Obama transition team publishes technology goals

The Obama-Biden transition team launched Change.gov Friday. You can apply for a job or see how the new administration blogs its progress. RSS feeds for news and blog.

A national technology agenda is one of the first items brought to the site from the campaign site, with few changes. 

The problem statement:

The Problem

We need to connect citizens with each other to engage them more fully and directly in solving the problems that face us. We must use all available technologies and methods to open up the federal government, creating a new level of transparency to change the way business is conducted in Washington and giving Americans the chance to participate in government deliberations and decision-making in ways that were not possible only a few years ago.

America risks being left behind in the global economy: Revolutionary advances in information technology, biotechnology, nanotechnology and other fields are reshaping the global economy. Without renewed efforts, the United States risks losing leadership in science, technology and innovation. As a share of the Gross Domestic Product, American federal investment in the physical sciences and engineering research has dropped by half since 1970.

Too many Americans are not prepared to participate in a 21st century economy: A recent international study found that U.S. students perform lower on scientific assessments than students in 16 other economically developed nations, and lower than 20 economically developed nations in math performance. Only one-third of middle class physical science teachers are qualified to teach in that subject, and only one-half of middle school math sciences have educational background in that subject area.

The outline:

1. Ensure the Full and Free Exchange of Ideas through an Open Internet and Diverse Media Outlets
   • Protect the Openness of the Internet
   • Encourage Diversity in Media Ownership
   • Protect Our Children While Preserving the First Amendment
   • Safeguard our Right to Privacy
2. Create a Transparent and Connected Democracy
   • Open Up Government to its Citizens
   • Bring Government into the 21st Century
3. Deploy a Modern Communications Infrastructure
   • Deploy Next-Generation Broadband
4. Improve America's Competitiveness
   • Promote American Businesses Abroad
   • Invest in the Sciences
   • Invest in University-Based Research
   • Make the R&D Tax Credit Permanent 
   • Ensure Competitive Markets
   • Protect American Intellectual Property Abroad
   • Protect American Intellectual Property at Home 
   • Reform the Patent System
   • Restore Scientific Integrity to the White House
5. Prepare All our Children for the 21st century economy
   • Make Math and Science Education a National Priority
   • Improve and Prioritize Science Assessments
   • Address the Dropout Crisis
   • Pinpoint College Aid for Math and Science Students
   • Increase Science and Math Graduates
6. Prepare Adults for a Changing Economy
   • Lifelong Retraining
   • Build a Reliable Safety Net
7. Employ Science, Technology and Innovation to Solve Our Nation’s Most Pressing Problems
   • Lower Health Care Costs by Investing in Electronic Information Technology Systems
   • Invest in Climate-Friendly Energy Development and Deployment: 
   • Modernize Public Safety Networks
   • Advance the Biomedical Research Field
   • Advance Stem Cell Research

I have little to add to the obvious:

• The team has their communications act together.
• They are more transparent about the Presidential transition than any team in history.
• They are inviting public participation.
• The vortex of lobbying that began on the campaign trail is more intense.
• The devil is in the details.

tags: education, technology, policy, us, usa, change.gov, patent, intellectual property, science

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