i3 - May/June 2017 - 39

Policy

By Bronwyn Flores

P O L I CY R E P O RT

Tech Policy Experts at SXSW 2017

rom substantive tech policy panels during Innovation
Policy Day to dinner at the famous Franklin Barbecue,
CTA had an amazing week at South by Southwest (SXSW)®
in Austin, TX. CTA hosted a Sunday meetup for members and
potential members to learn about the work the organization does to
promote innovation. We were honored to have Rep. Suzan DelBene
(D-WA) and Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) - our champions in
Congress who advocate for pro-innovation public policies - join us.

Monday kicked off a week of policy
discussions, with two official SXSW panels
on the role technology plays in making
the world a better, more inclusive place.
During "How Tech Companies Can Give
Back to Communities," CTA President and
CEO Gary Shapiro discussed the responsibility of technology community to change
our lives for the better. "Doing your business well and competing in the marketplace is no longer enough," Shapiro said.
CTA Foundation Executive Director
Steve Ewell moderated a panel on
"Unlocking Technology for People with
Disabilities," and received strong audience
engagement in the area of tech and
accessibility. Joined by the University
of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Associate Professor Dr. Cathy Bodine,
Microsoft's Chief Accessibility Officer
Jenny Lay-Flurrie and Doppler Labs'
C TA . t e c h / i 3

Director of Accessibility and Advocacy
KR Liu, the panelists discussed spreading
awareness to break social stigmas for
people with disabilities.
Innovation Policy Day
CTA also held its fourth Innovation Policy
Day (IPD) - similar to the Innovation
Policy Summit conference track at CES -
bringing together tech leaders to discuss
public policies that impact disruptive technologies that are changing the way we live
and work. IPD 2017 included panels on
tech policy in the Trump administration,
modernizing music licensing, the policy
implications of augmented and virtual
reality and the future of self-driving cars.
Representatives from Advocates for
Highway & Auto Safety, the Charles Koch
Institute, Google, Intel, MCity, Nielsen,
Oculus, Pandora, the Recording Industry

Association of America, R Street Institute
and Toyota took the stage to dive into the
most pressing policy issues associated with
tech trends. With more than 450 attendees and almost 600 live stream viewers,
it was the biggest IPD yet.
The "Tech Policy Outlook in the 45th
Administration" panel was timely as the
tech community is working to understand
what a Trump presidency means for the
future of innovation. CTA's Vice President
of Congressional Affairs Tiffany Moore
said, "Not engaging is not an option.
You need a perpetual engagement strategy, no matter who the president is."
While IPD was up and running at the
Old School Bar and Grill on 6th Street,
CTA's Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac
was participating in one of SXSW's most
popular panels, "Five Use-Cases Defining
VR and Mixed Reality" with Emblematic
Group's Nonny de la Peña and Upload
VR's Robert Scoble.
The IPD closed with "Tech Advocates
and Trump: Best Strategies So Far"
featuring CTA's SVP of Communications
and Strategic Relationships Jeff Joseph.
The discussion included panelists from
Ericsson, the Entertainment Software
Association and the Global Innovation
Forum and focused on the challenges and
opportunities that the tech community
sees working with disruptive innovatorin-chief President Trump. ■

GO ONLINE: Check out the
highlights at CTA.tech/sxsw.
MAY/JUNE 2017

http://www.CTA.tech/sxsw http://www.CTA.tech/i3

i3 - May/June 2017

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