The following statement is attributed to Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA), regarding the release of President Trump’s Infrastructure Principles:

“We appreciate that these principles reflect the administration’s sense of urgency, in both speeding up the federal permitting process and preparing America’s workforce with proper training. And by tying these issues together, the plan ensures American workers will be well prepared for the jobs created as we improve our infrastructure system.

“When it comes to infrastructure jobs and some STEM-related jobs, four-year college degrees are not necessarily the best choice for our future workers. The president recognizes that clearing a path for Americans to bypass crippling student loan debt and move right into a trade is critical to growing our 21st century workforce. And allowing workers the flexibility to transfer their licenses to other parts of the country will keep our workforce agile and the U.S. competitive.

“In addition to the items specifically set forth in the plan, we look forward to working with the White House to promote broadband development to make sure infrastructure projects include 'dig once' provisions and other common sense ideas which already have bipartisan  support and will  allow more Americans to  have fast broadband access.”