20 states and the Public Advocacy group scheduled 60-plus individual appointments, matching up member constituents with state representatives. I was asked to be a group leader for the five New York constituents. I must admit, I was a bit nervous to lead our team, wishing I had a better handle on all things government. The Public Advocacy group did a great job preparing us for the meetings with clear and concise briefs and focused policy requests. We were sent off to meet with our representatives focusing on three requests.

First, we requested support on passing Startup Act 2.0 (now 3.0, thanks to constituent effort and representative support). Startup Act 3.0 is intended to boost our economic recovery by providing greater support for high-paying, high-skilled STEM jobs. It would create a new visa for U.S.-educated students and entrepreneurs, enabling U.S. employers to begin filling 250,000 open IT-related jobs, and would allow for tax incentives for those investing in U.S. start-ups.

Second, we asked for a uniform approach to data breach notification laws. Currently, technology businesses must navigate through a collection of disparate state data breach notification laws with little universal consistency or standard. A federal approach would make everyone’s life easier as the industry rapidly evolves and customers cross state borders with cloud and mobility solutions.

Finally, we asked our Congressmen and Congresswomen to join the Congressional Small Business Information Technology Caucus, founded by Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) to educate Congress on the important issues facing the IT industry and to advocate for policies that will help our industry grow and impact the economy.

We were met with support across the board. The meetings were not nearly as intimidating as I imagined they might be and all representatives – or in some cases their staffers – were welcoming and generous with their time. We had great discussions and after each meeting felt confident that our voices were heard and would be represented. Each representative concurred that our industry plays an important role in the nation’s economy and our ability to remain globally competitive. They appreciated hearing specific case studies from our member businesses – their constituents – to support their efforts.

In addition to our Capitol Hill visits, the event included several distinguished government guest speakers, as well as panel sessions that focused on timely issues. It was a tremendous learning experience and made me so much more aware of the role government plays in all of our businesses – and the role we collectively play in the government. I highly encourage you to participate next year. Our Public Advocacy team works tirelessly all year long to champion the small- to medium-sized IT business and the development of a 21st century IT workforce, and focuses a good deal of effort on cyber-security issues. You can get involved now by participating in our monthly TechVoice calls or register here for policy alerts.

Get involved with CompTIA’s Public Advocacy initiatives. It will make you proud to be a member, an IT worker and an American.

• Supporters of cybersecurity reform last week emphasized the need to pass new legislation.
• Small business owners in key swing states consider Obama debate victor.
• Obama supports math and science education at debate.

Supporters of cybersecurity reform last week emphasized the need to pass new legislation to protect our nation’s critical infrastructure during conferences, speeches, panels and other events throughout the country, said Politico. Top White House cybersecurity advisor Michael Daniel said in a speech in Baltimore last Tuesday that – while the White House is laying the groundwork for an executive order – the increasing amount of cyber-attacks around the world signify an escalating threat to the U.S.

Small business owners in key swing states considered President Obama the victor in Monday’s debate, as both candidates connected their foreign policy platforms with the need to get our economy back on track and promote our business interests abroad, said the Washington Post. Both Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney spent several minutes outlining what they would do to foster entrepreneurial innovation.

Obama addressed the need to improve math and science education on multiple occasions during Monday’s debate, arguing that a highly skilled workforce will ensure that the U.S. remains a top economic power, said The Hill. He also pointed out that cutting our budget for research and technology would keep us from creating successful businesses and would ultimately not help us compete with China.

Following the affirmation of the Affordable Care Act (more commonly known as Obamacare) this summer by the Supreme Court, we began to see an uptick in interest from our members as to how this law would affect their businesses. Since its controversial passage in March of 2010, ongoing challenges to the constitutionality of the reform measure led many businesses to take a wait-and-see attitude. Now that the law has been upheld, it’s time to take another look at how small businesses might be affected.

The law will not be fully implemented until 2014, however there are some relevant events for small businesses that will occur in 2013. Beginning on October 1, 2013, open enrollment will begin for individuals and small businesses (with 100 or fewer employees) for the insurance exchanges; these exchanges are intended to provide lower costing and better plan selection. Each state has until November of 2012 to determine whether it will operate an exchange; if a state opts not to operate an exchange, enrollees can participate in a federal exchange.

There are also some tax implications for employers that currently provide health care coverage. Small employers (generally those with fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees with an average wage of less than $50,000 a year) will qualify for up a 35% tax credit against employee insurance costs; this credit will increase to 50% in 2014.

Another change for 2013 requires employers to report the costs of health care benefits received by its employees for the 2012 tax year (on the W-2 issued in January 2013). The intent is to make employees more aware of the employer cost of provided insurance benefits.

However, for many small employers, the question remains whether their businesses are exempt from the law: Generally, businesses that have 50 or more full time employees are required to provide coverage. The penalty for not doing do is $2000 for each employee over 30 full-time employees. So, while the penalty does not kick in until a business has 50 employees, the penalty would then apply to those employees in excess of 30. There are many details concerning how part time and seasonal workers are counted, but the general rule is those employers with less than 50 employees would be exempt.

We hope you can join us for a Webinar schedule for Wednesday, October 31, 1:30 – 2:30 pm CT, on “Your Bottom Line: What Healthcare Reform Means For Your Small Business.” This webinar will help attendees sort out the effects of health reform on their small businesses. For more information and to register, click here.

• Cybersecurity startups raising more money than ever.
• Military veterans struggle to sell skills.
• Obama and Romney offer differing strategies to foster entrepreneurism.

Cybersecurity startups in the Washington, D.C., area are raising more money than ever as investors see it as a burgeoning industry, says the Washington Business Journal. Entrepreneurs are viewed as having the upper hand these days as they have “more funding options from a wider range of venture and private equity sources, and at better terms.”

Military veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are struggling to explain how the skills they acquired while serving translate to the job market back home, says the Wall Street Journal. However, the unemployment rate is declining as more companies are stepping up their efforts to find work for them.

President Barack Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney offer differing strategies to foster entrepreneurism, says the Washington Post. While nearly half of private-sector workers are employed by small business, there is still no consensus as to which presidential candidate is more likely to get the economy back on track.

On September 26^th, in partnership with the Illinois Technology Association (ITA), CompTIA launched its second TechVoice Chapter in Illinois. The official kick-off, which was also co-hosted by the Partnership for a New American Economy, took place at the ITA offices in downtown Chicago. The aim of this first gathering was to introduce the 65 attendees to a proposal now pending in the United States Congress called the Startup 2.0 Act (H.R. 5893 and S. 3217). By hearing from one of the Congressional co-sponsors of the bill, Representative Robert Dold, and then holding a panel discussion breaking down the components of the bill, the objective was to encourage those in attendance to learn and engage in the political process to make a difference for small and medium sized tech firms.

First a recap on Start Up 2.0. The proposal has a few different provisions of interest to the tech entrepreneur:

• 100% Capital Gain Exclusion for Investments in Small Startup Companies. Investors in qualified small businesses that hold their stock for five years would qualify for a 100% exclusion of any capital gains. That is, any gains from such investments would be tax-free. Generally, to qualify, the small business must be a “C” corporation having $50 million or less in assets which the stock is issued.
  
  
• Simplified R&D Tax Credit for Small Startup Companies. This provision creates a targeted research and development tax credit for small startup companies with less than $5 million in annual receipts. These companies would be allowed a 20% R&D credit based on R&D wages. Unlike the traditional credit (with its three alternative calculations), this Startup 2.0 credit is not based on some historical base amount calculation. The credit would be 20 percent of the corporation’s W-2 R&D wages, limited to a maximum of $250,000.
  
  
• Conditional Permanent Resident Status for Foreign-Born Residents with an Advanced Degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics. The bill proposes to create a new visa for up to 50,000 foreign students who graduate from an American university with a Master’s of Ph.D. degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. Visa recipients would be granted conditional status contingent upon their remaining actively engaged in a STEM field for five consecutive years. Once conditional status is lifted, the visa holder becomes a permanent legal resident with the option to naturalize.

While there are other provisions of the bill these three items formed the main of the conversation. Representative Dold set the tone by sharing with the audience his perspective as a small business owner and lawmaker. As part of his Main Street Jobs Agenda, Congressman Dold explained how he has joined with members of the Congress on both sides of the aisle to find ways to jump start small and medium sized business growth. In fact, he noted that the Start Up 2.0 Act follows on the heels of reauthorization of the Export Import Bank to spur on American exports; and passage of the Jumpstart Our Business Start-Up Act which encourages innovative "crowd-funding" to help finance new businesses, and is designed, among other things, to make investment rules more oriented toward helping smaller companies gain access to capital.

Following his remarks, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel featuring local businessmen Andrew Hoog of viaForensics, and Jeremie Bacon of Backstop Solutions; as well as Robert Feldstein from New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s office who has launched the Partnership for a New American Economy, a non-partisan organization dedicated to achieving meaningful immigration reform, particularly in the area of STEM.

Andrew Hoog noted that he was particularly interested in the R&D provision of the bill. The existing R&D tax credit is based on the revenues of a firm and has a complicated calculation process. As a consequence, Hoog noted that his firm was not able to take advantage of the credit until a couple of years after the launch of his company, when it started to turn a profit, and that it was quite costly to calculate “backwards” to derive credit. The prospect of an R&D tax credit based on R&D wages is appealing because it would simplify the accounting process and make the credit available earlier in a company’s growth curve, with less transactional cost, thus potentially spurring growth sooner in a companies evolution.

While Hoog saw less specific benefit for his company with regard to the 100% capital gains exclusion, Jeremie Bacon noted that an important beneficiary of this proposal would be venture capital and investment firms. By making resources more available to this segment of the business cycle, he noted that VCs would be more inclined to make early stage investments in tech start-ups, thus enhancing a “virtuous cycle” of growth.

Bacon also shed light on the immigration proposals in the bill. Backstop Solutions has about 49 engineers and a significant proportion of those are foreign born. He explained that going through the current H-1B visa process is costly and time consuming. Now, the company has honed the process so that it costs roughly $4,000 to $6,000 per applicant. He also noted that the difficulty of navigating the H1-B process is one more hurdle to jump over in attracting smart individuals to come work for them. Backstop is competing for talent against peer companies in the United States as well as companies overseas. The proposed new STEM visa category could make it easier for his company and for smaller firms to attract STEM talent.

Robert Feldstein provided a broader perspective on the importance of immigration by noting that five additional jobs are created for every high-skilled visa (h1b) because immigrants often work in R&D and exports. Feldstein also pointed out that there is a meaningful correlation between immigration and innovation. For example, according to the Partnership’s research more than three out of every four patents at the top 10 patent-producing US universities (76%) had at least one foreign-born inventor. These are but a couple of data points developed by this organization that supports the notion that expanding visa categories and encouraging retention of skilled immigrants is not a zero sum game pitting American workers against foreign. Just the opposite is true.

This was a terrific kick-off for the Illinois TechVoice chapter. The hope is to build off this impressive launch to keep local entrepreneurs informed and engaged. Meetings and events to follow!

While Congress and the Administration concentrate on the upcoming elections, Middle East crises and keeping the government running, expiration of the Bush tax cuts looms as a huge issue for all Americans, especially small businesses. Currently, business planning is near impossible, as major tax increases could take effect on January 1, 2013. The potential expiration of these cuts could cause an economic slowdown as consumers and businesses face uncertainty on their 2013 tax bills. This uncertainty will become more apparent as we move past the elections into the lame duck session. Something must be done, but for now, the general consensus inside the beltway seems to be the all-too-familiar: “We’ll get to it later.”

Increasingly, we are seeing calls for tax reform as a means to move the country back to fiscal stability. One of the most common themes of tax reform has been to lower the corporate tax rate, while eliminating “loop holes” or other preferential tax provisions. Certainly, this sound like a reasonable approach. However, we must keep in mind that in order to dig ourselves out of our fiscal hole, someone is going to have to pay more, and tax reform is simply a euphemism for “someone will have to pay more.” Who? That’s the big question.

Small businesses must remain vigilant. If Congress decides to lower corporate tax rates in exchange for cutting out “loop holes” and other tax credits/deductions, this does not necessarily benefit small businesses – many of which pay tax at individual rates on pass-through earnings from partnerships, S corporations or LLC’s. That is, it’s possible for the pass-through entities to lose tax deductions without the benefit of a lower tax rate, because these pass through entities pay tax at individual tax rates, not corporate rates. What would happen if small tech firms continue paying taxes at the same individual tax rate, but lose deductions and credits such as the section 179 small business expensing and/or the research and experimentation tax credit. This would mean that these pass-though entities – many of which are small businesses – would be stuck with higher tax costs.

Congressional lawmakers will be forced to make some decisions on the Bush tax cuts after the elections. A short punt might occur, but we are well past the point where we can continue to kick the can down the road. So, as Congress and the Administration move to grapple with the fiscal cliff, we will continue to defend the interests of small tech firms. And, in doing so, we continue to believe that tax reform must promote investments in capital, technology and the workforce.

As we have been reporting, the Republicans and Democrats both held their conventions and formalized the nominations of President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney.  While we would have liked to have seen additional focus on the tech sector and policies to ensure it remains globally competitive, CompTIA had a significant presence at each convention.  

At the Republican and Democratic conventions, CompTIA joined a number of tech associations in sponsoring events highlighting the contributions of technology to the nation’s economy.  Several members of the Senate and the House of Representatives attended the gatherings. 

Here are a few key speeches from each convention:

Governor Mitt Romney                 President Barack Obama

Rep. Paul Ryan                                  Vice President Joe Biden

Ann Romney                                      Michelle Obama

Senator Marco Rubio                    Former President Bill Clinton

Tech in the Party Platforms

As we noted in our prior postings, one of the official responsibilities of a political convention is to adopt a party platform, which provides a general framework for where each party stands on key policy issues (determined by each party).  While we had hoped there would be more of a focus on tech issues by both parties, there were various sections of each platform that are of interest to the tech community: 

Democratic Party Platform

Taxes:  “We are also committed to reforming the corporate tax code to lower tax rates for companies in the United States, with additional relief for those locating manufacturing and research and development on our shores, while closing loopholes and reducing incentives for corporations to shift jobs overseas.” 

Education and Innovation: “The President also proposed to double key investments in science to educate the next generation of scientists and engineers, encourage private sector innovation, and prepare at least 100,000 math and science teachers over the next decade.”

Immigration: “And to make this country a destination for global talent and ingenuity, we won't deport deserving young people who are Americans in every way but on paper, and we will work to make it possible for foreign students earning advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to stay and help create jobs here at home.”

Internet: “President Obama is strongly committed to protecting an open Internet that fosters investment, innovation, creativity, consumer choice and free speech, unfettered by censorship or undue violations of privacy.”

Education and Research: “Democrats are committed to preparing math and science teachers and training workers with skills for the future, and doubling funding for key basic research agencies. We support expanding and making permanent the Research and Experimentation Tax Credit.”

Small Business: “President Obama and the Democratic Party are committed to continue cutting red tape for small businesses, helping them sell their goods around the world and access the capital they need to grow. This includes tax cuts for small businesses that make new investments, hire more workers, or increase wages.”

Cybersecurity: “We will continue to take steps to deter, prevent, detect, and defend against cyber intrusions by investing in cutting-edge research and development, promoting cybersecurity awareness and digital literacy, and strengthening private sector and international partnerships. President Obama has supported comprehensive cybersecurity legislation that would help business and government protect against risks of cyber attacks while also safeguarding the privacy rights of our citizens. And, going forward, the President will continue to take executive action to strengthen and update our cyber defenses.”

Republican Party Platform

Taxes: To level the international playing field, and to spur job creation here at home, we call for a reduction of the corporate rate to keep U.S. corporations competitive internationally, with a permanent research and development tax credit, and a repeal of the corporate alternative minimum tax.

Immigration:  “We can accelerate the process of restoring our domestic economy-and reclaiming this country’s traditional position of dominance in international trade-by a policy of strategic immigration, granting more work visas to holders of advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and math from other nations. Highly educated immigrants can assist in creating new services and products. In the same way, foreign students who graduate from an American university with an advanced degree in science, technology, engineering or math should be encouraged to remain here and contribute to economic prosperity and job creation. Highly skilled, English-speaking, and integrated into their communities, they are too valuable a resource to lose. As in past generations, we should encourage the world’s innovators and inventors to create our common future and their permanent homes here in the United States.”

Regulation: “The bottom line on regulations is jobs. In listening to America, one constant we have heard is the job-crippling effect of even well-intentioned regulation. That makes it all the more important for federal agencies to be judicious about the impositions they create on businesses, especially small businesses. We call for a moratorium on the development of any new major and costly regulations until a Republican Administration reviews existing rules to ensure that they have a sound basis in science and will be cost-effective.”

Technology and Communications: “We call for an inventory of federal agency spectrum to determine the surplus that could be auctioned for the taxpayers’ benefit. With special recognition of the role university technology centers are playing in attracting private investment to the field, we will replace the administration’s Luddite approach to technological progress with a regulatory partnership that will keep this country the world leader in technology and telecommunications.”

Small Business: “We will reform the tax code to allow businesses to generate enough capital to grow and create jobs for our families, friends and neighbors all across America. We will encourage investments in small businesses. We will create an environment where adequate financing and credit are available to spur manufacturing and expansion. We will serve as aggressive advocates for small businesses.”

STEM: “We advocate the policies and methods that have proven effective: building on the basics, especially STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math) and phonics; ending social promotions; merit pay for good teachers; classroom discipline; parental involvement; and strong leadership by principals, superintendents and locally elected school boards. Because technology has become an essential tool of learning, proper implementation of technology is a key factor in providing every child equal access and opportunity.”

Cybersecurity: “The government and private sector must work together to address the cyberthreats posed to the United States, help the free flow of information between network managers, and encourage innovation and investment in cybersecurity. The government must do a better job of protecting its own systems, which contain some of the most sensitive data and control some of our most important facilities. As such, we encourage an immediate update of the law that was drafted a decade ago to improve the security of government information systems. Additionally, we must invest in continuing research to develop cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies to protect the U.S. However, we acknowledge that the most effective way of combating potential cybersecurity threats is sharing cyberthreat information between the government and industry, as well as protecting the free flow of information within the private sector.”

Now that the Conventions Are Over, Who Is Winning?

According to the most recent Rasmussen daily tracking poll of likely voters, President Obama seems to have had a significant “bounce” in polls since the Democratic convention.  The President currently leads Governor Romney 49 percent to 45 percent among likely voters (with 3 percent favoring another candidate and 3 percent undecided).  According to Rasmussen, this reflects President Obama’s largest lead since mid-March.

But the real answer is that the election is still incredibly close, and voters have a chance to make their voices heard – on technology and other issues.

It’s been a whirlwind of political activity for CompTIA’s staff these past two weeks. This week, we joined the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte to spotlight the contributions of innovation to our economy.  We’ve been working on-the-go to ensure that the views – and contributions – of the tens of thousands of small and medium sized tech companies and entrepreneurs are recognized.

This week in Charlotte, the Democratic Party focused on several policy provisions significant to CompTIA and the industry at large:

Democrats Push for Open Internet, Cybersecurity – On the Sunday before the Democratic National Convention, Democrats included a special focus on open Internet policies and stronger cybersecurity laws in their platform, says the Washington Post. The platform hinted that President Barack Obama would take executive action soon, due to slow progress on legislation in Congress.  Additionally, the platform indicates the President is willing to do what it takes to strengthen our defenses and protect the country.

SBA Chief Defends Obama’s Small Business Record at Convention – The Small Business Association’s top official, Karen Mills, defended President Obama’s record regarding entrepreneurs and business owners at the convention, the Washington Post reported. She maintained Obama has repeatedly sought to ease regulations, lower taxes and make it easier for businesses to hire and grow.

Democrats Call for Internet 'Freedom,' Cybersecurity Laws – Heading into the convention this week, Democrats praised the Obama administration’s cybersecurity victories, says Computerworld. Outlined in their platform, they wrote that Obama backed the first military command dedicated to cybersecurity and even conducted a review of the federal government’s own efforts. 

Missed our coverage of the RNC last week as Republicans teed up their positions on tech policies?  Check it out here.

The next milestone in this critical national election will be the debates.  The first of three Presidential debates will take place on October 3rd in Denver and will be focused on domestic policy matters.  We will follow this and the subsequent debates for matters impacting the technology industry.

This election cycle CompTIA has joined several of its tech association peers and several IT company sponsors in hosting receptions in Tampa and Charlotte honoring the contributions of innovation to our economy. Our objective is to continue to highlight to policy-makers the diversity of the industry and the fact that it is driven not just by large OEMs and service providers but also by tens of thousands of small- and medium-sized tech companies and entrepreneurs.

This week in Tampa, the Republican Party focused on several policy provisions significant to CompTIA and the industry at large. Here’s a media round-up:

GOP Platform Seeks More Aggressive U.S. Cyber Deterrence Policies – The Republican Party adopted calls for more stringent cybersecurity legislation as they pertain to government and civilian targets – calling President Barack Obama’s current policies too defensive and ineffective – says Computerworld. The comments contained in the manifesto that expresses these frustrations are significant “as they mark the first time either party has focused on cybersecurity in their election-year manifestos.”

Small Business a Common Theme at Republican Convention – Republicans highlighted the growing national debt, sluggish economic recovery and the need to loosen regulatory burdens on small businesses as they sought to court the small business community, says the Washington Post. National polls show a dead heat between President Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney for votes, although a recent Washington Post survey shows 61 percent of small business owners plan to vote for Romney in November.

Tax Policy and Low Regulation Drives Tech Innovation for Romney Backers – A panel of prominent Republicans at the Republican National Convention say that American technological innovation will be the result of reduced regulation and corporate tax reform, according to the National Journal. Additionally, Mitt Romney has talked about his plans to attract highly skilled workers and innovative entrepreneurs from foreign countries, “offering legal immigration status to students who earn Ph. D degrees in the U.S.”

Look for more coverage of both parties’ stances on small business and tech policies following the DNC in Charlotte next week.