Obama's tech agenda put on hold

Thanks in large part to the economic crisis, Obama has yet to put forward his new cybersecurity strategy, or even fill some important technology-related vacancies. At the same time, the downward-spiraling economy has let him to push forward in other ways that were unexpected as recently as last fall. In orchestrating the development of a $787 billion stimulus package, the president won congressional approval for significant spending on broadband infrastructure, electric smart-grid technology, and electronic health care records. Still unclear, though, are the ultimate results of that spending, or whether it will translate into more investment by the private sector. "I think it's a positive sign (the administration is) including technology as a cross-cutting issue in all of their priorities," said Ben Scott, the policy director for the media advocacy group Free Press. "So far, with every opportunity to push technology policy into the mix, they've done so. Some of the standalone tech policy agenda has not been an immediate priority, but it would be unfair to demand that, given the other crises the Administration is dealing with." Some of the most important pieces of the president's technology policy are only beginning to unfold. Less than two weeks ago, Obama appointed Virginia's secretary of technology, Aneesh Chopra, to be his chief technology officer. Chopra is responsible for formulating an open government directive within the next 20 days and will work closely with Obama's chief information officer, Vivek Kundra. Obama's pick to chair the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski, has yet to be confirmed, but he is expected to push for more Net neutrality regulation. All three appointments, Scott said, "reflect a strong commitment to a new kind of technology policy, (and) a commitment to making technology work for the government."