Panel

Journalist Rebecca Heilweil talks Space Internet with Project Kuiper's Darren Achord and R Street's Jonathan Cannon at SOTN on March 6, 2023
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ICYMI Watch “Internet From Space” Panel With Amazon Project Kuiper’s Darren Achord

Today news broke that Amazon is building a launch facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for its Project Kuiper Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) Internet satellites. For many Internet policy nerds the thought of space Internet was merely a dream. Now with Amazon on the cusp of joining SpaceX in the LEO high-speed Internet delivery business, it’s quickly becoming reality.

Back in March Project Kuiper’s Darren Achord spoke to a packed audience at State of the Net about the game-changing nature of LEO Space Internet. He was joined by award winning journalist Rebecca Heilweil and R Street’s Jonathan Cannon. In case you missed it, you can watch it below or read the transcript.

Audio / Transcript
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Diversity at State of the Net 2023

Last month we were thrilled to convene the Internet stakeholder community at the 19th 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. 

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 #SOTN2023.*

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There is always room for improvement and we 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 of speakers’ attestation of identity.  

Agenda, Video
SOTN 2023 is over. Here are links to the program agenda, speakers, and videos.

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ICYMI: SOTN Web3 Discussions Harbinger of Biden Crypto Order

Today the Biden Administration issued a sweeping executive order on cryptocurrencies. The Order suggests a more innovation driven and holistic approach to the emerging decentralized Web, beyond cryptocurrencies. Last week’s State of the Net Conference heralded many of the elements in the Biden EO by featuring a keynote by Rep Jake Auchincloss and a panel discussion on decentralized Web issues. In case you missed it, the video and transcripts from those talks are below.

Keynote with Rep. Jake Auchincloss

Web3, Metaverse, The Decentralized Web: Is The New Internet Coming?

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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.

Rep Katko
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Rep. Katko Leads Cyber Discussion At SOTN, SolarWinds Panel to Follow

Rep. John Katko to Keynote
Followed by “The Solar Winds of Cybersecurity: Biden and the 117th Congress Need A Unified Strategy” Panel

The newly minted Biden Administration will need to work with Congress to address devastating attacks like the recent SolarWinds hack. Rep. John Katko, the new Ranking Member on the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, will be key to that strategy. We’re thrilled that Rep. Katko will keynote State of the Net and set the stage for our expert panel on cybersecurity to follow. The panel will offer perspectives on how Congress and the Administration can learn from past mistakes and successes. Rep Katko address here. Panel here.

Rep KatkoCyber Panelists

Learn more about our expert speakers below. Registration free and is open.

230 Panel
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Leading Scholars Break Down Section 230 Legislation At SOTN

The only thing that Joe Biden and former President Trump seemed to agree on was that Section 230 needed to be “revoked, immediately.” Those were President Biden’s words in 2020 and President Trump inserted a repeal of 230 in the National Defense Authorization Act passed in December. Legislative repeal is only one option for a law that has been inflaming passions for years. There are myriad proposals to amend 230 up for grabs (there’s a list here) and others say, “Leave it alone.”

Next week, Mozilla VP of Global Policy, Trust and Security Alan Davidson will lead an export group of legal scholars at a State of the Net panel titled “Revising Section 230: What Proposals are on the Table?” The group will break down what types of legislative proposals are on the table and what implementation might look like. Don’t miss it.

230 Panel

See below for a list of our expert speakers, and follow us on Twitter @SOTN #SOTN2021 for updates!
Registration is open.

Nick Feamster Matt Tooley
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Nick Feamster and Matt Tooley NCTA | Was the Internet was resilient during COVID

Nick Feamster (University of Chicago) and Matt Tooley (NCTA) discuss whether the Internet was resilient during COVID, what network architects call a “low probability, high impact” event. January 27 at 11:05 pm.
Register at sotn2021.eventbrite.com

Nick Feamster
Neubauer Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Center for Data and Computing, University of Chicago

Matt Tooley
VP of Broadband Technology, NCTA

https://sched.co/hEY5

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

We are pleased to announce that Senator Amy Klobuchar will keynote State of the Net. Senator Klobuchar’s comments will cover a range of tech policy issues and likely will touch upon antitrust issues. Her comments will be followed by an expert panel on antitrust and competition policy (see speakers below). Registration free and is open.

Regardless of your position on competition policy, the last decade witnessed enormous growth in Internet platforms spanning both the Obama and Trump Administrations. The COVID-induced recession may have exacerbated existing concentrations in the Internet marketplace. The Biden Administration pledges to “build back better.” Competition policy is an important part of the economic recovery for working Americans.

Our panel at State of the Net will look at competition during the Obama and Trump administrations and what lessons, if any, the new Biden competition policy officials can learn from their approaches to competition in the Internet marketplace.

Register Here

Speakers

klobuchar
The Honorable Amy Klobuchar
Senator
U.S. Senate

Panelists

Huddleston

Jennifer Huddleston    
Director of Technology and Innovation Policy
American Action Forum

sarah miller

Sarah Miller  
Executive Director
American Economic Liberties Project  

ashley baker

Ashley Baker    
Director of Public Policy
Committee for Justice  

Charlotte Slaiman

Charlotte Slaiman    
Competition Policy Director 
Public Knowledge  

Leah Nylen

Leah Nylen    
Antitrust Reporter
POLITICO  
MODERATOR

Register Here
Covid Panel Image
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New Panel: When Words Can Kill: The COVID Infodemic’s Impact IRL

Presidential de-platforming, Parler, and insurrection are getting all the disinfo headlines lately. But consider the mortal implications of COVID vaccine disinformation. Experts predict that large swaths Americans will refuse the vaccine because of misinformation, resulting in scores of deaths in America.

There’s an urgent need to tackle widespread misinformation about its safety, efficacy and deployment – and help prevent its dissemination online. The State of the Net panel, “When Words Can Kill: The COVID-19 Infodemic’s Impact IRL” will feature experts spanning tech, government and academia to discuss whether the incoming Biden administration can shore up efforts to address this existential threat to public health.

This panel will follow keynote remarks by Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, who, along with Senator Mark Warner, recently warned the Biden COVID task force focus on this deadly issue.

SPEAKERS
Renee DiResta
Technical Research Manager
Stanford Internet Observatory
Dr. Joan Donovan
Research Director 
Harvard Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy
Dr. Diana S. Grigsby-Toussaint, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Associate Professor of Epidemiology
Brown School of Public Health
Ana Santos Rutschman, S.J.D.
Advisor
Biden Campaign COVID-19 Innovation Committee
Davey Alba
Technology Reporter
New York Times
MODERATOR
Register
Geopolitical
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Geopolitical Internet Forces and Biden: Sepulveda, Strayer, & Mehlman Discuss

“The New Geopolitics Of The Internet: How Will The Biden State Department Navigate Them?” Panel
Dear <<First Name>>,

The State of the Net Conference is around the corner and we’ve assembled a panel of experts to make sense of the new geopolitical forces shaping Internet policy.

Two former ambassadors, one of DC’s top strategic thinkers, and a Fletcher School professor will debate how sovereign governments are seeking to exert more control over Internet technologies and how the incoming Biden Administration should tackle these issues. Issues include Huwaei, EU DSA, USMCA’s 230, TikTok ban, Privacy Shield, and more.

We’ll announce more speakers and panels on a rolling basis. Follow us on Twitter @SOTN for updates. Registration is now open.

SPEAKERS
Bruce P. Mehlman
Founder 
Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen & Thomas
Daniel Sepulveda
Ambassador Daniel Sepulveda
Senior Vice President for Policy and Advocacy
MediaMath
Ambassador Robert Strayer
Executive Vice President, Policy
Information Technology Industry Council (ITI)
Josephine Wolff

Josephine Wolff
Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity Policy
The Fletcher School of Tufts University
Register
More speakers to be announced shortly.

The New Geopolitics Of The Internet: How Will The Biden State Department Navigate Them?
Increasingly sovereign governments are seeking to exert more control over Internet technologies. Long ago the Internet enmeshed the terrestrial globe with little respect for national borders. Now governments are trying to exert control over Internet companies at all levels of the stack. Intermediary liability laws like the European DSA are becoming more common and the Trump Administration has sought to ban certain smartphone apps in the U.S. Governments are increasingly wary of Internet infrastructure technologies manufactured in foreign countries. Social media companies are now under enormous pressure regarding their users’ speech. The few existing intergovernmental agreements on Internet policy such as the USMCA’s Section 230 language and the EU-US’s Privacy Shield are under enormous strain. Our panel will try to make sense of the new geopolitical challenge.
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