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  2. May 2017

May 2017

Open Technology Institute's Reform Priorities for Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act

Congress has until December 31 to renew the FISA Amendments Act or it will expire, and with it, the highly controversial, large-scale surveillance authorities under Section 702. As Congress debates whether to renew Section 702, it must consider needed reforms so that surveillance will be narrowly tailored to the law’s stated purpose - stopping both terrorism and espionage - and so that millions of Americans’ communications will no longer be swept up in its net. The Open Technology Institute’s Section 702 reform priorities include:

  • Limit the Scope of Collection Under Section 702
  • Enhance Post-Collection Protections for Americans’ Communications that are Swept Up Under Section 702
  • Increase Transparency for the Government and Companies

Technology is Changing Democracy As We Know It

We asked more than two dozen people who think deeply about the intersection of technology and civics to reflect on two straightforward questions: Is technology hurting democracy? And can technology help save democracy? We’ll publish a new essay every day for the next several weeks, beginning with Shannon Vallor’s “Lessons From Isaac Asimov’s Multivac.”

NEA budget poised to get a $2 million boost, leaving arts organizations hopeful

After a month worrying about the fate of funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the hundreds of community organizations that the agency supports nationwide, the arts world found hope in congressional leaders’ agreement April 30 that would not only maintain NEA funding for fiscal year 2017 but increase it by $2 million. In a statement May 1, the NEA struck an optimistic note, pointing out that the proposed appropriation of about $150 million was the level of funding that it requested from Congress in February 2016. “This morning Congress released the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, a bipartisan agreement that will fund the government for the remainder of FY 2017,” the NEA wrote. “In this bill, the NEA is funded at its FY 2017 request level of $149.849 million. … The agency has been operating at its FY 2016 appropriation of $147.949 since October 1, 2016. Congress is expected to pass this bill later in the week, and the President is expected to sign it.”

Beyond Net Neutrality: The Importance of Title II for Broadband

Open internet principles were not the only value in classifying broadband under Title II. Like our telephone networks used to be, access to broadband has become necessary for full participation in society. Therefore, Title II classification is critical in protecting our fundamental values of universal service and consumer protection when accessing broadband networks.

While the Federal Communications Commission forebore from applying the majority of Title II to broadband networks, the agency kept a number of provisions in place to ensure consumers have ubiquitous and affordable connectivity, privacy, and other consumer protections when online.

What Republican Lawmakers Are Saying About FCC Chairman Pai's Proposal to Restore Internet Freedom

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued a statement commending Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai: “for taking bold action . . . to turn back this portion of the Obama Administration’s eight-year regulatory assault on all aspects of our economy.”

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) praised the effort to restore Internet freedom: “Chairman Pai’s announcement that the FCC will roll back these regulations is welcome news. Congress is committed to working with the Trump administration to enact policies that protect consumers and ensure Americans have access to a free and open internet.”

Sens Schatz and Booker to FCC: We're Ready to Fight for Net Neutrality

[Commentary] Dear Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai,
We are writing to express our opposition to your effort to repeal network neutrality protections. Our committee and the American public are again paying close attention. The public does not accept Republicans taking away their rights online in the name of corporate profit. Just a few weeks ago, Republicans underestimated the public’s outrage at the successful repeal of privacy protections for users online.

Like with the Republican repeal of the FCC’s online privacy rules, there is little public support for your actions. Following an onslaught of public furor, congressional Republicans regretted voting to repeal online privacy protection for the public. We believe that public uproar was just a preview of what you can expect as you initiate a proceeding to eliminate net neutrality protections. In your speech to announce the end of net neutrality, you said “this is a fight that we intend to wage and it is a fight that we are going to win.” We commit to opposing you and fighting for strong rules that protect users and access to a free and open internet.

100 Days Later: Net Neutrality and Resistance

April 29 marked the end of the first 100 days of the Trump administration. Shortly after Donald Trump was elected, I wrote about how Free Press would approach this era: “This isn’t a time to tinker around the edges. There is no compromise or engagement strategy that can meet these serious threats. The only option is resistance.” We launched our 100 Days of Disruption campaign the day Trump was inaugurated. Thousands of you did something daily as part of this effort to resist Trumpism (which goes beyond the man to all those enabling him or exploiting this political moment).

ogether we’ve fought back, stood up for communities under attack, experimented with new forms of activism and built new alliances across the resistance. As we enter the next 100 days, the need to resist is no less urgent. And the attacks in Free Press’ corner of the world — at the intersection of media, technology and democracy — have only intensified. In the weeks ahead, you’ll see us resisting and refocusing on the issues and in the areas where we can make the greatest difference and our allies need us the most.

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