i3 - September/October 2018 - 31

Policy

Sen. Wicker is focusing
on cybersecurity and
last December introduced the IOT
Consumer TIPS Act.

Michael Petricone,
Tiffany Moore,
Senator Wicker
and Gary Shapiro.

A I was glad to introduce the IOT Consumer
TIPS Act with Senator Maggie Hassan
(D-NH). The FTC needs to develop guidance
for consumers on how to be safer and more
secure, particularly regarding connected
devices and that is what this bipartisan legislation is about. It directs them to provide
information to consumers about resources
for developing cybersecurity.
Q How can consumers protect themselves

against cybercriminals targeting internetconnected devices?
A It is a shared responsibility between the
government, companies and consumers.
We need consumers to practice good cyber
hygiene. This includes updating software, so
the latest security protections are installed on
the device; and consumers should be wary of
downloading suspicious or pirated software.
Consumers must be vigilant because security
threats are constantly evolving, and cyber
criminals are testing out new ways to get at us.

Opposite: Malin Fezehai/Redux. Right: U.S. Senate Photographic Studio.

Q With President Trump's tariffs, American

jobs are being lost in a range of industries
from agriculture to technology. Do you see a
role for Congress?
A Yes - Congress has spoken out in several
respects. Of course, Congress has also given
the president wide powers to negotiate
because you are never going to get a good
deal with another country if the people on the
other side of the table from our negotiators
think it is subject to amendment later. That is
why we have the Trade Promotion Authority.
But here is where I come down. We like to
manufacture things and sell to the 95 percent
of the world's population that lives outside
of the U.S. We like to grow things - particularly the people in Mississippi and across
the great heartland. We find that we export
twice as much to countries where we have
trade agreements, so I have a strong history
C TA . t e c h / i 3

I support free trade agreements and I am
skeptical of tariffs. I know that the president
wants to get to freer trade. There have been
some real abuses, particularly by China.
of supporting free trade agreements. I wasn't
here for NAFTA [North American Free Trade
Agreement]. It was enacted in 1994 when I
was a candidate for the House. After I was
elected, and before I took office, GATT (The
GeneralAgreement on Tariffs and Trade) was
approved in the House of Representatives and
I watched that process as a member elect.
I support free trade agreements and I am
skeptical of tariffs. I know that the president
wants to get to freer trade. There have been
some real abuses, particularly by China.
We tolerated these for a time when China's
economy was still developing. Now they are
the second strongest economy in the world
and we are correct to say this ought to be a
new day between two economic superpowers and there needs to be a change in our
approach. I hope new trade agreements
happen more quickly. Maybe we can show
the way with Mexico and NAFTA, and then
Canada and NAFTA, and go from there to
Europe and China.

Q Over 80 percent of our members plan to

hire more technical people in the next five
years and we don't currently have them. How
can we ensure highly skilled technical jobs
from apprenticeships to Ph.Ds.?

A I have introduced two bills in this regard

for starters. One is the Computer Science
Career Education Act which would support
grants for career education programs. The
other is the Apprenticeship Enhancement Act,
which would remove bureaucratic hurdles
to create more apprenticeships. I have been
trying to push this since around the year
2000 when I was a member of the House of
Representatives. If an apprenticeship application is allowed to languish on a bureaucrat's
desk, there ought to be a shot clock. If it is
not turned down after a certain amount of
time, it should be deemed approved. Let's get
these programs out there and start training
our young people. We have so many great
opportunities for kids with GEDs or high
school diplomas to make excellent money in
their late teens and early 20s. I have been
helpful to coding academies. We have two
in Mississippi, but I am trying to expand
these and get companies that need young
coders and educational facilities or small
towns or communities that want to attract
young talent to go in together.
In Northwest Mississippi there is a coding
academy in an abandoned downtown building in Water Valley and they get financial assistance from several private partners including
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

http://www.CTA.tech

i3 - September/October 2018

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