The biggest tech policy conference of the year kicks off Feb. 28, followed by other events focusing on big tech and telecom affairs throughout the week.
State of the Net, Washington's premier internet policy conference, brings together the biggest names in the tech policy space, focusing on broadband, antitrust, fintech, internet geopolitics and other 21st-century tech themes.
Hosted by the nonprofit Internet Education Foundation, the conference includes high-profile speakers this year, including Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass.; National Telecommunications and Information Administration head Alan Davidson; White House Chief Scientist Denise Ross; and Commissioner Geoffrey Starks of the Federal Communications Commission.
S&P Global Market Intelligence will be focusing on panels concerning children's fintech privacy, the metaverse and antitrust efforts against Big Tech.
The next day, the House Energy & Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce will hold a March 1 legislative hearing on five major bills designed to clamp down on Big Tech.
Major pieces of legislation include the Banning Surveillance Advertising Act, which would ban the use of targeted advertising, and the Algorithmic Accountability Act, which directs the Federal Trade Commission to require entities to draw up impact assessments of their automated decision processes in an effort to boost transparency of flawed algorithms.
"Big Tech continues to prioritize profits over people while fighting to preserve its lack of accountability," said Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr., D-N.J., and Consumer Protection and Commerce Chair Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., in a prepared statement. "The Subcommittee will examine legislation to strengthen protections for online users and to bring transparency to platforms that will help build a safer internet," the remarks later said.
The hearing's witnesses are Laurel Lehman, a policy analyst with Consumer Reports; Katie McInnis, senior public policy manager at Duck Duck Go Inc.; Mutale Nkonde, CEO of AI for the People U.S.; and Mike Duffey, special agent supervisor at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Government |
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March 1 | The Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce of the Committee on Energy and Commerce will hold a hybrid hearing titled "Holding Big Tech Accountable: Legislation to Protect Online Users. |
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March 3 | The Senate Commerce Committee will hold nomination votes on Gigi Sohn and Alvaro Bedoya. |
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Industry, legal and think tank events |
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Feb. 28 | The Internet Education Foundation will host State of the Net |
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Feb. 28-March 3 | The GSMA will hold Mobile World Congress |
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March 3-4 | The Center for Digital Government will host Beyond the Beltway |
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