Congressman Jason Chaffetz [Bio] discussed SOPA, CISPA, GPS privacy and other issues during a Palo Alto Technology Townhall meeting on May 24, 2012. The video of the townhall meeting is now available online and is the latest event in the State of the Net West event series, the premier West Coast series for Washington policymakers to openly engage the Silicon Valley technology community on technology policy. The Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee and the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University Law School collaboratively host the State of the Net West series.
The discussion covered the major technology topics debated in policy and legal circles from California to Capitol Hill. Major themes included: SOPA and how tech can/should remain engaged in DC post-SOPA (Congressman Chaffetz played a significant role in the SOPA debate as a primary opponent of the measure); High Skilled Immigration/STEM; CISPA and Geolocation (GPS)/Privacy. Congressman Chaffetz (@jasoninthehouse) is a leader in Congress on technology issues and the sponsor of important legislation as a member of the Congressional Internet Caucus. Congressman Chaffetz serves on the Committee on the Budget, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Committee on the Judiciary, three of the key committees pertaining to the federal budget, setting government fiscal priorities and addressing Internet-related technology.
Congressman Mike Honda kicked off our slate of Silicon Valley technology townhall meetings featuring Congressional and Washington policymakers as part of the 2012 State of the Net West series. This series will continue throughout 2012 with additional townhall meetings featuring U.S. Representatives Bob Goodlatte, Anna G. Eshoo, and Zoe Lofgren (Monday, June 11, 2012) — all members of the bipartisan Congressional Internet Caucus. We are also pleased to announce that Federal Trade Commissioner Julie Brill will also participate in a Silicon Valley townhall on Thursday, September 20, 2012. A full schedule of 2012 State of the Net West events is posted at http://www.netcaucus.org/events/2012/sotnwest/
State of the Net West was conceived to bridge the policy discussion between Washington policymakers and high tech centers such as Silicon Valley. We expect that the increased interest in and concern about technology policymaking in Washington will make these discussions vigorous and productive.