The i2Coalition Public Policy Working Group is responsible for determining the specific responses for the i2Coalition in regards to global policy issues that are important to the Internet’s infrastructure. Recent achievements center around Net Neutrality and surveillance reform, achieved through engagement with the FCC and in support of the USA FREEDOM Act in the U.S., respectively. The Working Group is currently focusing attention on a number of important issues including patent troll reform.
The i2Coalition engages in policy matters in accordance with its General Mission Statement and meets regularly to discuss issues that arise that fall within our scope. Policy Group members take an active role in reviewing policy and writing briefs on behalf of i2Coalition that support the industry’s goals. The i2Coalition believes that an open and free Internet drives economic growth and enhances the lives of people around the globe. As an organization, we promote policies that foster continued development and expansion of the Internet.
Recent Public Policy Working Group projects include:
- We participate in the Digital Due Process Coalition (DDP) and delivered key Congressional sponsorships in a collective fight to reform the Electronics Communications Privacy Act (ECPA).
- We provided comments on the importance of an open Internet to maintain the continued growth of the cloud to the FCC in response to its Net Neutrality proposal.
- We led an aggressive advocacy campaign in five key cities to reform the patent system and to curb the patent troll litigation issues that devastate our industry.
- We were leaders in a coalition that helped drive core support for the USA FREEDOM Act, the largest reduction of U.S. surveillance authority in a generation, which passed in early 2015.
- We actively speak out against the expansion of Internet surveillance worldwide, including being a voice against Bill C-51 in Canada.
- We actively engage in the debate on the role of encryption in the digital economy.
- We submitted an amicus brief in the important Microsoft Ireland email privacy case.
- We’ve taken an important role in educating U.S. lawmakers on the IANA transition as part of our focus on the DOTCOM Act.
- We provided strategic counsel and comments on the proposed NIST cybersecurity framework.
Recent Updates On US Policy
i2Coalition Urges Surveillance Panel on Greater Transparency, Multistakeholder Process
The i2Coalition has been at the forefront calling for greater transparency and privacy protections concerning the U.S. government’s surveillance activities. The likely economic impacts from the government’s program have yet to be fully realized though estimates already predict a $35 billion loss in revenue over the next three years for the U.S. cloud computing industry. […]
Why the Internet Infrastructure Coalition is Essential in the Post Snowden World
The Internet Infrastructure Coalition brings together the diverse community that builds the physical Internet. Though the Internet Infrastructure industry is generally thought of as a group dominated by large telecommunications firms and a few dominant Internet powerhouses, the companies that build and provide the vast majority of the world’s Internet infrastructure are small to medium-sized […]
i2Coalition Joins in Re-Launching ECPA Reform Effort
Reforming the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) has been a public policy priority for the i2Coalition since we launched one-year ago. The outdated law was enacted in 1986 and despite considerable technology advances since that time, the law is largely unchanged. ECPA creates technologically outdated exceptions to the Constitution’s requirement of a warrant. This exception […]
Top 10 List: i2Coalition Celebrates One-Year Anniversary
When we established the i2Coalition in September 2012, we had several main goals, including educating the policymakers, opinion leaders and the public about the Internet Infrastructure industry and establishing ourselves as the principal voice and leading advocate for our industry.