AeA Launches Tech Tutorial Series for Capitol Hill

Washington, DC (October 19, 2007) - In a series of informal surveys and interviews, Members of Congress and their staffs have told us that they need to know more about technology and how it works. They have said that failure to understand the technology could result in unintended and harmful consequences to the high-tech industry and to the economy writ large.

"Based on these surveys and interviews, AeA is launching a series of educational programs for Members of Congress and their staffs called ‘AeA Tech 101’,” said William T. Archey, AeA’s President and CEO. “These tutorials will be conducted by senior executives from member companies who will explain the current generation of that technology, its evolution, and the future applications of same. In many instances, the faculty will be chief technology officers but the emphasis will be on clear and concise ‘non-geek’ presentations. The purpose of these tutorials is to educate and explain - it is not to lobby. We are convinced that the more Members of Congress and their staffs understand technology, the better the public policy and the fewer unintended consequences.”

Mr. Archey said he was further motivated to launch this program when a senior Hill staffer told him, “I’m tired of faking it.” Archey jokingly suggested that to avoid anybody’s embarrassment in attending such a tutorial, AeA would provide access to its building via the back stairs and the freight elevator. Archey also concluded “that’s not going to be necessary.”

He added, “The series will kick off in December and will focus on microchips and microprocessors. These are perhaps the most fundamental building blocks for many, if not most technologies. They also have a pervasive presence in our lives, some of which we know about, some of which we don’t know about.”

“A steering committee has been established for this new series with Agilent Technologies, Intel, and Texas Instruments as founding members,” continued Archey. “Additional members will be named in the next few weeks, including smaller companies, so that the program is not just about the big guys. Future tutorials will deal with new green technologies, broadband deployment, nanotechnologies, and others. The steering committee will decide on those issues based also on input directly from Capitol Hill.”

The in-person tutorial events will be held regularly in the Association’s flagship state-of-the-art David Packard Conference Center on Pennsylvania Avenue, just six blocks from the Capitol, on Fridays over lunch. For the time being, the events will be closed to the press.

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About AeA
AeA, the nation’s largest technology trade association with 2,500 member companies representing all segments of the high-tech industry, is dedicated solely to helping our members’ top line and bottom line. We do this in partnership with our small, medium, and large member companies by lobbying governments at the state, federal, and international levels, providing access to capital and business opportunities, and offering select business services and networking programs. For more information, please visit www.aeanet.org.

This page was last updated on 10/19/07.