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Workforce. Access to a talented workforce is key to continuing Intel’s
technology leadership and competitiveness. During 2005, we were an
active member of a broad-based consortium designed to see that the U.S.
has access to the highly skilled talent needed to keep us competitive in
the 21st century. We advocated with members of Congress to increase
the number of H-1B visas because availability for fiscal year 2005–2006 halted two months before
the year began. The Senate included provisions for a recapture of past unused visas and an imposition
of fees during budget reconciliation, but the House voted against inclusion of the provisions in the new
budget. This will continue to be a focus area for us in 2006.
Trade Policy and Market Access. Free movement of products, people and ideas is critical to continued
innovation and deployment of new technologies. The markets, manufacturing, supply chain, R&D activities
and workforce of the semiconductor industry are global in nature, making our work to proactively
remove technical and non-technical barriers to trade increasingly important.
Further opening markets to technology products was a top priority for Intel in 2005. Intel chaired a business
coalition to pass the Dominican Republic and Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which
will reduce tariffs and other barriers to the sale of IT products in the affected nations. The legislation was
passed by Congress in July 2005 and signed into law by the President on August 2, 2005. In addition,
Intel and the semiconductor industry worked with the U.S. Trade Representative to reach agreement
among five countries and regions to reduce tariffs on Multi-Chip Packages.
As part of the Brazilian PC para Todos program, the government eliminated 10% in federal taxes for lower
end PCs and followed that move by extending the cuts to lower cost laptops. Intel also supported successful
efforts in Peru to reduce PC tariffs from 12% to 4%.
Legal Reform. Intel supported and worked with the U.S. Congress to enact an important Class Action
Reform bill, which was passed and signed into law after a six-year effort. The House and Senate also
held hearings on patent reform, an issue critical to the future of U.S. innovation and technology leadership.
Intel advocated legislation that would impose rules on damages awarded. Additional progress on
this issue is expected in 2006.
Digital Healthcare. With the coming “age wave” of baby-boomers, nations around the world anticipate
challenges in caring for aging citizens. Intel believes that the integration of IT into the healthcare system
will help to improve the quality of healthcare and reduce costs. To achieve that goal, Intel and others in
the healthcare industry are calling for government leadership on healthcare issues and involvement in
projects supporting digital healthcare.
Dr. Craig Barrett, Chairman of Intel, was selected to serve on the American Health Information Community
(AHIC). The AHIC’s mission is to advise the government on more efficient healthcare options and
provide incentives for the adoption of health information technology. Intel has also joined with numerous
other organizations to advocate funding for efforts to encourage interoperability and standards in the
implementation of health information networks. One key success of this collaboration was $61.7 million
in funding for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Additionally,
through our advocacy with members of the telehealth community, an additional $3 million in funding
was secured for telemedicine projects to help extend healthcare to underserved communities.
Environment. In addition to our commitment to safety excellence and reducing our environmental
footprint, Intel has taken a proactive approach to working with government agencies worldwide to craft
environmental policy that advances sustainability while preserving our ability to operate and innovate.
Intel Corporate Responsibility Report 2005 • Our Business
www.intel.com/go/responsibility
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