Pictured (from left to right):  eBay Inc.'s Luke Matiasevich & William Lasher, Rep. Kim Coleman, Sen. Daniel Thatcher, eBay Inc.'s Devin Whitney & Greg Fennewald

In a video released by the Internet Association, a D.C. based trade association that represents the leading Internet companies, eBay-enabled small business owner Steve Douge discusses the importance of tech-enabled trade and how it has transformed his hardware store in Washington state.

Last night, President Obama addressed the U.S. Congress and the nation in his 6^th State of the Union Address. Although the President touched on a number of issues that are currently facing the nation and the world, President Obama discussed a few policy issues that are important to Internet-enabled small businesses, including cross border trade and the promotion of an open and free Internet.

See below for excerpts from the President’s speech:

Last night, after the President’s State of the Union Address, a group of over 100 eBay-enabled small businesses sent a letter to President Obama not only commending him for his commitment to pursue an ambitious trade agenda this year, but also calling for the modernization of the United States’ trade policies.

Last week, PayPal co-sponsored an event with Google about the future of online authentication entitled “Replacing Passwords: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". The event was also an opportunity to introduce the FIDO Alliance and their new authentication standards. The FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance is a non-profit organization formed in July 2012 to address the lack of interoperability among strong authentication devices as well as the problems users face with creating and remembering multiple usernames and passwords.

This week, Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, circulated a draft Internet sales tax bill. As Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Goodlatte has jurisdiction over interstate commerce issues, including Internet sales taxes.