Obama to Appoint Nation's First CTO

January 22, 2009 By: Janice Partyka

On Tuesday, the Obama team moved into offices filled with distinction and history. Not long ago, I, along with other leaders of the E9-1-1 Institute, met with members of the transition team in their Washington building to talk about enhanced 911 emergency response. A handwritten sign marked the nondescript building’s street address; nothing identified its significance. Visitors moved through extensive security checks into offices barren except for essentials. Hastily written signs designated staff offices within the building.

We talked about broadband infrastructure for all public safety agencies, shared applications, next-generation 911, and ensuring all emergency dispatchers can find callers with location technology. All were concerned about interoperability of emergency communications. The team was interested in determining the cost of these upgrades for the economic stimulus package. The transition team members we met were very technical and well versed in emergency communication issues and included a past FCC bureau chief. One of the transition team members in attendance was focused on the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) position that President Obama is creating. For those of us who see technology as key to economic resurgence, this new position is heartening.

When thinking about what a CTO for the U.S. can realistically accomplish, it is natural to look at the next closest thing, the performance of the president’s science advisor. President Bush’s appointee, John Marburger, has been the longest serving science advisor since the post was created in 1957.

Last month Marburger created a list of his most significant accomplishments: “A short list would include: helping to establish a science agency within the Department of Homeland Security, working to prevent the reaction to 9/11 from undermining our participation in global science (student visas, ‘science vs. security’ issues), helping to develop a rational vision for space exploration, …freeing up large blocks of the broadcast spectrum for commercial wireless applications…”

Over the last eight years, many science issues have become politicized, most notably energy, global warming, and stem-cell policy. In December, Barack Obama appointed Harvard physicist John Holdren as science advisor. Holdren is steadfast in his concern for global warming, a departure from the Bush administration’s stance. As with a science advisor, the CTO will face politicized and polarizing issues as well.

Speculation abounds as to likely CTO candidates (and yes, the names of Bill Gates and Vint Cerf have been bandied about). There is no dearth of opinions as to the priorities the new CTO should assume. One website, www.obamacto.org, is collecting opinions. This is not a scientific process, but is in any case, interesting. More than 12,000 votes were cast for the top priority being to “ensure the Internet is widely accessible & network neutral.” In second place, more than 10,000 votes were placed to “ensure our privacy and repeal the patriot act.” The bronze price goes to repealing the digital millennium copyright act.

In his announcement, Obama’s broad objectives for the CTO position include supporting network neutrality and open competition on the Internet, deploying a broadband communications infrastructure, and improving America’s technologies through fair international trade treatment and science investment. Regarding public safety priorities, his statement includes spurring “the development and deployment of new technologies to promote interoperability, broadband access, and more effective communications among first responders and emergency response systems.”

Last Thursday my colleagues and I rushed to review the summary of the draft of the economic stimulus legislation released by the House Appropriations Committee. While money is provided for public safety, the details have not emerged. $25 billion is slated to go to states for public safety and other critical services. The large amount of money being funneled into states will shore up their budgets so they won’t have to critically cut services and conduct massive lay-offs. Another $4 billion is targeted for state and local law enforcement, but nowhere is developing communications interoperability among emergency responders specified. Only $6 billion is set aside for broadband and wireless grants, and these are specified to serve e-commerce, education, and healthcare.

The inaugural parties are over. The balloons are limp. And we’ll all go back to fighting for what we think belongs in the stimulus package and hope for a national CTO who will see the big picture.

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