Mobile broadband: As a wireless innovator, we have a significant stake in policies that promote mobile broadband. We’re helping to raise awareness of mobile technology as a tool for advancing economic inclusion and entrepreneurial development in emerging economies. Through our collaboration in our Wireless Reach™ projects and participation in the U.S. Telecommunications Training Institute, The World Economic Forum, The ITU Taskforce on Broadband and other forums, we are also helping to educate the next generation of leaders in emerging regions on wireless technology’s transformative power.

In addition, we work to educate policymakers around the world about the need to make more spectrum available, given the explosion in wireless data usage. In the United States, Qualcomm strongly supports the National Broadband Plan, which was released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2010. The FCC’s plan calls for substantially more spectrum for mobile broadband—500 MHz to be made newly available for mobile broadband use within the next 10 years, of which 300 MHz between 227 MHz and 3.7 GHz should be made available within five years.

Intellectual property and patent reform: As a technology developer, we rely on strong intellectual protections and on patent systems that promote innovation and reward companies whose business models are patent-dependent. We support patent reforms that improve patent quality and patent office operations. We also support policies on standards and government funding/procurement that promote competition and catalyze ongoing innovation.

Competition: As a global company, we support open and competitive markets. With more than 100 antitrust agencies in existence, all with different enforcement experience, legal systems and procedural requirements, we advocate that government regulators of competition adhere to common principles in order to minimize legal divergence and economic distortions across borders and promote commercial diffusion of technology and consumer welfare.

As a California-based company, we support strengthening California’s R&D credit by bringing it into conformity with positive aspects of the federal R&D credit.

Trade: We support new agreements to open markets for trade and investment. We support an ambitious, pro-growth trade policy and urge ratification of pending bilateral free trade agreements with Korea, Panama and Colombia. We encourage the completion of the World Trade Organization Doha Round Trade Pact and support other trade initiatives, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Education: We fund education programs and advocate for polices that improve education, particularly in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math. Through our Wireless Reach program, we specifically focus on the role of mobile broadband in improving education.

Taxes: We support tax policies that allow us to compete effectively in a global economy. At the federal level, we’ve advocated in favor of policies that encourage research and development (R&D), including extension of the U.S. R&D tax credit. We have also encouraged policymakers to consider proposals, such as a repatriation incentive, that would allow U.S. multinationals to return offshore cash to the United States at a reduced tax rate to spur investment and innovation.

As a California-based company, we support strengthening California’s R&D credit by bringing it into conformity with positive aspects of the federal R&D credit. We have also been supportive of the single sales factor, which apportions a business’ income based solely on sales, which encourages companies that sell to customers outside of California to house their employees and property in California.

Workforce: We advocate for a full supply of highly educated professionals, both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals, to drive innovation, fuel economic growth and create business and job opportunities in the United States. We have advocated in favor of reforms to U.S immigration laws that currently restrict our ability to hire and retain foreign nationals who are qualified for jobs for which there is often a shortage of qualified U.S. workers.

We also monitor policy proposals that affect our ability to continue to offer best-in-class health care coverage and other critical employee benefits. And we support policies that encourage diversity in the workplace, including enactment of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Through Qualcomm’s political action committee, QPAC, our employees make legal contributions to support campaigns of federal candidates. Consistent with federal law, we pay the administrative costs of maintaining QPAC, but all contributions to QPAC are from employees on a voluntary basis. Information regarding contributions by QPAC is publicly reported and available on the website of the Federal Election Commission.

At the state level, we contribute to candidates, ballot initiatives and political parties. Records of our contributions to state candidates are available at the website of the California Secretary of State. At the local level, Qualcomm has made contributions to local parties and ballot initiatives.

In addition, Qualcomm adheres to the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (HLOGA), a U.S. law prohibiting any registered lobbyist, or any organization that employs a lobbyist (such as Qualcomm), from providing certain gifts to congressional employees. HLOGA requires companies that employ lobbyists to certify semiannually that they have read the gift rules and that no gifts that were known to be in violation of the Congressional gift rules have been given.

Employees may participate in political activities of their choice on an individual basis, with their own money and on their own personal time, subject to all applicable laws and company policies.