Senator Cantwell in Seattle Later this Month
At the event, which will take place on April 16th at the Columbia Tower, Cantwell will discuss technology and the two Washingtons.
This past August, we caught up with Cantwell to discuss her campaign and Internet industry issues.
VIP Q&A with Maria Cantwell (August 29 2000)
Maria Cantwell is known as one of the most tech-savvy candidates. After serving in the state legislature, and later the U.S. Congress, Cantwell headed back to the private sector in 1995 and was one of the first 10 employees of Real Networks.
seattle.internet.com: What Changes do you foresee in regards to Internet privacy?
Maria Cantwell: I think even if we do get some sort of baseline policy in the United States, you still want to encourage software solutions. There are products out there now that people are talking about that would protect users from certain sites that did things with information, and I want to encourage that. I also want to continue to encourage the industry to do self-regulation, communication and education among themselves and their users.
seattle.internet.com: How has your work experience at Real Networks contributed to your campaign?
Maria Cantwell: When I think about these issues and the new economy, I don't think some of the members of the senate have the best handle on them. I think my experience is valuable because I know how fast technology is changing things. I know the demands that it places on the workforce for getting quality and skilled employees. I know the incredible channel that the Internet is for software on an international basis, and the need for interest and cooperation on an international basis. All of those things are at the center of a variety of pretty big issues. I think the experience of dealing with those issues first-hand for five years gives me some good insight.
seattle.internet.com: How will you see government adopting digital technologies in the same way industry has?
Maria Cantwell: It's a question of are we going to modernize our decision making process as it relates to technology and are we going to modernize our political system? I think that our political system, as it exists today, doesn't necessarily respond to rapid change in information in the same way that the private sector is doing. Clearly there are also lots of areas in which government, in general, needs to streamline its communication, streamline access to technology, and allow the opportunities for new development to happen.
seattle.internet.com: What kind of educational programs do you envision addressing digital technology?
Maria Cantwell: In K-12, the issue is modernization. But it's not modernization like someone might traditionally think of, like getting the school wired. It's about giving the teachers training in interactive education and getting them exposed to new ways of educating. The numbers on interactive learning are just so high, and we're seeing that in all types of learning experiences with children. Our challenge is to find good examples and scale them. On the higher level, it's about life-long learning. It doesn't matter what job you're in. You could be in a resource-based economy, but because of global competition, because of dynamics, and new ways of communicating, there is constant change. It means that people are challenged to upgrade their skills.
seattle.internet.com: What makes you most proud to be a Washingtonian?
Maria Cantwell: I am very proud that as a state and a region we are very progressive and have a vision towards the future. We will push the envelope on things. I think that people need to continue to thrive in that, and not wait until Iowa or Nebraska figures it out, we'll be waiting along time. We should continue that role that we've been playing, as a leader, and show the rest of the country how to do that.
