Some top technology executives who met with President Trump between June 19th and June 22nd appear to be happy with the results of those meetings for the most part. In addition to the President asking tech giants to step in and update the technology used by the government itself, the tech leaders voiced many concerns about regulation that they believe are holding back progress in their respective fields. They also asked for reforms that would enable their services and devices to be sold to the federal government. One topic that was reportedly not discussed is Title II net neutrality. President Trump also made a promise to renew efforts to bring internet access to areas
On the regulations front, Michael Chasen, CEO of PrecisionHawk, asked the President to consider reforms for regulations that currently limit drone technology. Chasen wasn’t alone in that, either, as key executives from companies such as Airmap, Airspace Inc, and Kespry also met with regulators for the FAA and Department of Transportation about rules that are holding the technology back from reaching its full potential. For telecoms organizations, the discussion turned to local governments holding 5G and other innovations back as telecoms work to expand their networks and implement new technologies. T-Mobile’s chief operating officer, Mike Sievert, commented that the country is on the precipice with the emerging technology. Sievert went on to say that the future of autonomous cars, drones, and the Internet of Things are going to depend on the stance taken by the federal government. Trump made a promise that he would send a “strong letter” the regulators in question – both federal and at a state level.
All of that aside, the meetings didn’t go exactly according to plan for at least a few companies. For example, Sprint’s Marcelo Claure said he was happy with the President’s response to espoused problems caused by a disparity between the timeframes for obtaining permits versus installing new cell sites. However, the company did not get the opportunity to demonstrate 5G technologies to Trump in partnership with Ericsson as had previously been planned. There’s also no guarantee – despite campaign promises and promises made during speeches throughout the week – that any cuts to the discussed regulations will occur while division in Washington remains high. In the meantime, many of the executives, at the very least, seem happy enough with the results of the week’s discussions.