US, Russia kick off talks on IT

A delegation from the United States will meet with Russian officials starting today to discuss a range of information technology-related topics such as Internet governance and cybersecurity.

The discussions are part of a U.S.-Russia Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Roundtable and bilateral talks with Russia's Ministry of Communications in Moscow, the State Department said. The talks are the first U.S.-Russia ICT Roundtable since 2004, the department added.

Recently, senior State and Commerce Department officials have shown an increased focus on IT. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a speech on Internet freedom in January, and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke spoke in April about cybersecurity and online privacy.

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“The delegation’s mission complements and supports the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission with the goal of beginning a dialogue on a range of topics including broadband, Internet governance, cybersecurity, spectrum management, the analog to digital TV transition and coordination of positions for upcoming meetings at the International Telecommunication Union,” State said.

The U.S. delegation includes senior representatives from the State Department, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications Information Administration, according to State. The delegation is led by Ambassador Philip Verveer, U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, the department said.