Cisco against Buy America provisions of the $7.2B broadband stimulus fund

[ChromeFoundry]

Source: NetworkWorld

From: Jeff Campbell (jeffrcam)
Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 3:55 PM
To: '[e-mail]'
Cc: 'Mark Seifert'
Subject: Notice of Ex Parte Discussion/Cisco Systems


On March 23, 2009, Jeffrey A. Campbell, Senior Director of Technology
and Trade Policy for Cisco Systems, Inc. spoke telephonically with Mark
Seifert, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary, NTIA regarding the
applicability of the "Buy America" provisions of the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to the Broadband Technology Opportunities
Program. Mr. Campbell indicated that Cisco did not believe that
broadband grants under BTOP constituted a "public work" which would
subject them to the "Buy America" requirement. Mr. Campbell also
indicated in the alternative that if the grants were determined to be
covered, then a public interest waiver of the "Buy America" requirements
should be granted for all electronics equipment used in broadband
networks.


Jeffrey A. Campbell
Senior Director, Technology and Trade Policy
Global Policy and Government Affairs

[e-mail]
Phone :[phone]
Fax :[phone]


Cisco Systems, Inc.
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Suite 250
Washington, DC 20004
United States
www.cisco.com

According to the above email, sent only hours ago by Cisco Systems to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Cisco is against the "Buy America" provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.

Cisco has agreed to comment regarding its position against the "Buy America" provisions, but it could not meet our deadline.

The Buy American Provisions That Cisco is Against:

Page 189



Read more: http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/40950

[OhioChick]

1. They don't really make anything here in the U.S. anymore, do they?

Just found this today:

Cisco 'could' announce 10% layoffs, analyst predicts (6,600 jobs)

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9131570

[Pavulon]

4. Smartnet = dumbnet

over the years the quality of support has crashed. They went from bright, smart people who knew their stuff to the same morons who answer for cable modem support. You have to time calls to them out not to get dumbshits.

Bet the offshore crowd will not be in the 10% hit.

They make NOTHING here to my knowledge.

[ChromeFoundry]

5. They make one thing here...

MONEY on overpriced networking equipment made in China.

If memory serves me correctly, Chambers once made the bold statement that Cisco would not be a US company in a few years, but a Chinese company. I will look for a link for that...

On Edit:

"China will become the IT center of the world.... What we're trying to do is outline an entire strategy of becoming a Chinese company."

John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems, Inc., boasted about his company's China strategy at a September 7, 2004 press conference in Beijing.

[OhioChick]

7. I remember that....

I read it in one of my tech magazines a few years back.

[w4rma]

2. None of Cisco's technology is built here. That's a huge security risk. (nt)

[DBoon]

6. Like this?

An FBI PowerPoint presentation provides details about a criminal investigation into counterfeit CISCO hardware originating from China, and sold by Gold/Silver partners to numerous US government, military, and intelligence agencies. The concern of the article's author and the FBI is that the counterfeit equipment may be state-sponsored to aid in accessing otherwise secure systems (slides 46+47). Says the article author: 'The threat is real. Compromised hardware of potentially hostile foreign origin sits within secure networks of the US government, military, and intelligence services. And as you now see, the FBI has been concerned about it.'"

http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/04/22/1317212

[w4rma]

11. Exactly like that. Wow, that's even worse than I had hypothesized. (nt)

[OhioChick]

14. Nice. n/t

[Deja Q]

15. Or agencies (including the government) that outsource data storage and don't get told when

the servers are stolen, even twice... (a union government worker friend told me some shocking news. If true, why is government outsourcing data storage? Shouldn't our tax money go to keeping it here? so we can be responsible? Why does the buck keep getting passed yet we're the ones who get shafted with the responsibility regardless?)

[ihavenobias]

3. Thanks for posting. n/t

[tooeyeten]

8. Cisco hates American workers

:nuke:

[Oerdin]

9. Cisco

Cisco makes most of their stuff in China now and that's why they're against buying American goods. Screw them. Buy American and Americans work.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

12. So I'm guessing you have a suggestion...

...for where one might buy American-made routers. Yes?

[ChromeFoundry]

23. Yes...

dangle that $ carrot to a few capable manufactures and I bet you have several to choose from in a few weeks.


It's all about the money, man!

[Yavin4]

10. CISCO Is Killing Its Own Consumer Base

Because China pays shit, their workers cannot buy shit. Don't need a router if you live in a hut with no power.

Last year, I worked in the city of Bangalore in India for a start-up company, and I was shocked to learn that most of their "genius" ITers do not even have computers at home let alone an internet connection.

[fasttense]

13. It seems American consumers have been reduced to nothing more than Trade Bait. n/t

[Deja Q]

16. So what's the point of college, working hard, being honest, or any other Christian value?

Because our country has been ran by people claiming to be Christian but in action aren't?

Then what's the point of Christianity?

[brentspeak]

17. Er, somehow I don't think the issue here is Christianity

[brentspeak]

18. Cisco doesn't want to employ Americans, but they DO want our money.

[ForrestGump]

19. Wrong.

Pancho was born in Los Angeles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Carillo

[brentspeak]

20. He was a friend of mine (n/t)

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

21. Is that the company that built the censorship network for Chinese Internet users? -nt

[peterpratt]

22. The $100 Billion Issue: Cisco Lobbies to Clarify "Buy American" Clause in Federal Stimulus Package

We make the point over on http://www.StimulatingBroadband.com that the total at stake, as per the question that Cisco is lobbying on, could be as high as $100 Billion. Most analysts think that is the range of total information tech spending in the federal stimulus bill. Many folks don't want to hear about it, but virtually no network equipment used in the US is made with 100% "domestic content". We argue that President Obama's national broadband goal is important, and long over due. Cisco's position happens to be correct.

Read our story and analysis at: http://www.stimulatingbroadband.com/2009/04/100-billion-issue-cisco-lobbies-to.html

[bemildred]

24. Another useless "Hi-Tech" company about to go down.

Somebody needs to inform these weasels that nobody is going to bail them out.