Tech Secretary Will Face Challenges with Appointment

Virginia Technology Secretary Aneesh Chopra stepped onto the national stage last week when he was appointed by President Barack Obama as the nation’s first chief technology officer.

Chopra will join former colleague Vivek Kundra, now the national chief information officer, on a team that aims to use information technology and the Internet to improve government and the nation. It is a tremendous task and full of opportunity for the president, the committee and the country.

Kundra’s focus is government, but Chopra’s aims will be broader.

We are thrilled to see Chopra take this next step in his career. It is a feather in his cap, as well as for Virginia. As Virginia’s technology secretary, this Harvard University grad demonstrated his keen understanding of technology and government, and his ability to solve real-world problems.

During the president’s radio address announcing the appointment, Obama said he expects Chopra and others to set technology policy across government agencies and to use technology to improve security, lower costs and ensure transparency to the public.

We support the creation of a national chief technology officer, and Chopra’s appointment to the position. The job has a broad mandate. A White House description states that the chief technology officer’s work must “transform our economy and our society,” by “fostering private sector innovation, reducing administrative costs and medical errors using health IT, and using technology to change the way teachers teach and students learn.”

We encourage Chopra to develop a framework that includes these important priorities:

* Increase access to digital technologies. Too many places in the United States and worldwide lack access to high-speed Internet. Free-market demand drives much of the technology’s expansion, but government can and should help, particularly in less-served areas. Locally, government partnerships have helped expand high-speed Internet service into the Virginia coalfields to the benefit of schools, health care, business and citizen users. Such partnerships can and should do the same in other underserved places.

* Increase collaboration. Exciting and interesting initiatives are advanced every day in education, health care and science. Chopra must insist that leaders in those fields collaborate more, for the benefit of each other and all citizens. Sophisticated, organized use of technology and greater collaboration across fields will give users greater trust in its veracity. For decades we have been told more-personalized education and training would be possible by computer and Web-based programs. Such initiatives could boost student engagement and keep more students learning, instead of dropping out. As we have seen with telemedicine sites, technology can bring personalized, specialized medical care to patients, while eliminating travel. Technology will be the basis of our future health care system, especially as we try to contain costs and provide specialized care.

* Ensure that technology serves people. A big part of Chopra’s work will include rewriting laws to bring them up-to-date for the digital age. In all cases, we must remember that technology should serve people. Copyright laws should reward the creative artists, but allow the purchaser to use the content in a fair manner. The Internet should remain a neutral place. Patent laws should ensure that new ideas are brought to the market quickly.

* Create a climate for more technology growth. For more jobs, we need more growth in technology. Chopra must formulate business incentives that reward the creative projects benefitting the most people. They should include new laws and new tax incentives for technology businesses. Additionally, barriers for new technology should be reduced as much as possible. As has happened in Virginia, if government becomes a model user of the technology, it can stimulate growth, make the public more familiar with the tools and reduce cost barriers.

* Transform government. This is an idea touted by many economists and technology experts – using information technology to modernize and improve government services. Chopra and the committee should identify key areas for reducing costs, improving service delivery, speeding administrative processes, and improving efficiency. We already e-file our taxes and have tax refunds electronically deposited to bank accounts, but there are many other modern, efficient ways government could improve services.

Some people had hoped that Chopra’s job would be a cabinet-level post, but regardless of the rank of the position, its scope and influence is unmeasurable. It is good news for business, science, medicine and education that our president is committing to more collaboration and focus on technology.

We expect to see Chopra, Kundra and the entire committee develop innovative ideas that bring useful and profitable information to more Americans.