Legislative Uncertainty Worries IT Investors

A look at the week of December 21, 2010, in public advocacy for the IT channel

Uncertainty surrounding healthcare legislation makes investors wary about IT forecasts in the coming year.  As the government increases its use of cloud computing, the Department of Commerce is calling for a users’ “Bill of Rights” for cloud computing.  New legislation would make the U.S. a more attractive destination for foreign entrepreneurs.

Legislative Uncertainty Worries IT Investors – Venture capitalists are bullish about the information technology sector overall in the new year, with investments expected to be on the rise. However, investors are wary of two tech areas that have gotten a lot of buzz in policy circles – energy efficiency and medical devices —which are not the subject of as much optimism as in previous years, according to Politico.

Commerce Calls For Cloud Privacy “Bill Of Rights” – The Commerce Department released a report on Thursday on what the government should do to better protect Internet users' private data, says The Hill. The report calls for a privacy "Bill of Rights" for web users, which the Department expects would rein in how marketers use information. It also wants agencies to standardize rules that force companies to inform users when there is a data breach.

Senate Bill Would Ease U.S. Entry for Foreign Entrepreneurs – With prospects for the latest immigration reform efforts fading in the Senate, entrepreneurs born abroad are holding out for a separate bipartisan bill that seeks to spur job growth by easing visa restrictions on foreign-owned start-ups, says The Wall Street Journal. The StartUp Visa Act would grant permanent residency to any foreign-born entrepreneur whose new business attracts a certain level of funding while creating new jobs.