The following is a press release from earlier today from the i2Coalition. 

Leading Internet Infrastructure Coalition Calls on Senate to Act Quickly

Washington, D.C., May 13, 2015 – The Internet Infrastructure Coalition (i2Coalition), an organization composed of over 75 members representing Internet infrastructure providers and related tech firms, commends the House of Representatives for the passage of the USA FREEDOM Act (H.R. 2048). The bipartisan bill, introduced by Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), John Conyers (D-Mich.), and Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), finally calls for an end to the bulk collection of Americans’ phone record data while increasing transparency and privacy protections for U.S. citizens.

The Act ends mass surveillance under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act, placing the most significant limits on federal surveillance power in over three decades, while maintaining the difficult balance between expanding civil liberties, increasing transparency and protecting our national security. This legislation will also go a long way in restoring consumer confidence in the Cloud — confidence that has been severely weakened since the discovery of the NSA’s surveillance activities.

“Until we rein in the egregious surveillance programs of the federal government, the digital infrastructure sector that is so critical to the U.S. economy will struggle to compete with the rest of the world,” said i2Coalition Co-Founder and Board Chair, Christian Dawson. “Quick passage of the USA FREEDOM Act through the Senate is necessary in order to restore international trust in U.S. businesses and begin to undo the damage our surveillance practices have inflicted upon the economy. It is time to right this wrong and we call on the Senate to act quickly to pass this legislation.”

The USA FREEDOM Act has the support of a diverse group of companies, industry associations, and civil society organizations, all whom understand that companies large and small are increasingly impacted by mass, warrantless government surveillance. The bill now awaits approval by the U.S. Senate.

 

About i2Coalition:

The Internet Infrastructure Coalition (i2Coalition) supports those at the center of the Internet. We believe the continued growth of the Internet is vital for growing an environment of innovation and seek to engage in ways to foster success of the Internet and Internet infrastructure industry. We seek to influence decision makers to weigh decisions on whether they are good or bad for the Internet economy and its foundational industries. In short, we seek to foster growth within the Internet infrastructure industry by driving others to harness the Internet’s full potential. To learn more about i2Coalition, visit https://i2coalition.com.