News

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🚸 Kids, Cashless Apps, & COPPA: Who’s Protecting Kids’ Fintech Privacy?

The pandemic dramatically accelerated the use of cashless apps among American kids. Postmates snacks and Panera muffins became a swipe away with payment-enabled apps. Who’s protecting kids‘ fintech privacy given that our financial and privacy laws never imagined a world where kids could buy almost anything with a wave of a smartphone? Join us at State of the Net Conference in downtown DC on February 28th to hear our expert panel figure this out.

SPEAKERS

Jamie Susskind
Tech Policy Advisor
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn

Syd Terry
Chief of Staff
Rep Jan Schakowsky

Jessica Rich
Of Counsel
Kelley Drye & Warren LLP

Rick Lane
CEO
Iggy Ventures

ABOUT THE PANEL

The pandemic dramatically accelerated the use of cashless apps among American kids. During COVID parents discovered the anxiety-reducing benefits of their kids‘ smartphones. Kids could now order a Postmates snack during remote school or pay for a Panera muffin with a swipe of their phones — all with fintech enabled apps. Reports have detailed just how much personal data the market-leading debit card apps collect on children – everything from purchase history to GPS location – and how that data is used to micro-target advertisements. Who’s protecting kids‘ fintech transactions? Probably not COPPA. And the 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley law was written at a time when holding a credit card was practically proof of adulthood. Congress wrote GLB for adults making financial transactions, not for kids. This panel will discuss what role policymakers and fintech companies should have to protect a child’s financial data in a cashless society.

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📢 Congressman Michael McCaul & Comcast’s Broderick Johnson To Keynote

We’re thrilled to welcome back the Internet policy community at the 18th State of the Net Conference in downtown DC on February 28th.

We have two exciting keynote speakers to announce. The new co-chair of the Congressional Internet Caucus, Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), will join us in person. Congressman McCaul has long been a leader on technology issues in Congress and is currently the Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

We’ll also be joined by Broderick Johnson, Executive Vice President, Public Policy & Executive Vice President, Digital Equity at Comcast. Mr. Johnson has served two U.S. Presidents in the White House and has presided as chief counsel of several House committees.

Come and join them on Monday, February 28th.

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Date Change: Join Us February 28 in DC

Well, we thought you all would appreciate us pushing back the the State of the Net Conference until Monday, February 28th. Different date but the same time, same place, and same great event. 

You can reconnect with your Internet policy friends and engage with key policymakers. We have reserved an even larger event/work space from Convene in downtown DC. In addition to hearing amazing keynotes and panels, you’ll be able to work in pods, make private calls in phone booths, and enjoy great food and beverage all through the day. We will have on-site COVID tests available and proof of vaccination will be required. 

Reserve your spot now. Registration is now open. Tickets are complimentary for government staff, the press, Foundry fellows, sponsors, and students. And we’ll have livestream feeds for remote participants.

Stay tuned for speaker announcements…

Make sure you follow @SOTN and use the hashtag #SOTN2022 on Twitter for conference updates!

Health & Safety Notice

State of the Net will be a fully vaccinated event. All registered guests speakers, vendors, and staff must show proof of vaccination in order to gain entry to event spaces. We are mindful that guidance around COVID-19 Health and Safety is ever evolving.

We will also have on-site COVID testing available for attendees and speakers. 

So we will be watching the CDC guidelines closely, as well as local District of Columbia guidelines. We will follow up with the most up to date, expert recommendations to ensure your safety. And we will continue to evolve our policy as needed, up until the event. We anticipate that we’ll hold a safe event in person.

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Event Recap: Seeding The Technology Workforce Of The Future / Funding CS & STEM

Judging from participation in the Congressional App Challenge, student computer science enjoys massive bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. In the last several weeks alone Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have introduced over a dozen bills that would invest in the workforce of the future by funding computer science and STEM programs for middle and high school students. On top of that, President Biden’s “American Jobs Plan” includes once-in-a-generation funding for computer science education for middle and high school students — particularly those in underrepresented communities.

According to the expert panelists at last week’s discussion, “Seeding The Workforce Of The Future,” these developments signify a historic opportunity for Congress to create the workforce of the future by supporting computer science and STEM education for all students across America.

The three experts agreed that Congress has the opportunity to fix past mistakes by ensuring that access to computer science skills and jobs are equitably distributed to communities of color, rural communities, and Native and Indigenous peoples.

These bills could not come at a better time for Americans still reeling from the pandemic. Skills for technology jobs are increasingly in demand while many of the non-skilled pre-Pandemic jobs simply don’t exist any more, according to Rep Chrissy Houlahan.

Watch the full event video featuring opening remarks from Representative Barbara Lee, who, along with Representative Chuck Fleischman, has introduced H.R. 3602 to increase access to computer science education for K-12 students.

Event Summary

On June 17th, the Congressional App Challenge and the State of the Net Series hosted a policy forum on the legislative prospects for computer science funding. The event featured distinguished figures who are at the forefront of expanding computer science education. Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-13) and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) made opening remarks followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Allison Scott, the CEO of the Kapor Center, Dr. Pam Buffington, the Co-Director of STEM Programs at the Education Development Center, and Jake Baskin, the Executive Director of the Computer Science Teachers Association.

A significant amount of students across the United States do not have access to computer science education, and this policy event spoke to different strategies of expanding the domestic pipeline of coding talent. While all the speakers agreed that skills in computer science are foundational for the future workforce across all careers, they differed on their approaches for how to invest in this future. 

For Rep. Lee, Rep. Houlahan, and Dr. Scott, a key problem is the lack of equitable access and diversity in computer science education. African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, low-income students, and girls are disproportionately disadvantaged when it comes to access to a computer science education. Rep. Lee mentioned that only 6% of the Advanced Placement Computer Science exam takers were African American and only 16% were Latino. To close such disparities, Dr. Scott believes that Congress should target their funding initiatives to these communities, closing racial and gender gaps in the tech industry. Rep. Lee made a similar statement, arguing that “Congress must invest in computer science education by expanding areas of artificial intelligence and machine learning, cybersecurity autonomous transportation and virtual and augmented reality, to build the workforce of the future. And yes, to address some of our greatest challenges, this will be key to strengthening our economy and the tech workforce.”

As a trained engineer herself, Rep. Houlahan offered a unique and critical perspective on the issue, understanding firsthand the lack of diversity in the field: “And we ensure that our talent pipeline is diverse by investing in equitable education opportunities for students of all racial, gender and economic backgrounds. Our STEM community will be at its strongest when we are at our most diverse. In Congress, I founded the very first ever Women in STEM Caucus. How crazy is it that before 2019 such an organization didn’t even exist?”

Dr. Buffington, additionally, focused on the need to expand computer science education to rural areas of the United States. She believes that ensuring universal and affordable broadband access to computer science education is essential to investing in a stronger workforce. Right now, computer science courses are less available in rural communities than urban ones, so Dr. Buffington suggests three solutions to this problem: increasing support for implementing computer science practices into curriculums, providing targeted professional development for rural educators. and supporting connections with rural businesses so students are providing real-world opportunities to apply their CS skills. 

Lastly, Jake Baskin focused on the need to invest in teachers, so teachers have the skills and knowledge to teach computer science effectively to students. Today, most CS teachers do not have a degree in computer science, revealing a lack of prior experience that is needed to support students. Additionally, Baskin stated that more than half of CS teachers don’t feel equipped to use culturally relevant pedagogy in classrooms— a clear limitation to closing racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic gaps in computer science education. 

Despite the different focuses that each of the speakers had with regard to expanding computer science education and investing in the future workforce, they all agreed that CS education for all students should begin at a young age. A broad-based foundation in computer science will be necessary for all future careers as technology advances. Additionally, they all agreed that we are at a historic moment in which there are large scale commitments across sectors to expand computer science education. This can be seen with the numerous computer science bills being proposed in Congress, President Biden’s American Jobs Plan, and the voices of everyday people who are participating in important computer science education discussions.

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117th Congress Sees Bills Funding Student Computer Science

In the first five months of the 117th Congress, about a dozen bills have been introduced in an effort to increase STEM and computer science education funding and participation across the country. In response to an ever changing workforce and COVID-19, the economy that our children will inherit will be vastly different from the one we know today. Congress has recognized this need for retraining and upscaling our STEM education efforts and, in turn, has introduced various pieces of bipartisan legislation.

H.R.2225: Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30-D): NSF enter into a contract with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to assess the status and opportunities for Pre-K through 12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science, (STEM) education research

H.R.3602: Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-13-D): To increase access to prekindergarten through grade 12 computer science education. 

H.R.3855: Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11-D): Amend the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant program to promote career awareness in accounting as part of a well-rounded STEM educational experience.

H.R.3588: Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06-D): To coordinate Federal research and development efforts focused on modernizing mathematics in STEM education. 

S.1565: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH): Provides for hands-on learning opportunities in STEM education.

S.1297: Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV): Establishes a new national program to support mid-career workers in reentering the STEM workforce.

H.R.1199: Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06-D): STEM Diplomacy Act – alters occupational requirements for those with STEM skills.

S.257: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH): Emergency Support for STEM Act – Grant systems for schools and nonprofits.

H.R.270: Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06-D): CHANCE in TECH Act – apprenticeship programs for tech related jobs.

H.R.594: Rep. Tim Ryan (OH-13-D): WORKER Act – advances STEM Education for improved training/retention.

H.R.476: Rep. Joe Morrelle (NY-25-R): Increases funding towards research and development to improve the American STEM workforce and education system.

H.R.210: Rep. Frank Lucas (OK-03-R): Directs the NSF to fund research into STEM education in rural schools.

H.R.204: Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30-D): Provides for guidance, data collection, and grants for groups historically underrepresented in STEM education at institutions of higher education and at federal science agencies.

Seeding The Workforce Of The Future
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Seeding The Workforce Of The Future: Legislative Prospects For Computer Science Ed

We hosted a discussion on computer science education funding in the 117th Congress and the American Jobs Plan on Thursday, June 17th, at 3pm EST. Members of Congress and STEM education experts discussed the current and future legislative prospects of computer science education funding.

Congress faces a historic opportunity to seed America’s future workforce by investing in the ultimate future-proof asset — students. In recent weeks a dozen bills have dropped in Congress aimed at improving computer science and STEM outcomes for millions of students. Like President Biden’s American Jobs Plan, which Congress awaits, most of these bills are tailored to ensure inclusion and equitable outcomes in technology careers.

A future-proof American infrastructure will need investments in a future-proof workforce. A rigorous computer science initiative, which includes rural and underserved communities, will ensure that America has the cyber security, machine learning, AR/VR, and data science professionals that all communities in America will need. Ensuring that those outcomes are equitably distributed and enveloped with responsible ethics training is part of the challenge.

SPEAKERS

Member U.S. House of Representatives

The Honorable Barbara Lee

Member U.S. House of Representatives
Member U.S. House of Representatives

The Honorable Chrissy Houlahan

Member U.S. House of Representatives
CEO Kapor Foundation

Dr. Allison Scott

CEO Kapor Foundation
Co-Director of STEM Programs Education Development Center

Dr. Pam Buffington

Co-Director of STEM Programs Education Development Center
Executive Director Computer Science Teachers Association

Jake Baskin

Executive Director Computer Science Teachers Association
Diversity at SOTN
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Diversity At State of the Net 2021

Two weeks ago we were thrilled to convene the Internet stakeholder community at the 17th annual State of the Net Conference, the nation’s most prominent Internet policy summit.

Speakers at SOTN reflect different perspectives on Internet policy issues. We have long curated the program to highlight differences of opinion among experts from across the spectrum of industry, government, academia, and civil society. Yet, over those 17 years the speakers at SOTN have not always sufficiently represented women and communities of color. Over the course of our 25 year history, those voices have been woefully underrepresented in Internet policy conversations.

We have made strides over the years to bring more diverse voices to the table at State of the Net. We’ve made great progress in some areas and have made incremental improvements in others. In other areas, we haven’t made much of a dent and we need to do better. In the interest of accountability, we’re publishing the below stats regarding speaker diversity at #SOTN2021.*

BIPOC Keynote Diversity SOTN2021
BIPOC Speaker Diversity SOTN2021
Gender Keynote Diversity SOTN2021
Gender Speaker Diversity SOTN2021

There is always room for improvement and will work harder. We will also continue our work to create a pipeline for talented Internet policy practitioners of color through the Internet Law & Policy Foundry. The Foundry, which we launched six years ago, is a professional development platform for early career professionals passionate about Internet law and policy. Diversity is a major goal in the Foundry admissions criteria for incoming fellows. We will also continue to inspire students of color to pursue careers in computer science and STEM through the Congressional App Challenge (CAC). Through the House’s official computer science competition for middle and high school students, which we administer, we work to ensure that student participation in the CAC reflects the diversity of the American people. (See impact/diversity).

* BIPOC Defined.
** Our survey of speakers at SOTN was passive. Our data is not a reflection speakers’ attestation of identity.  

Agenda, Video
SOTN 2021 is over. Here are links to the program agenda, speakers, videos.

 

Amy Klobuchar
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Watch: Senator Amy Klobuchar Keynote And Panel On “Tech Competition: What Can Biden Learn From The Last Tech-ade Under Obama and Trump?”

We were thrilled to have Senator Amy Klobuchar keynote State of the Net last week and preview her plans to address a range of tech policy issues including antitrust. Today she announced her antitrust reform legislation and plans for the subcommittee.

At SOTN an expert panel on antitrust and competition policy followed her comments. Antitrust reporter Leah Nylen led speakers Jennifer Huddleston, Sarah Miller, Ashley Baker, and Charlotte Slaiman. The video and transcripts for both discussions are available to watch now. See below.

Amy Klobuchar
Transcript

Tech Competition: What Can Biden Learn From The Last Tech-ade Under Obama and Trump

Transcript
Matt Lira Nick Sinai
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Civic & Gov Tech 3.0 Under Biden Featuring Matthew Lira

Using the Internet to make government more responsive and accountable to its citizens remains a stubbornly bipartisan issue. While other aspects of Internet policy have become politicized, “civic tech” is having a decade of policy support from both sides of the aisle. From the US Digital Service, 18F, the Presidential Innovation Fellowship program, and the House Modernization Committee, making government less dysfunctional and more cost effective through technology is a bright spot for Internet policy wonks. Just recently Congress passed the IT Modernization Centers of Excellence Program Act, which President Trump signed. And there seems to be a lot of well-meaning folks eager to enlist in the Biden Administration’s civic tech corps. Join us as a bipartisan group of experts discuss why such enthusiasm exists for civic tech across the aisle and what lies in store for the Biden Administration.

SPEAKERS

Matthew Lira

Matthew Lira
Former Special Assistant to the President for Innovation Policy and Initiatives
White House Office of American Innovation

Matthew Lira

Nick Sinai
Senior Advisor
Insight Partners

LISTEN

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READ

Transcript

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