Congress Hears Tech Policy Debates

1. More Podcasts Chips & Glass: Supply Chain Stumbling Blocks To Biden's Broadband Infrastructure Plan?

This is audio from the April recess event "Chips & Fiber: Supply Chain Stumbling Blocks To Biden's Broadband Infrastructure?" We've invited experts to discuss the challenge the Biden Administration faces in spending the broadband infrastructure funds allocated by Congress. The government has a historic opportunity to ensure that every American has broadband Internet — and a very small window to do it. Could supply chain issues trip up the deployment? Will Congress' chips and supply chain legislation help or hurt?

Our discussion is hosted by the Congressional Internet Caucus Academy in conjunction with the Congressional Internet Caucus. 

Speakers 

- Patrick Lozada, Telecommunications Industry Association

- Dileep Srihari, Access Partnership

- Gary Bolton, Fiber Broadband Association

1. More Podcasts The D.C. Circuit Court Ruled on Net Neutrality. What Now? https://www.netcaucus.org/audio/2019/20191007netneut.mp3

 

This Is A Podcast:

On Monday, October 7, 2019, a panel of Academy experts discussed the D.C. Circuit’s decision, as well as next steps for Congress and any broader implications for the Internet ecosystem. These panelists represent diverse perspectives on the decision and what it means for Congress and for the Internet.

Speakers Included:

Matthew Brill, Partner, Latham and Watkins (Bio)

Kristine (Fargotstein) Hackman, Vice President, Policy & Advocacy, US Telecom (Bio)

Sarah Morris, Director, Open Technology Institute (Bio)

Ferras Vinh, Internet Policy Manager, Mozilla (Bio)

Caitlin Chin, The Brookings Institution (moderator) (Bio)

1. More Podcasts Who’s A Bigger Music Mogul, Jay-Z or Congress? https://www.netcaucus.org/audio/2019/20190729musicmoguls.mp3

There are a lot of music moguls out there. Jay-Z, Taylor Swift, Quincy Jones. But possibly the biggest mogul in the music industry is Congress itself. Congress and its oversight functions make it a significant player in music industry revenues. In the modern era Congress has spun the music turntables with legislation several times, most recently with the Music Modernization Act (MMA). The MMA also gave Congress additional music oversight functions. If you’ve ever wanted to know how Congress influences the music you stream, download, or play in your car, our panel of experts will provide an overview of this incredibly complex system. And, we’ll ask our panel of experts which music industry mogul is bigger – Jay-Z or Congress?

Faculty Speakers

– Danielle Aguirre, EVP & General Counsel, National Music Publishers Association

– Kevin Erickson, Director, Future of Music Coalition

– Curtis LeGeyt, Executive Vice President, Government Relations National Association of Broadcasters

– Julia Massimino, VP of Global Public Policy, SoundExchange

– Ali Sternburg, Senior Policy Counsel, Computer & Communications Industry Association

Association

Date: Monday, July 29th, 2019

Last month the California legislature hastily passed sweeping privacy regulations to stave off even more sweeping rules that would have emerged from the state's ballot initiative process. These regulations from the state of California, which is the world's 5th largest economy and home to the most dominant data companies on the planet, will apply to a huge swath of data on the Internet, and offline as well. These rules follow the massive European privacy law, the GDPR, which started its enforcement period just a month earlier.

With consumer privacy breaches and Congressional privacy hearings in the headlines daily, many are asking whether Congress will act on data privacy? Will more US states follow California's lead and pass consumer privacy laws as well?

This was hosted on Thursday July 26th in the Rayburn HOB as a popup briefing on the California Consumer Privacy Act, GDPR, and the potential for future Congressional action on this issue.

 

#PrivacyIC

1. Will The California, EU, and State Privacy Laws Be Addressed By Congress? https://www.netcaucus.org/audio/2018/20180726caprivacy.mp3

While there is a lot of hype around Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies, cryptocurrencies are only the tip of the iceberg. Blockchain – the technology underlying cryptocurrencies – offers a host of other transformative use cases, including supply chain management, digital identity management, and smart contracts. Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology which promises to authenticate transactions without the need for a trusted third-party. Forward-looking companies are deploying blockchain for a variety of uses beyond cryptocurrency. Financial managers are using blockchain to verify digital identity and streamline the process of electronic signatures. Supply chain companies are exploring blockchain technology to track the goods we purchase every day through the entire supply chain. Government offices are identifying ways the technology can make government processes more efficient and cost-effective. Our panel will discuss the potentially transformative applications of blockchain beyond the hype of cryptocurrencies. We’ve assembled an expert group of panelists to discuss their perspectives on business, government, blockchain, and more.

The Supreme Court recently issued a momentous decision in Wayfair v South Dakota. In overturning a 26-year precedent, SCOTUS has opened the floodgates for states to impose sales tax on online purchases. While critics of the decision claim it will cripple small online businesses, supporters argue that it will allow states to recoup taxes already owed to them and allow traditional retailers to compete fairly with e-commerce companies. Listen to an expert panel to discuss SCOTUS’s decision and the future of US commerce. This briefing is part of our SCOTUS Tech series.

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YouTube Video

FacebookLive Video

PHOTOS

Flickr Photos

Listen

1. Carpenter Briefing https://www.netcaucus.org/audio/2018/20180629carpenter.mp3

Moments ago the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) issued its ruling in cellphone privacy case, Carpenter v. U.S. Join us for a popup briefing next Friday as a panel of Academy experts parses the Court's decision and what it means for the future of privacy.

The Carpenter case may potentially transform our understanding of our Constitutional privacy rights and Fourth Amendment jurisprudence. Our panel will discuss what privacy rights should U.S. citizens maintain when they share their location and other data with Internet companies and cellphone carriers? Does law enforcement need a warrant to collect this data from these "third-parties?"

This is the first briefing of our SCOTUS Tech series.

 

RSVP Here

 

Moderator

Jadzia Pierce - Associate, Covington & Burling LLP, Internet Law & Policy Foundry Fellow

Panelists

Michelle Richardson - Deputy Director, Freedom, Security, and Technology Policy, Center for Democracy and Technology

Dan Schweitzer - Supreme Court Counsel, National Association of Attorneys General

David Lieber - Senior Privacy Policy Counsel, Google

Evie Eastman - Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney, Arlington County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office

 

SCOTUS Tech

Like the U.S. Congress, the Supreme Court is struggling to reckon with rapidly emerging Internet technologies in its decision-making. Applying centuries of caselaw to massively disrupting technologies is increasingly becoming a challenge for the highest court and its appellate courts.

SCOTUS Tech is a new series of panel discussions co-hosted by the Congressional Internet Caucus Academy and the State of the Net Series. SCOTUS Tech will bring together experts over a series of events to explore how the Supreme Court and appellate courts grapple with technology in the Internet age.

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“Antitrust and competition policy is exciting stuff,” said no one ever (except, of course, the very few who follow this arcane field of economics and algorithms). Yet in recent months on Capitol Hill competition policy buzzwords have started to be overheard in conversations outside of the traditional antitrust policy bastions such as the Antitrust subcommittees. Is all this “excitement” around competition policy because folks are curious how the new Administration will approach mergers and market concentration? Or is it, as some have suggested, that because the Internet has profoundly changed how markets have traditionally operated, our antitrust policy must change as well? We’ve assembled an expert group of panelists to discuss their perspectives on competition and antitrust. When: Friday, April 27, 2018 @ 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT Where: Rayburn House Office Building Room 2237 SPEAKERS – Alexei Alexis, Reporter, Bloomberg (Bio) – Diana Moss, President of the American Antitrust Institute (Bio) – Joshua Wright, University Professor and Executive Director of the Global Antitrust Institute, Scalia Law School (Bio) – John Bergmayer, Senior Counsel, Public Knowledge (Bio) Follow: @NetCaucusAC #AntitrustIC

In May of this year, The European Commission (EC) will issue an expansive set of privacy rules for U.S. companies operating overseas. These rules, otherwise called The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), will require companies across the world to amend their policies and practices to comply with its many regulations. In many ways, the GDPR will become the baseline privacy regime for the Internet. According to PwC, over half of U.S. multinational companies say the GDPR is their top data privacy compliance priority. But many U.S. policymakers view this new regulation as burdensome and costly, while others view it as a positive step towards a global privacy regime for the Internet. How will the GDPR affect the Privacy Shield and other international agreements with our International partners? This briefing focuses on what the GDPR means for U.S. businesses and the worldwide flow of citizens’ information.   When: Friday, March 9th., 2018, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT Where: Rayburn House Office Building SPEAKERS – Kelly DeMarchis Bastide, Partner, Venable (Bio) – Melanie Bates, Director of Communications, Future of Privacy Forum, Moderator (Bio) – Aymeric Dupont, Counsellor-Delegation of the European Union to the United States (Bio) – Mike Godwin, Director of Innovation Policy and General Counsel, Distinguished Senior Fellow, R Street Institute (Bio) – Joe Jerome, Policy Counsel, Center for Democracy & Technology (Bio)   Follow: @NetCaucusAC

It seems like talk about net neutrality never stops, and with our busy schedules, it’s hard to keep up. We’ve organized a panel of experts to provide a “lay of the land” on what’s going on with this dynamic topic. We’ll talk about the latest FCC action, developments on the state level, the prospects for litigation, and possibilities on Capitol Hill.  Like all of our discussions, we’ve assembled an expert panel with an array of different perspectives on the issue.

SPEAKERS Matthew Brill, Partner, Latham & Watkins Angie Kronenberg, Chief Advocate and General Counsel, INCOMPAS Chris Lewis, Vice President, Public Knowledge Berin Szoka, President, TechFreedom MODERATOR Li Zhou, Reporter, Politico Pro Date: February 12, 2018 Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Location: Rayburn House Office Building Room 2237 Follow: @NetCaucusAC | #NetNeutrality18 Creative Commons Licensed Photos on Flickr

Data analytics is becoming an essential part of companies’ operations, planning and innovation. In the Internet age, companies are generating an unprecedented amount of data, and an entire industry has grown out of the need to process and understand it. How have these insights helped change the way businesses interact with consumers? What is the difference between Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, and how are these technologies used to inform decision making? At the same time, with the advent of this new technology comes new challenges. How do the inherent biases in data sets influence analytic outcomes and decision-making algorithms? What can we do to encourage innovation when many data sets are proprietary? Join us as we explore these questions and more with a panel of experts. SPEAKERS Leighanne Levensaler, Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy, Workday (bio) Dean Garfield, President & CEO, Information Technology Industry Council (bio) Chris Calabrese, Vice President for Policy, Center for Democracy and Technology (bio) Neil Chilson, Acting Chief Technologist, Federal Trade Commission (bio) MODERATOR Joshua New, Policy Analyst, Center for Data Innovation Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2017 Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Location: Rayburn House Office Building Room 2237 Follow: @NetCaucusAC | #BigDataAI Photo Credit: Insane Visions via Flickr

White hat researchers look for vulnerabilities in information systems and play an increasingly crucial role in our nation’s cyber security defenses. Yet, the rules of the road for these types of “hackers” have been slow to evolve in terms of civil and criminal liability. Speakers included: Leonard Bailey – Special Counsel for National Security, Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section, U.S. Department of Justice, Harley Geiger – Director of Public Policy, Rapid7, Franck Journoud – Cybersecurity & Technology Policy, Oracle, Katie Moussouris – Founder and CEO, Luta Security, Chris Bing – Associate Editor, CyberScoop

Over 21 years ago, at the dawn of the commercial Internet, Congress passed a seemingly minor  amendment to the massive Telecom Act of 1996 — Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (HR 1555). HR 1555 was designed to limit liability of Internet providers for content posted by their users and also to give them a safe harbor to manage objectionable behavior on their platforms. There is no question that with Section 230 Congress enabled the meteoric growth of the Internet. The impact of Section 230 has been showered with superlatives like “The Most Important Law in Tech” and “The Legislation That Saved the Internet.” Yet, since Section 230’s passage, it has been litigated hundreds of times. Further, hundreds of lawmakers’ bills have been introduced seeking to hold intermediaries liable for the actions of its users. In fact, there are several bills in Congress right now that seek to hold scale back Section 230’s scope including two on human trafficking. We invite you to a discussion about Section 230 and efforts to limit the scope of the law. The panel will include legal scholars and industry representatives that rely on the law. The panel will discuss the origins of the law, the role it plays in enabling Internet services and technologies. Join us on September 8 at noon in Rayburn 2237. SPEAKERS

• Julie Cohen – Mamolen Professorship in Law & Technology, Georgetown University Law School (Bio)
• Eric Goldman – Professor of Law and Co-director of the High Tech Law Institute, Santa Clara Law School (Bio)
• Rachel Wolbers – Policy Director, Engine (Bio)

In the wake of the recent terrorist attacks in London UK Prime Minister has been at the forefront of international calls for the technology companies to do more to combat online extremism. The British Government has announced its intention to stamp out extremism “in all its forms, both across society and on the internet”. Within the United States, the Department of Homeland Security just announced a $10 million grant for two-year programming to organizations that will work to improve security in our communities and thwart terrorism. Countering-Violence Extremism, specifically online, is the effort to proactively counter efforts by extremist groups to recruit and radicalize followers worldwide. This effort now more than ever requires the increasing cooperation between the private, public, and academic sector amongst others. Tech companies have been experimenting with new techniques and guidelines. At the same time the Trump Administration is determined to prevent domestic terrorism. These are complex issues at the intersection of freedom of expression and national security. How will all of these proposed changes and solutions express themselves online, domestically and abroad? How do these efforts to identify and prevent early online radicalization square with the First Amendment and notions of freedom of expression? Follow: @NetCaucusAC | #CVEOnline SPEAKERS

• Kevin Adams, Justice and Home Affairs, British Embassy (Bio)
• Dr. Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, Research Director, Project on Extremism, George Washington University (Bio)
• Mark MacCarthy, Senior Vice President, Public Policy, Software & Information Industry Association (Bio)
• Arthur Rizer, Director of National Security and Justice Policy, R Street (Bio)
• Clara Tsao, Chief Technology Officer, CVE Task Force, Department of Homeland Security, and White House Presidential Innovation Fellow(Bio)

DATE: Friday, July 21, 2017 TIME: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm LOCATION: Rayburn House Office Building Room 2237

Without Congressional action Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will cease to be a law enforcement tool at the disposal of law enforcement. In the aftermath of 9/11 Congress empowered America’s top law enforcement agencies to  the collect the data on non-US persons. Critics say that 702 surveillance enables law enforcement to gather data in bulk as well as data incidental and unrelated to legitimate threats. Law enforcement maintains that 702 is a critical tool in thwarting terrorism and in fighting crime. Yet, Congress has set the expiration date on 702 powers to December 31, 2017. Now, Congress must weigh the pros and cons of the provision and decide to one of three things: 1) reauthorize 702) revise 702 or 3) retire  the 702 by not-acting (it will simply sunset).  When it comes to balancing national security and privacy protections, what will Congress do with 702? Follow: @NetCaucusAC | #fisafriday SPEAKERS

• Michelle Richardson - Deputy Director, Freedom, Security, and Technology Project, Center for Democracy and Technology (Bio)
• Adam Klein - Robert M. Gates Senior Fellow, Center for a New American Security (Bio)
• Stuart Evans - Deputy Assistant Attorney General, National Security Division, Department of Justice 
• Elizabeth (Liza) Goitein - Co-Director, Liberty & National Security Program, Brennan Center for Justice (Bio)
• Tim Lordan (Moderator) - Executive Director, Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee (Bio)

DATE: Friday, July 14, 2017 TIME: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm LOCATION: Rayburn House Office Building Room 2226