Transportation & Infrastructure
Massachusetts High Technology Council members and technology-focused organizations throughout the Commonwealth have a significant stake in the condition of the state’s transportation infrastructure and its ability to support current needs and future economic growth.
Transportation infrastructure conditions impact employers’ operations, ability to recruit and retain talented workers, and overall quality of life in Massachusetts. Failing or inadequate transit infrastructure prevents employees from getting to and from work reliably, impedes the delivery of goods and services, and contributes to congestion and carbon emissions. These issues concern Council members because each impact how well the Massachusetts’ economy functions.
Policy Priorities
Investment without innovation will not solve our transportation challenges. Our advocacy focuses on the pace of innovation in how systems of transportation are planned, designed, built, operated, and maintained. We support efforts to bring added efficiency and capacity to Massachusetts’ public transportation infrastructure, including transit, roads, bridges, and port facilities. We oppose initiatives to raise new transportation revenue through additional taxes and encourage better assessment of how we are meeting our shared priorities with existing resources, including federal funds through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), for Massachusetts roads, bridges, and public transit infrastructure.
Our Transportation & Infrastructure Advocacy Includes:
Supporting targeted investments in expanding regional transit and rail service to accelerate economic development
Embracing technology-driven platforms that reduce the cost of transportation and opposing new taxes and fee increases on innovative private transportation providers, such as app-based driving platforms
Reducing restrictions on use of private contractors and merit-based contracting in delivery of public infrastructure projects
Advocating for public-private partnerships to accelerate new energy technologies with significant potential to reduce carbon emissions and grow Massachusetts’ workforce
Monitoring and opposing taxes on digital products and services that add to the cost of doing business, including digital advertising tax proposals
The Council’s Public Policy Agenda
The Massachusetts High Technology Council is focused on sustaining the Commonwealth’s innovation economy amidst an ever-changing shifting federal and state policy context.