Tech groups and others wanting to keep highly skilled workers in country were celebrating the Supreme Court's decision Thursday (June 18) throwing a wrench into the Trump Administration's effort to end the DACA program.  Univision and Verizon also weighed in as well.

The Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was an Obama-era executive order that prevented the deportation of undocumented immigrant children--the so-called "Dreamers." It was later extended to parents of citizens.

“Dreamers are Americans in every way but on paper and want to continue to contribute their talent and entrepreneurial spirit to advance the U.S. economy,” said Jason Oxman, president of tech association ITI. “These young men and women are our friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court gives much-needed certainty for these Americans, their families, and businesses. We urge the U.S. Congress to act now and advance a permanent legislative solution to ensure these Americans can continue to contribute to our communities and the U.S. economy.” 

Consumer Technology Association president Gary Shapiro agrees more needs to be done. "Today’s decision was a step in the right direction, but U.S. immigration law should be modernized," he said. "CTA will continue to work with Congress to pass bipartisan immigration legislation that strengthens our nation by welcoming those who wish to ensure America is the most prosperous, economically competitive and innovative country in the world.”  

TechNet president Linda Moore also applauded the decision, saying it would allow 650,000 DACA recipients to stay in the country. "Our nation depends on talented professionals like DACA recipients who bring needed skills, innovation, and creative energy to a variety of endeavors. The facts regarding Dreamers are undeniable: more than 70 percent are pursuing or have pursued a bachelors' degree; more than 90 percent of DACA recipients are currently working, with more than 70 percent of those individuals on the payrolls of Fortune 500 companies," she said. 

“Univision strongly commends the Supreme Court for embracing our Dreamers and rejecting the Administration’s attempt to eliminate the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) program," said the company. "From the beginning, Univision together with our community partners, has strongly opposed efforts to eliminate the DACA program by the Administration. Fighting for those in our country under DACA was always the right thing to do for many reasons. DACA recipients have contributed in meaningful ways to our country and helped improve our communities and raise the bar for all of us.

"DACA recipients are on the front lines as essential workers during this pandemic. They are class valedictorians. They are working professionals. They are innovators. They drive our business community, political space and the cultural milieu. They revere our nation and want to continue contributing to it each and every day. Univision is proud to stand up for DACA recipients because our country was founded by people just like these young men and women who believed that your work, education and innovation, not your national origin, is what make you uniquely American.” 

“Verizon has long stood with Dreamers and we are proud to celebrate today’s ruling with Dreamers around the nation," said Verizion SVP Kathy Grillo.  

"Dreamers belong here. They are crucial contributors who strengthen our communities and our nation. Dreamers are our colleagues, our friends, and our family. 

"Verizon applauds today’s ruling and we call on our nation’s leaders to find a permanent solution to protect Dreamers.” 

TechNet has named Peter Chandler director of federal policy and government relations, tapping a veteran House Democratic staffer as that body prepares to shift from Republican to Democratic control in January.

He will head up the group's advocacy with Democratic policymakers beginning Dec. 5.

Chandler has been chief of staff to Rep. Debbie Dingell, who succeeded her iconic husband, Rep. John Dingell, as a Democratic rep from Michigan and joined the House Energy & Commerce Committee in her second term.

TechNet members are an eclectic group that includes Oracle, Comcast-NBCU, AT&T, Google, Paypal, Microsoft, GM and WGBH TV Boston. The group promotes pro-tech innovation policies in Washington.

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The group has pushed back on President Trump's tech-related tariffs on Chinese goods, for example, and a return to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but backed the corporate tax cut and R&D tax credit and other parts of the President's tax reform bill.

It also supports using vacant broadcast spectrum between TV channels for unlicensed use, a big priority for member Microsoft.

"With over two decades of experience in public policy and campaigns, Peter Chandler has cemented himself as a strong leader who knows how to build coalitions and advance policies that improve peoples' lives," said TechNet president Linda Moore. "Peter will be a great asset to TechNet as we work to preserve the tech industry's indispensable role as an engine for job creation, economic growth, and innovative solutions to the world's biggest challenges."

TechNet, a consortium of tech companies, has called on congressional leadership to ax a section of a Defense Department reauthorization bill (H.R.4909 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017) that they say would legally sanction discrimination against LGBT Americans.

Some Republicans have included a provision that would exempt religious organizations receiving government contracts, subcontracts, purchase orders or grants from gender discrimination protections.

In a letter to House and Senate Armed Services leadership, TechNet, whose members range from Comcast and WGBH Boston to Apple, Microsoft and Google, made their position clear.

“The technology industry is the nation’s most innovative sector precisely because it values and embraces a talented and diverse workforce," said TechNet President Linda Moore. "Unfortunately, Section 1094 undermines these values by placing prejudice and fear above inclusion and diversity, which is bad for our employees and bad for business.”

“To ensure that our nation’s economy remains robust and innovative, we must support the best and brightest people. 

While Section 1094 might intend to promote religious freedom and liberty, in reality it sanctions discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, which has no place in our country.”

TechNet says the provision, if it remains in the bill, would Nullify the President's executive order prohibiting gender or sexual orientation bias in federal contracting. 

The letter was sent to the members of a joint House-Senate conference of the Armed Services Committees working on the bill, as well as the chairs and ranking members of the committees.

The House and Senate passed different versions of the bill, which must be reconciled into one bill for final passage.

Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has released her full technology  policy agenda, which includes fighting for Title II -- and applying it to interconnection -- in court if need be and tapping into a $25 billion Infrastructure Bank to provide money to localities to foster access to high-speed Internet at "affordable prices."

Among her other planks are defending net neutrality abroad, creating a Chief Innovation Adviser position, closing the "digital divide," pushing 5G wireless deployment, reallocating and repurposing government spectrum, and promoting a multistakeholder model of Internet governance.

"Hillary believes that the government has an obligation to protect the open internet," the campaign said. [She] strongly supports the FCC decision under the Obama Administration to adopt strong network-neutrality rules that deemed Internet service providers to be common carriers under Title II of the Communications Act. These rules now ban broadband discrimination, prohibit pay-for-play favoritism and establish oversight of “interconnection” relationships between providers. Hillary would defend these rules in court and continue to enforce them. She also maintains her opposition to policies that unnecessarily restrict the free flow of data online – such as the high-profile fight over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)."

In the platform, the Clinton campaign points out that the candidate made network neutrality a foreign policy imperative as Secretary of State..

The Computer & Communications Industry Association, representing many companies that also pushed for net-neutrality rules and broadband buildouts, applauded the candidate's tech platform.

“The ability to grow the economy in the future will depend on a good foundation for the digital economy," said CCIA president Ed Black. "This is the platform of a candidate who can be trusted to grow the economy. [W]hat distinguishes Clinton is her articulation of a platform to provide better trained workers, Internet access, and policies both here and with our trading partners to deliver economic growth.” 

CCIA had suggested a tech policy platform in a letter to the presidential candidates.

Linda Moore, president of TechNet, comprising senior technology execs, praised Clinton for outlining her agenda and echoed CCIA's shout-out.

“Hillary Clinton is the first of the presidential candidates to lay out a technology and innovation agenda," Moore said. "In doing so, Hillary proves that she gets it — that our nation's ability to grow our economy and drive job creation is dependent on our ability to stay ahead of the curve in innovation."

TechNet was also a signatory to that tech policy platform letter.