The EIC hosted two separate sessions as part of the first-ever Environmental Summit at TIA’s GLOBALCOMM. At the first session, invited experts and EIC staff members Rick Goss (left), Chris Cleet (center) and Colleen Boland (right) gave a comprehensive overview of domestic and international environmental regulations impacting the telecommunications industry. The second session focused solely on complying with the European Union’s Restriction on Hazardous Substance (RoHS) Directive as it comes into force on July 1. This “RoHS Roundtable” provided a forum for open discussion for compliance and best management practices. Numerous EIA and TIA member companies attended the sessions.

EIA President and CEO Dave McCurdy moderated a panel discussion at the Thought Leadership Series for EDS Corp. in Dallas on May 12, 2006. Participating on the panel were internationally renowned China experts Ted Fishman, author of China Inc.; Mexing Pei, author and analyst at the Carnegie Institute; and John Thornton, Director of the Global Leadership Studies at Qinghua University, Beijing. The panelists discussed the full range of issues facing the U.S.-China relationship, including the recent U.S. visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao, the state of the Chinese economy, prospects for the revaluation of the Chinese currency, intellectual property protection, the environment, energy policy, future U.S.-China political and military relations, and challenges such as the fragile financial system facing Chinese leadership.

Michael Jordan, Chairman and CEO of EDS, said of the panel, “The China dialogue was among the most stimulating and thought provoking experiences in my tenure at EDS. Four outstanding observers of China’s politics and economics provided insights and personal observations not available in print. It was a true insider’s session.”

He further stated, “Dave’s investment in studying China and Chinese clearly paid off for all of us. His personal experiences made his contribution to the dialogue during the China panel much more real to the audience.”

Ted Fishman thanked Dave McCurdy for moderating “the great panel at EDS, which you ran with grace, wit and, expectedly, great intelligence.”

Matt Flanigan, the president of EIA Sector Partner the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), served as emcee for the industry in June when TIA held SUPERCOMM® 2005 with the U.S. Telecom Association. SUPERCOMM® 2005 featured 670 exhibiting companies on 309,000 net square feet of space, higher overall attendance and a 20 percent increase in international attendance. Click here for more information on SUPERCOMM® 2005

TIA will unveil GLOBALCOMM, its successor to SUPERCOMM® , June 5-8, 2006, at McCormick Place, Chicago. Along with keynotes from global industry leaders, GLOBALCOMM will offer technology, regulatory and business advancements driving the converged, global telecommunications industry. For more information on GLOBALCOMM, go to www.globalcomm2006.com

On June 8, EIA President Dave McCurdy (left) presented a check for $1 million to help the National Science Technology & Education Partnership (NSTEP) advance U.S. high-tech education. NSTEP Board of Trustees Chairman Robert Borchardt (middle) and Executive Director Barbara Wortmann attended the presentation and accepted the check on behalf of NSTEP. The presentation coincided with NSTEP's annual awards luncheon in Chicago during SUPERCOMM 2005 to honor the 2005 winners in NSTEP'S cutting-edge education program, TechXplore®. Click here for more information on EIA's gift and the 2005 TechXplore winners. For more information on NSTEP go to www.NSTEP-online.org.

Government Electronics and Information Technology Association (GEIA) Chairman Randy Lucas of Verizon (left), with The Honorable Richard Russell, Associate Director with the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President, at the GEIA's 30th Annual Executive Roundtable, June 1-3, 2005 at Nemacolin Resort & Conference Center in Farmington, PA. Russell served as keynote speaker for the 2005 Roundtable.

On April 20, EIA President Dave McCurdy participated in a Heritage Foundation Panel entitled "The 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review: The Military Industrial Base." In his remarks, McCurdy noted that the QDR’s strategic review threat analysis and capabilities can help provide a roadmap for the nation’s future defense policy and the defense industry. McCurdy also said it was encouraging that DOD (an active player in the digital networked world and in “Network Centric Warfare” planning) is reaching out to industry -- including EIA member companies -- for input on this QDR, which will build on lessons learned from Afghanistan and Iraq. The 2005 QDR will have to take into consideration present and future funding concerns, both of which could force some hard decisions. Given the Bush Administration’s ongoing commitment to war on terrorism, and the fact that decisions and defense strategy roadmaps within QDR affect acquisition decisions for the next 20 years, McCurdy said the 2005 QDR will be a kind of a de facto defense industrial policy for decades to come.

McCurdy also moderated a March 22 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Conference on Industrial Policy and Finance panel. In his role as moderator, McCurdy steered panel discussions on several military trends, including R&D funding levels for generational technologies such as nanotechnology, directed energy, data storage, mining meta-data and biotech; the role of IT and electronics in the future; and the possibility that the U.S. may be losing its competitive edge.