On January 2, 2008, TIA opened a branch office in Washington, D.C. to house its Government Affairs Department.

Located no more than a stone’s throw from the nation’s Capitol, the department will have ready and easy face-to-face access to Congressional and regulatory staff. This will strengthen the association’s ability to help shape the laws and regulations that will promote the growth of the communications and technology industry.

The new office will also provide a convenient place for TIA’s members to meet and interact with TIA staff, making it easier to learn about and understand the concerns and priorities of our members. For example, the office provides conveniently located conference rooms for TIA meetings as well as guest offices for members’ use. TIA is sincerely grateful to many of its members for allowing the use of their facilities in the past.

TIA President Grant Seiffert said, “Holding in-person meetings and events with our members in an impartial setting will help provide the independence and solidarity an association should provide.” He added, “This move will also reinforce TIA’s status as a premier advocacy organization, both inside the beltway and abroad.”

TIA will hold a members-only reception to inaugurate the new office from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on January 22. The office is located at 10 G Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002, and can be reached by telephone at +1.202.346.3240. For a complete list of new phone numbers for the Government Affairs Department, click here..

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This week saw a burst of activity for U.S.-China trade policy, including significant developments in China's quasi-protectionist rules around network deployment. 

The U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) was underway this week, with high level trade officials stepping in for the discussions.  China experts from the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative's Office led discussions on a numbers of fronts, including issues recommended by TIA on behalf of its members. These included 3G mobile licensing, mobile handset importation, optical fiber market access, and product testing and certification.  China confirmation that it would lower the registered capital requirements for U.S. telecommunications service providers to operate in China was a significantly positive outcome for our members and U.S. industry.

Also, last week was the first ever "United States-China Innovation Conference," an outgrowth of the second U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) that brought together public and private sector experts from both countries in a dialogue to discuss the often complex nature of innovation and how to realize the potential of the information technology in both countries.    U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez and Chinese Ministry of Standards and Technology Secretary Li Xueyong were the lead participants, and drew the praise of industry for identifying technological innovation as a key driver to both economies.

For questions or comments on TIA's China policy work, please contact James Maday at jmaday@tiaonline.org.

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