The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 10, 2014

FACT SHEET: Supporting Economic Growth at Home and Abroad by Eliminating Trade Barriers on Information Technology Products

At the APEC leaders meeting today, President Obama announced that the United States and the People’s Republic of China had reached an understanding on a bilateral agreement on expanding the scope of goods covered by the Information Technology Agreement (ITA).  This agreement paves the way for the resumption and swift conclusion of the first major tariff-cutting deal at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 17 years, and promises a major boost to U.S. technology exports and the jobs that support them.

In remarks at the APEC plenary session today, President Obama praised the agreement as an important step in completing the final ITA agreement: “It was APEC's work that led to the Information Technology Agreement, which we are now negotiating to expand.  So, it is fitting that we are here with our APEC colleagues to share the news that the United States and China have reached an understanding that we hope will contribute to a rapid conclusion of the broader negotiations in Geneva.”

A successful ITA expansion would allow substantial expansion of "Made in America" ITA exports to growing markets without the imposition of burdensome tariffs, and support tens of thousands of well-paying U.S. manufacturing and technology jobs. 

The breakthrough came at APEC where Leaders and Ministers have repeatedly called for the "swift conclusion" of an ITA expansion agreement that is commercially significant, balanced, "and reflective of the dynamic technological developments in the information technology sector." Since their launch in 2012, negotiations to expand the ITA's product scope have grown to include 54 participants, which account for roughly 90 percent of global trade in products under negotiation. 

Eliminating Barriers to High-Tech Trade

  • Since the ITA went into force in 1997, global trade covered by the ITA has more than tripled, rising to more than $4 trillion in annual trade.  Despite extensive advances in technology, however, the product scope of the agreement has never been expanded.
  • More than 200 tariff lines will be reduced to zero under an expanded ITA.
  • Medical equipment, GPS devices, video game consoles, computer software and next generation semiconductors are among the high-tech products that will see tariff elimination.

Economic Boon at Home and Across the Globe

Industry estimates have concluded that a successful expansion of the ITA agreement would:

  • Support up to 60,000 additional U.S. jobs.
  • Eliminate tariffs on roughly $1 trillion in annual global sales of information and communications technology products of which more than $100 billion now come from the United States.
  • Increase annual global GDP by an estimated $190 billion.
  • Boost productivity and growth across the global economy, particularly in developing countries.

Background

  • An ITA agreement will unlock global economic opportunity at home and abroad. Industry estimates have concluded that a successful expansion of the ITA agreement would eliminate tariffs on roughly $1 trillion in annual global sales of information and communications technology (ICT) products and increase annual global GDP by an estimated $190 billion. Because the U.S. is a global leader in high-tech manufacturing and production, industry also estimates that an expanded ITA will support up to 60,000 additional U.S. jobs. In addition, an agreement will lower costs for downstream manufacturing and services industries that rely on ICT parts and components as inputs, increasing their competitiveness.
  • The U.S.-China breakthrough is key to completing the ITA expansion. ITA expansion talks have been stalemated since disagreements among the parties resulted in suspension of negotiations in November 2013. Since that time, China and the United States have been working to narrow their differences, but without a breakthrough sufficient to resume talks among all WTO members involved.  A U.S.- China understanding has been widely viewed as a critical step toward completion of the agreement, with full talks now targeted for December in Geneva.
  • The U.S.-China breakthrough is the culmination of efforts coordinated across the Administration. The President has directly made ITA expansion a top economic priority since meeting with President Xi Jinping in Sunnylands in June 2013 and has regularly reiterated the importance of a mutually beneficial agreement.  The Office of the United States Trade Representative led efforts across the Administration on negotiating an agreement with assistance from the Departments of the Treasury and Commerce as well as the White House. Negotiations have taken place in Beijing and Geneva as well as at important U.S.-China economic fora including at the JCCT, the S&ED, in addition to numerous discussions on the margins of APEC meetings.     
  • Expanding ITA supports U.S. manufacturing and technology industries. Many of the products that would see tariff elimination under an expanded ITA are in key U.S. industries that support good jobs, including in the manufacturing and technology sectors. A sample of some of the impacted products and the size of the tariff reduction they would benefit from, include:
    • Next generation semiconductors – Tariffs up to 25 percent reduced to zero.
    • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines -- Tariffs up to 8 percent reduced to zero.
    • Computed Tomography (CT) scanners – Tariffs up to 8 percent reduced to zero.
    • Global Positioning System (GPS) devices - Tariffs up to 8 percent reduced to zero.
    • Printed matter/cards to download software and games – Tariffs up to 10 percent reduced to zero.
    • Printer ink cartridges – Tariffs up to 25 percent reduced to zero.
    • Static converters and inductors – Tariffs up to 10 percent reduced to zero.
    • Loudspeakers – Tariffs up to 30 percent reduced to zero.
    • Software media, such as solid state drives - Tariffs up to 30 percent reduced to zero.
    • Video game consoles – Tariffs up to 30 percent reduced to zero.      
    • An expanded ITA would also eliminate import duties on a range of additional technology products including high-tech medical devices, video cameras, and an array of high-tech ICT testing instruments.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 10, 2014

FACT SHEET: The Obama Administration Continues its Commitment to Veterans, Service Members, and Military Families

On this Veteran’s Day, as we pause to thank the men and women who keep America free, the Administration is redoubling our efforts to serve those that serve us, not only by ensuring that our veterans get the benefits they have earned, but by expanding opportunity for those who sacrifice so much to serve our country: our service members, veterans and their families.

During his annual address to Veteran Service Organizations at the American Legion National Convention, President Obama outlined this Administration’s  five priorities for fulfilling our promises to all those who have served: ensuring the VA has the resources our veterans deserve; delivering the health care veterans have been promised; ending the disability claims backlog; protecting the dignity and rights of all veterans; and making sure all veterans have every opportunity to pursue the American Dream. 

The Department of Veterans Affairs has made significant progress already through Secretary Bob McDonald’s Road to Veterans Day plan, the roadmap for his first 90 days. We will continue to build on this foundation to improve service delivery, rebuild trust with veterans, and set the course for long term reform.

Ensuring the Department of Veterans Affairs Has the Resources to Serve Our Veterans

Over the past five years, the Administration has made more benefits and opportunities available to more veterans than ever before.   Funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs is at its highest level ever, having increased 33 percent during the President’s tenure.  For the first time in history, beginning in FY 2011, continuity of care for our veterans has been guaranteed, with more than $55 billion in advance appropriations provided in FY 2015 for VA medical programs to ensure that manufactured crises in Washington don’t disrupt care for our veterans. 

Delivering the Health Care Veterans Have Been Promised

VA has made significant progress in accelerating care to veterans and addressing instances of unacceptable wait-times.  To improve service delivery, VA has prioritized efforts to get Veterans off of wait lists and into clinics through the Accelerated Care Initiative.  As part of this initiative, VA medical centers have increased access to care inside and outside of VA, added more clinic hours and work days, deployed mobile medical units, and shared their best practices from VA’s high-performing facilities throughout the organization.  Significant improvements have resulted nationally over the past four months:

  • VA medical centers have scheduled 1.2 million more appointments than during the same period last year
  • Reduced the national primary care wait time by 18 percent
  • Completed 98 percent of appointments within 30 days of the veterans’ preferred date, or the date determined to be medically necessary by a physician
  • From June to October 1, 2014, VA has authorized 1.1 million non-VA care authorizations, a 47 percent increase over the same period last year. 

To respond to veterans’ mental health needs, and in response to the President’s Executive Order, VA has also substantially increased mental health staffing, expanded the capacity of the Veterans Crisis Line by 50%, and enhanced its partnerships with community mental health providers.  In August, the President announced 19 new executive actions to continue to improve the mental health of service members, veterans, and their families.

Ending the Disability Claims Backlog

The Obama Administration is paying the largest number of veteran disability claims in the history of our country.  By partnering with Veteran Service Organizations to systematically reduce the benefits claims backlog, we have reduced it by more than 60 percent since its peak in March 2013 and we are on track to eliminate the backlog completely in 2015.

Protecting the Dignity and Rights of All Veterans

President Obama has presided over the steepest decline in veterans’ homelessness in history.  For the first time, ending homelessness among veterans is a federal policy priority, backed by a coordinated interagency effort that is yielding concrete results:

  • Since 2010, overall homelessness among veterans is down 33 percent and unsheltered veteran homelessness is down 43 percent.  This means that on any given night, there are 25,000 fewer veterans on the streets or in shelters. 
  • Answering the President’s call to action, more than 250 mayors, governors, and county executives have committed to end veteran homelessness in their communities. 

The President has proposed an expansion of tax credits for private firms hiring disabled veterans.  He has also expanded consumer protections for veterans, and provided compensation for service members and combat veterans who were wrongfully foreclosed upon while deployed in defense of our nation.  

Making Sure All Veterans Have Every Opportunity to Pursue the American Dream

The Administration oversaw and ensured adequate resources for the successful implementation of the Post 9-11 GI Bill®.  Since the inception of Post-9/11 GI Bill®, VA has issued more than $46.2 billion in Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit payments to over 1.3 million individuals.  By 2014, over 790,000 were using the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, almost 2 times the number of all education benefit beneficiaries in 2000 (397,000). 

We have seen strong improvement in employment for veterans.  The 12 month average of the unemployment rate for veterans has fallen by over a third since its peak, decreasing from a high of 8.7 percent to 5.6 percent today.  In addition, the 12 month average of the unemployment rate for Post-9/11 veterans has been reduced by over a third since its high in December 2011.  However, as with our wider veterans population, there remains work to do with ensuring Post-9/11 veterans find quality jobs.  Post-9/11 veterans are still unemployed at higher rates than similar non-veteran individuals, and we need to keep working to close that gap. 

The Obama Administration also has the highest number of veterans working in the Executive Branch since the mid-1970s.  Since the President created the Council on Veterans Employment in Executive Order 13518 in November 2009, the percentage of veterans hired by the Executive Branch has steadily increased from 24 percent in FY 2009 to 31 percent in FY 2013.

Finally, the Administration has worked to help veterans transition into licensed careers in their preferred state once their service has concluded, and to help licensed military spouses continue their careers when a service member’s family is relocated.  As a result, the Administration has overseen the largest expansion of occupational licensing portability for service members and their spouses in history.  Working in close partnership with state policy makers and Veteran Service Organizations, 48 States now support some form of expedited portability. 

Supporting Families of Veterans and Service Members

This Administration is supporting the families of military members and veterans in an unprecedented way.  In 2011, Mrs. Obama and Dr. Jill Biden came together to launch Joining Forces, a nationwide initiative calling all Americans to rally around service members, veterans, and their families, and to support them through wellness, education, and employment opportunities.  Joining Forces works hand in hand with the public and private sector to help provide service members, veterans, and their families with the tools they need to succeed throughout their lives.

  • Employment:  Through the Military Spouse Employment Partnership more than 60,000 military spouses have been hired by 220 private- and public-sector partners since the program launched, and more than 540,000 veterans and military spouses have been hired in the past three years through Joining Forces Companies responding to the President’s call to action to hire.
  • Education:  More than 100 colleges and universities have signed on to “Educate the Educators”, the Joining Forces commitment that will help prepare educators to lead classrooms and develop school cultures that are more responsive to the social, emotional, and academic needs of children in military families.
  • Wellness:  Through the American Associations of Colleges of Nursing more than 150 state and national nursing organizations and over 650 nursing schools have committed to prepare the nation’s nursing workforce to meet the unique health needs of service members, veterans, and their families by educating the current and future nurses of America to have a better understanding of PTSD and TBI.

 

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release
November 10, 2014

Readout of the Vice President’s Call with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko

Vice President Joe Biden spoke today with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko about the situation in the east, the formation of a new government, and Ukraine’s commitment to reforms. President Poroshenko informed the Vice President about Russia’s blatant escalation of the situation in eastern Ukraine, including increased shelling of Ukrainian government positions and the transfer of additional heavy weapons to the separatists. The Vice President and President Poroshenko agreed it was critical for Russia to begin honoring its commitments under the September 5 Minsk Protocol, which calls, among other things, for Russia to: withdraw its troops, equipment and mercenaries from Ukraine; return control over the Ukrainian side of the international border to the Ukrainian government; allow for the deployment of an OSCE border monitoring mission; and return Ukrainian hostages captured by Russian forces and their proxies. The Vice President noted that if Russia continued to wilfully violate the terms of the Minsk agreement, the costs to Russia will increase. Finally, the Vice President urged the speedy conclusion of a coalition agreement to enable the Ukrainian government to continue the process of passing and then implementing reforms, and delivering on other commitments made to the Ukrainian people in the October 26 parliamentary elections.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 10, 2014

President Obama Names Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama named nineteen recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. The awards will be presented at the White House on November 24th.

President Obama said, “I look forward to presenting these nineteen bold, inspiring Americans with our Nation’s highest civilian honor.  From activists who fought for change to artists who explored the furthest reaches of our imagination; from scientists who kept America on the cutting edge to public servants who help write new chapters in our American story, these citizens have made extraordinary contributions to our country and the world.” 

The following individuals will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom:

Alvin Ailey (posthumous)

Ailey was a choreographer, dancer, and the founder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which is renowned for its inspiring performances in 71 countries on 6 continents since 1958.  Ailey’s work was groundbreaking in its exploration of the African American experience and the enrichment of the modern dance tradition, including his beloved American masterpiece Revelations.  The Ailey organization, based in New York City, carries on his pioneering legacy with performances, training, educational, and community programs for people of all backgrounds.

Isabel Allende

Isabel Allende is a highly acclaimed author of 21 books that have sold 65 million copies in 35 languages. She has been recognized with numerous awards internationally. She received the prestigious National Literary Award in Chile, her country of origin, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Tom Brokaw

Tom Brokaw is one of America’s most trusted and respected journalists. Mr. Brokaw served as anchor of NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004, and is currently a Special Correspondent for NBC News. For decades, Mr. Brokaw has reached millions of Americans in living rooms across the country to provide depth and analysis to historic moments as they unfold, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the terrorist attacks of 9-11. His reporting has been recognized by the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award, two Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, eleven Emmys, and two Peabody awards. Mr. Brokaw previously served as anchor of NBC’s Today, and following the death of his close friend Tim Russert, Mr. Brokaw took over Meet the Press during the 2008 campaign season.   He has written five books including The Greatest Generation, a title that gave name to those who served in World War II at home and abroad.

James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner (posthumous)

James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner were civil rights activists and participants in “Freedom Summer,” an historic voter registration drive in 1964.  As African Americans were systematically being blocked from voter rolls, Mr. Chaney, Mr. Goodman, and Mr. Schwerner joined hundreds of others working to register black voters in Mississippi.  They were murdered at the outset of Freedom Summer. Their deaths shocked the nation and their efforts helped to inspire many of the landmark civil rights advancements that followed.

Mildred Dresselhaus

Mildred Dresselhaus is one of the most prominent physicists, materials scientists, and electrical engineers of her generation.  A professor of physics and electrical engineering at MIT, she is best known for deepening our understanding of condensed matter systems and the atomic properties of carbon, which has contributed to major advances in electronics and materials research.

John Dingell

John Dingell is a lifelong public servant, the longest serving Member of Congress in American history, and one of the most influential legislators in history. Having represented Michigan in the House of Representatives since 1955, Mr. Dingell has fought for landmark pieces of legislation over the past six decades, from civil rights legislation in the 1960s, to legislation protecting our environment in the 1970s, to his persistent, determined fight for health care throughout his career, from Medicare to the Affordable Care Act.  Mr. Dingell also served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Ethel Kennedy

Ethel Kennedy has dedicated her life to advancing the cause of social justice, human rights, environmental protection, and poverty reduction by creating countless ripples of hope to effect change around the world.  Over 45 years ago, she founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, which is dedicated to realizing her husband’s dream of a more just and peaceful world. Ethel Kennedy was most recently honored for her longtime advocacy of environmental causes in neglected areas of Washington, D.C. with the dedication of the “Ethel Kennedy Bridge” over the Anacostia River.

Suzan Harjo

Suzan Harjo is a writer, curator, and activist who has advocated for improving the lives of Native peoples throughout her career.  As a member of the Carter Administration and as current president of the Morning Star Institute, she has been a key figure in many important Indian legislative battles, including the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act.  Dr. Harjo is Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee, and a citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes.

Abner Mikva

Abner Mikva is a dedicated public servant who has served with distinction in all three branches of government.  He was a five-term Congressman from Illinois, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and White House Counsel for President Bill Clinton. He has also served as a law professor at Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois.

Patsy Takemoto Mink (posthumous)

Patsy Takemoto Mink was a Congresswoman from Hawai'i, serving a total of 12 terms. She was born and raised on Maui, became the first Japanese American female attorney in Hawai'i, and served in the Hawai'i territorial and state legislatures beginning in 1956. In 1964, she became the first woman of color elected to Congress. She is best known for co-authoring and championing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

Edward Roybal (posthumous)

Edward R. Roybal was the first Mexican-American to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from California in nearly a century. In 1976, he founded the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, creating a national forum for Latino issues and opening doors for a new generation of Latino leaders. 

Charles Sifford

Charles Sifford was a professional golfer who helped to desegregate the Professional Golfers’ Association, despite harassment and death threats. He started his life on the links as a caddy, and though he was formally excluded from the PGA for much of his career because of the color of his skin, he won six National Negro Opens. In 1960, he won his challenge over the PGA’s “Caucasian only” membership policy. He went on to win official PGA events and the PGA Seniors’ Championship. He was inducted in the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004 and received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of St. Andrews in 2006.

Robert Solow

Robert Solow is one of the most widely respected economists of the past sixty years. His research in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s transformed the field, laying the groundwork for much of modern economics.  He continues to influence policy makers, demonstrating how smart investments, especially in new technology, can build broad-based prosperity, and he continues to actively participate in contemporary debates about inequality and economic growth.  He is a Nobel laureate, winning the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1987.

Stephen Sondheim

Stephen Sondheim is one of the country’s most influential theater composers and lyricists.  His work has helped define American theater with shows such as Company, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, and Into the Woods.  Mr. Sondheim has won eight Grammy Awards, eight Tony Awards, an Academy Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep is one of the most widely known and acclaimed actors in history.  Ms. Streep has captured our imaginations with her unparalleled ability to portray a wide range of roles and attract an audience that has only grown over time, portraying characters who embody the full range of the human experience.  She holds the record for most Academy Award nominations of any actor in history.

Marlo Thomas

Marlo Thomas is an award-winning actress, producer, best-selling author and social activist. Whether championing equality for girls and women, giving voice to the less fortunate, breaking barriers by portraying one of television’s first single working women on That Girl, or teaching children to be “Free to Be You and Me,” Thomas inspires us all to dream bigger and reach higher. Thomas serves as National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a pediatric treatment and research facility focused on pediatric cancer and children's catastrophic diseases. The hospital was founded by her father, Danny Thomas, in 1962.   

Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder is one of the world’s most gifted singer-songwriters.  Mr. Wonder has created a sound entirely his own, mixing rhythm and blues with genres ranging from rock and roll to reggae, and demonstrating his mastery of a range of instruments, styles, and themes.  He is also a Kennedy Center Honoree, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and winner of 25 Grammys and an Academy Award.

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 10, 2014

President Obama Announces Presidential Delegation to attend The Republic of Zambia’s Funeral for President Michael Chilufya Sata

President Barack Obama today announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to the Republic of Zambia to attend the Funeral for President Michael Chilufya Sata, on November 10, 2014.

The Honorable Eric T. Schultz, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Zambia, will lead the delegation.

Member of the Delegation:

Dr. Susan Brems, Mission Director to the Republic of Zambia, United States Agency for International Development

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 10, 2014

Letter from the President -- FY 2015 Budget amendments

November 10, 2014

Dear Mr. Speaker:

I ask the Congress to consider the enclosed Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Budget amendments for the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of State and Other International Programs (State/OIP) to fund Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO). These amendments would provide $5.6 billion for OCO activities to degrade and ultimately defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) -- including military operations as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. 

Accordingly, this request would provide $5.0 billion for DOD OCO activities in addition to the $58.6 billion DOD OCO request I submitted to the Congress in June 2014, and would result in a total DOD OCO request for FY 2015 of $63.6 billion.  This amount is $15.8 billion less than the $79.4 billion placeholder for DOD OCO in the FY 2015 Budget. The request would also provide $520 million for State/OIP OCO activities, which is in addition to the $7.3 billion I requested for State/OIP OCO activities in the FY 2015 Budget and the June budget amendment.  

The approach to counter ISIL has evolved with emerging requirements identified subsequent to the June OCO amendment, and therefore not previously requested.  These amendments include the additional funding necessary to degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism strategy.

The details of these amendments are set forth in the enclosed letter from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

BARACK OBAMA

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 10, 2014

Statement by the President on Net Neutrality

An open Internet is essential to the American economy, and increasingly to our very way of life.  By lowering the cost of launching a new idea, igniting new political movements, and bringing communities closer together, it has been one of the most significant democratizing influences the world has ever known.

“Net neutrality” has been built into the fabric of the Internet since its creation — but it is also a principle that we cannot take for granted.  We cannot allow Internet service providers (ISPs) to restrict the best access or to pick winners and losers in the online marketplace for services and ideas.  That is why today, I am asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to answer the call of almost 4 million public comments, and implement the strongest possible rules to protect net neutrality.

When I was a candidate for this office, I made clear my commitment to a free and open Internet, and my commitment remains as strong as ever.  Four years ago, the FCC tried to implement rules that would protect net neutrality with little to no impact on the telecommunications companies that make important investments in our economy.  After the rules were challenged, the court reviewing the rules agreed with the FCC that net neutrality was essential for preserving an environment that encourages new investment in the network, new online services and content, and everything else that makes up the Internet as we now know it.  Unfortunately, the court ultimately struck down the rules — not because it disagreed with the need to protect net neutrality, but because it believed the FCC had taken the wrong legal approach. 

The FCC is an independent agency, and ultimately this decision is theirs alone.  I believe the FCC should create a new set of rules protecting net neutrality and ensuring that neither the cable company nor the phone company will be able to act as a gatekeeper, restricting what you can do or see online.  The rules I am asking for are simple, common-sense steps that reflect the Internet you and I use every day, and that some ISPs already observe.  These bright-line rules include:

  • No blocking.  If a consumer requests access to a website or service, and the content is legal, your ISP should not be permitted to block it.  That way, every player — not just those commercially affiliated with an ISP — gets a fair shot at your business.
  • No throttling.  Nor should ISPs be able to intentionally slow down some content or speed up others — through a process often called “throttling” — based on the type of service or your ISP’s preferences.
  • Increased transparency.  The connection between consumers and ISPs — the so-called “last mile” — is not the only place some sites might get special treatment.  So, I am also asking the FCC to make full use of the transparency authorities the court recently upheld, and if necessary to apply net neutrality rules to points of interconnection between the ISP and the rest of the Internet.
  • No paid prioritization.  Simply put: No service should be stuck in a “slow lane” because it does not pay a fee.  That kind of gatekeeping would undermine the level playing field essential to the Internet’s growth.  So, as I have before, I am asking for an explicit ban on paid prioritization and any other restriction that has a similar effect.

If carefully designed, these rules should not create any undue burden for ISPs, and can have clear, monitored exceptions for reasonable network management and for specialized services such as dedicated, mission-critical networks serving a hospital.  But combined, these rules mean everything for preserving the Internet’s openness.

The rules also have to reflect the way people use the Internet today, which increasingly means on a mobile device.  I believe the FCC should make these rules fully applicable to mobile broadband as well, while recognizing the special challenges that come with managing wireless networks. 

To be current, these rules must also build on the lessons of the past.  For almost a century, our law has recognized that companies who connect you to the world have special obligations not to exploit the monopoly they enjoy over access in and out of your home or business.  That is why a phone call from a customer of one phone company can reliably reach a customer of a different one, and why you will not be penalized solely for calling someone who is using another provider.  It is common sense that the same philosophy should guide any service that is based on the transmission of information — whether a phone call, or a packet of data.

So the time has come for the FCC to recognize that broadband service is of the same importance and must carry the same obligations as so many of the other vital services do.  To do that, I believe the FCC should reclassify consumer broadband service under Title II of the Telecommunications Act — while at the same time forbearing from rate regulation and other provisions less relevant to broadband services.  This is a basic acknowledgment of the services ISPs provide to American homes and businesses, and the straightforward obligations necessary to ensure the network works for everyone — not just one or two companies.

Investment in wired and wireless networks has supported jobs and made America the center of a vibrant ecosystem of digital devices, apps, and platforms that fuel growth and expand opportunity. Importantly, network investment remained strong under the previous net neutrality regime, before it was struck down by the court; in fact, the court agreed that protecting net neutrality helps foster more investment and innovation.  If the FCC appropriately forbears from the Title II regulations that are not needed to implement the principles above — principles that most ISPs have followed for years — it will help ensure new rules are consistent with incentives for further investment in the infrastructure of the Internet.

The Internet has been one of the greatest gifts our economy — and our society — has ever known.  The FCC was chartered to promote competition, innovation, and investment in our networks.  In service of that mission, there is no higher calling than protecting an open, accessible, and free Internet.  I thank the Commissioners for having served this cause with distinction and integrity, and I respectfully ask them to adopt the policies I have outlined here, to preserve this technology’s promise for today, and future generations to come.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 10, 2014

FACT SHEET: Supporting American Job Growth And Strengthening Ties By Extending U.S./China Visa Validity for Tourists, Business Travelers, and Students

Today, President Obama announced that the United States and the People’s Republic of China are concluding a reciprocal visa validity arrangement during his visit that will strengthen our ever-broadening economic and people-to-people ties.  Both countries have agreed to increase the validity of short-term tourist and business visas issued to each other’s citizens from one to ten years – the longest validity possible under U.S. law – and increase the validity of student and exchange visas from one to five years.  The United States will begin issuing visas in accordance with the new reciprocal agreement on November 12, 2014.

This arrangement will improve trade, investment, and business ties by facilitating travel and offering easier access to both economies.  Extended validity visas for students and exchange visitors will boost the bonds between our two peoples and facilitate travel for outstanding students from around the world who attend U.S. institutions of higher education.  As a result of this arrangement, the United States hopes to welcome a growing share of eligible Chinese travelers, inject billions in the U.S. economy and create enough demand to support hundreds of thousands of additional U.S. jobs.  Travelers will continue to be subject to all the same legal and security reviews that currently apply to visa applicants. 

  • Welcoming a Growing Share of Chinese Travelers.
    • China is the fastest-growing outbound tourism market in the world, and in 2013, 1.8 million Chinese travelers visited the United States, contributing $21.1 billion to the U.S. economy and supporting more than 109,000 American jobs.
    • Chinese travelers consistently rank the United States as their most-desired travel destination, yet less than 2 percent of total Chinese travelers come to the United States.
    • Chinese travelers cite ease of visa policies as the second most important factor in deciding where to travel, behind only cost.
    • A competitive visa policy will help us meet projections that suggest as many as 7.3 million Chinese travelers will come to the United States by 2021, contributing nearly $85 billion a year to the economy and supporting up to 440,000 U.S. jobs.
  • Strengthening Bonds Between Chinese and American Students.
    • 28 percent of all foreign students and exchange visitors in the United States originate from China.
    • Chinese students in the United States spent $8 billion in 2013, an increase of nearly 24 percent over the previous year.
    • Today’s arrangement will allow American and Chinese students to more easily travel back and forth, making foreign study a more attractive option, increasing opportunities for people-to-people ties, and boosting mutual understanding.

Extending Visa Validity to Increase the Number of Chinese Travelers Coming to the United States and Support American Jobs

Today, the President is taking action to welcome more Chinese visitors to the United States, in order to support America’s most important and largest services export – tourism.  Chinese travelers persistently rank the United States as their top desired travel destination, but only slightly more than 1.8 percent of total outbound travelers go to the United States.  Chinese travelers cite ease of visa policies as the second most important factor in deciding where to travel, behind only cost.  A competitive visa policy is needed to secure our place as the chosen destination for millions of Chinese travelers.

  • Travel and tourism is a major driver of the U.S. economy and we have made significant progress in improving our visa processing.  In 2013, nearly 70 million international travelers visited the United States, experiencing all that America has to offer from our cities to our many national parks. Those visits support nearly 1.1 million American jobs – including thousands at local and small businesses.  Growth in international visitors has created roughly 260,000 American jobs over the past five years alone. The Administration has taken steps to support this impressive growth, including improving visa processing waiting periods in important markets like China where they have dropped from as high as several months to less than five days on average. In total, the State Department issued 9.2 million visas worldwide in 2013, up 42 percent since 2010.
  • Global growth of outbound travel from China represents an unprecedented opportunity to foster job creation across the country.  China is the fastest growing outbound tourism market in the world, and Chinese visitors have accounted for 20 percent of the growth in overseas travel to the United States since 2008.  In 2013, 1.8 million Chinese travelers visited the United States, contributing $21.1 billion to the U.S. economy and supporting more than 109,000 U.S. jobs.  As incomes in China continue to rise, the number of Chinese citizens able to afford international travel and tourism is projected to more than double over the next few years, reaching the hundreds of millions.  Close to 7.3 million Chinese are projected to travel to the United States by 2021, contributing nearly $85 billion a year to the economy and supporting 440,000 jobs. But if our visa policy were allowed to fall behind other countries, we might miss out on much of this additional economic activity.
  • The United States must continue to maintain a competitive advantage in the global business arena. Extending visa validity will bring the United States into line or surpass other destinations that have already eased visa restrictions for Chinese travelers such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan.  The European Commission, France, Germany, and Italy are also taking steps to extend visa validity to Chinese travelers.  Today’s announcement will allow more Chinese to make the United States their destination of choice.
  • Increasing business travel will support the President’s goal of increasing exports. Increasing visa validity for U.S. citizens traveling to China makes it easier to respond to market and commercial opportunities in China, helping to boost U.S. exports, foster increased trade ties, and improve commercial linkages between U.S. and Chinese firms.  In the near term, extending visa validity for Chinese business travelers will also help meet the President’s SelectUSA goal of boosting inward investment into the United States as the U.S. travel and tourism industry commits to making upfront investments in new hotels and other infrastructure in anticipation of a rise in Chinese inbound travel.

Strengthening Tourism and Education Opportunities by Enhancing Student Visas

Chinese student and exchange visitors represent 30 percent of all such visas issued worldwide, with Chinese nationals comprising the largest group of foreign students in the United States.  Students, exchange visitors, and their dependents may now receive multiple-entry visas valid for up to five years, depending on their program.  This will allow American and Chinese students to more easily travel back and forth, making foreign study a more attractive option, increasing opportunities for people-to-people ties, and boosting mutual understanding.  

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 10, 2014

FACT SHEET: The U.S.-Australia Alliance

Reinforcing our long history of close cooperation and partnership, President Obama and Prime Minister Abbott today reviewed a series of initiatives to expand and deepen collaboration between the United States and Australia.

Security and Defense Cooperation

The U.S.-Australia alliance is an anchor of peace and stability not only in the Asia-Pacific region but around the world.  The United States and Australia will work together – bilaterally, in regional bodies, and through the UN – to advance peace and security from the coast of Somalia to Afghanistan and to confront international challenges, such as Syria; Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine; and North Korea.

In responding to the threat posed by ISIL and foreign terrorist fighters, the United States and Australia are working together with an international coalition to degrade and defeat ISIL by providing military support to Iraq, cutting off ISIL’s funding, countering its warped ideology, and stemming the flow of foreign terrorist fighters into its ranks.  The United States and Australia are coordinating closely through the Global Counterterrorism Forum.  Australia supported U.S.-drafted United Nations Security Council Resolution 2178, which condemns violent extremism and underscores the need to stem support for foreign terrorist fighters, and the two countries will work together toward its implementation.  Additionally, together, we continue to provide critical humanitarian support to the victims of conflict in Syria and Iraq.

In Afghanistan, the United States and Australia have worked to together to enable the Afghan government to provide effective security across the country and develop the new Afghan security forces to ensure Afghanistan can never again become a safe haven for terrorists.  The United States and Afghanistan will continue this close partnership, focused on the development and sustainment of Afghan security forces and institutions, after the combat mission ends in Afghanistan this year and the Resolute Support Mission begins.

The U.S.-Australian Force Posture Agreement, announced by the President and Prime Minister in June and signed in August, deepens our long-standing defense cooperation and the advancement of a peaceful, secure, and prosperous Asia-Pacific region.  While implementing the force posture initiatives jointly announced in 2011, the United States and Australia continuously seek opportunities to strengthen our interoperability, coordination, and cooperation.

As Pacific nations,  the United States and Australia share an abiding interest in peaceful resolution of disputes in the maritime domain; respect for international law and unimpeded lawful commerce; and preserving freedom of navigation and overflight.  Both countries oppose the use of intimidation, coercion, or force to advance territorial or maritime claims in the East and South China Seas.  In their June 2014 joint op-ed, the two leaders called on claimants to clarify and pursue claims in accordance with international law, including the Law of the Sea Convention, and expressed support for the rights of claimants to seek peaceful resolution of disputes through legal mechanisms, including arbitration, under the Convention.  Both countries continue to call for ASEAN and China to reach early agreement on a meaningful Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

The United States and Australia are responding to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and supporting the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) to accelerate measureable progress toward a world safe and secure from infectious disease threats.

The United States congratulates Australia as it nears the end of its two years on the United Nations Security Council, during which time Australia has been a powerful and important voice on a range of issues relating to international peace and security, especially the ongoing conflict in Syria and the global threat posed by terrorism.

Cooperation for Economic Growth and Prosperity

The United States and Australia share a commitment to deepening further economic ties, including by concluding the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a high-standard, 21st century agreement that will promote economic growth and job creation in both countries and around the region.  In January 2015, the Australia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement will celebrate ten years of facilitating trade and investment between our two countries, having nearly doubled our goods trade and increased our services trade by more than 122 percent.

The United States remains the largest foreign investor in Australia, accounting for over a quarter of its foreign investment.  The United States and Australia also work closely in multilateral institutions such as APEC to promote sustainable growth and shared prosperity in the region.

A vital aspect of economic growth is promoting greater gender equality.  The United States and Australia are working together to enhance women’s political and economic participation.  As founding members of the Equal Futures Partnership, our two nations continue to collaborate to expand economic opportunities for women and increase women’s participation in leadership positions in politics, civic society, and economic life.

The United States and Australia recognize the threat of climate change, including in the Pacific, and the need to take bold steps to boost clean energy, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and help ensure a successful and ambitious global climate change agreement in Paris next year.  The United States underscored the importance of submitting ambitious post-2020 climate commitments for the new agreement as soon as possible and preferably by the end of March 2015.   Both countries are collaborating with Pacific Island countries to promote sustainable development practices.

The President congratulated Prime Minister Abbott on the preparations for the G20 Summit, and noted he looks forward to the important and vibrant discussions ahead.

Science, Technology, and Innovation

U.S.-Australia science, technology, and innovation cooperation will strengthen our work on cutting edge issues, ranging from neuroscience to clean energy to information technology.  Under the auspices of the U.S.-Australia Science and Technology Agreement, our two countries collaborate on clean energy, marine, and health research.

Through the Ambassador of the United States’ Innovation Roundtables, the United States and Australia are creating an additional platform to leverage U.S.-Australia innovation partnerships and strengthen our interactions in innovative areas and promote a positive, future-oriented vision of our bilateral relationship.

The United States and Australia are two of the founding partners of the new $200 million Global Innovation Fund (GIF), which will invest in social innovations that aim to improve the lives of and opportunities for millions of people in the developing world.

People-to-People Ties

The U.S.-Australia Alliance is based on a long tradition of cooperation at all levels of government, business and civil society.

In partnership with the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Perth USAsia Centre at the University of Western Australia, the United States established the “Alliance 21 Fellowship,” a three-year exchange of senior scholars and policy analysts that will further examine the shared interests and mutual benefits of the U.S.-Australia alliance through research and public engagement.

The United States and Australia form a partnership that is key to the future of both countries and peace and prosperity around the globe.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 10, 2014

Trans-Pacific Partnership Leaders’ Statement

November 10, 2014

We, the Leaders of Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States, and Vietnam, welcome the significant progress in recent months, as reported to us by our Ministers, that sets the stage to bring these landmark Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations to conclusion. We are encouraged that Ministers and negotiators have narrowed the remaining gaps on the legal text of the agreement and that they are intensively engaging to complete ambitious and balanced packages to open our markets to one another, in accordance with the instructions we gave them in Bali a year ago. With the end coming into focus, we have instructed our Ministers and negotiators to make concluding this agreement a top priority so that our businesses, workers, farmers, and consumers can start to reap the real and substantial benefits of the TPP agreement as soon as possible.

As we mobilize our teams to conclude the negotiations, we remain committed to ensuring that the final agreement reflects our common vision of an ambitious, comprehensive, high-standard, and balanced agreement that enhances the competitiveness of our economies, promotes innovation and entrepreneurship, spurs economic growth and prosperity, and supports job creation in our countries. We are dedicated to ensuring that the benefits of the agreement serve to promote development that is sustainable, broad based and inclusive, and that the agreement takes into account the diversity of our levels of development.  The gains that TPP will bring to each of our countries can expand even further should the open approach we are developing extend more broadly throughout the region.  We remain committed to a TPP structure that can include other regional partners that are prepared to adopt its high standards.

Our fundamental direction to our Ministers throughout this process has been to negotiate an outcome that will generate the greatest possible benefit for each of our countries.  In order to achieve that, our governments have worked to reflect the input we each have received from our stakeholders in the negotiation.  Continued engagement will be critical as our Ministers work to resolve the remaining issues in the negotiation.