Protecting a free Internet for all people is essential to the preservation of political and economic liberty. The Internet Association supports the flow of information free from government control. We applaud the House Energy and Commerce leadership on this issue and appreciate the broad bipartisan support of this bill.

“The Internet Association welcomes Senator Schumer’s introduction of S.866, which will expand and make permanent the PTO’s current transitional review program for certain business method patents. This legislation is an important step toward limiting the number of vague and overly broad patents that are asserted against Internet startups and other innovators. Although more needs to be done to curb abusive patent litigation, this bill will strengthen the transitional program and improve patent quality.”

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“The Senate Judiciary Committee’s passage of the Electronic Communications Privacy Amendments Act of 2013 is a significant step in safeguarding the privacy of users’ electronically stored content. We commend Chairman Leahy, Senator Lee, and the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee for their leadership on this issue. The Internet Association applauds the bipartisan efforts of the Senate Judiciary Committee in requiring law enforcement to possess a warrant before gaining access to online content, no matter where it is stored or for how long. This is an important issue for the Internet industry, and we remain committed to ensuring that this bill is signed into law.”

Washington, D.C. — The Internet Association issued the following
statement applauding the Senate Gang of 8 on their comprehensive
immigration reform legislation, the Border Security, Economic
Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013:

” The Internet Association appreciates the bipartisan efforts of the
Gang of 8 to tackle the complex issue of immigration reform. This is
a good first step in making necessary reforms to the immigration
system, which will positively impact not only the Internet industry
but America’s economy at large. The Internet Association looks
forward to working with Congress to continue strengthening this
legislation to achieve effective and sound immigration policies.”

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The Internet is one of the greatest engines for economic growth, freedom and prosperity the world has ever known. The unique nature of the Internet – free from government control and governed by multiple stakeholders – has unleashed unprecedented entrepreneurialism, creativity, innovation, and freedom far beyond imagination. Preserving a free Internet for all people is essential to the preservation of political and economic liberty.

The Internet Association commends the members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee for their leadership in standing together to strongly oppose ITU efforts to regulate the Internet. We look forward to working with Members of the Senate to advance legislation to stop this imminent threat to Internet freedom.

Washington, D.C. — The Internet on Main Street tour recently stopped in Lynchburg to highlight local entrepreneurs using the Internet in innovative ways to grow their businesses and create jobs. Last week, The Internet Association President and CEO Michael Beckerman was joined by Congressman Bob Goodlatte (VA-06), the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce, the City of Lynchburg, and the small business community on a business crawl along Main Street. The tour included stops at four unique businesses including: Gladiola Girls boutique, Sam Stroud Photography Studio, Rush Homes Non-profit, and the Lynchburg Fine Arts Academy.

“The digital frontier begins on Main Street,” said Congressman Goodlatte. “The Small Business Crawl was a great opportunity to hear firsthand from small businesses in Lynchburg about how they have utilized the Internet to promote services, expand sales, and grow their businesses. The Internet has a real impact on businesses large and small in both rural and urban communities. A free and innovative Internet can help spur our economy in the Sixth District and nationwide. I will continue working to ensure that the Internet remains free of burdensome regulations and accessible to businesses and consumers in today’s online economy.”

“In every town, the Internet is creating jobs and growing the economy in new and unexpected ways; we want to tell the stories about how the Internet is helping brick and mortar businesses grow, hire new people, and create economic value,” said Michael Beckerman, President and CEO of The Internet Association. “The more we tell these stories, the more policy makers are going to realize that the Internet is the future of our economy and it’s powering non-Internet, non-tech businesses in small communities all over this country.”

Washington D.C. – The Internet Association, the unified voice of the online economy, is excited to announce the latest addition of SurveyMonkey to its growing list of members. SurveyMonkey will be joining The Internet Association member companies Airbnb, Amazon.com, AOL, eBay, Expedia, Facebook, Google, IAC, LinkedIn, Monster Worldwide, Rackspace, salesforce.com, TripAdvisor, Yahoo!, and Zynga.

“SurveyMonkey has changed the way people make decisions,” said SurveyMonkey General Counsel Eleanor Lacey. “Our technology has democratized the insights process so that our customers can use data to make better, more informed choices. We are excited to partner with The Internet Association and its member companies.”

Founded in 1999, SurveyMonkey is the world’s largest survey company, helping customers collect over 2+ million online survey responses every day. Since its inception, SurveyMonkey has transformed the way 14 million customers give and receive feedback, making it accessible, easy and affordable for everyone.

“The Internet economy thrives on the sharing of information and user feedback,” said The Internet Association President and CEO Michael Beckerman. “The Internet Association believes innovation is the key to growing our economy. SurveyMonkey and its community of customers are helping thousands of American businesses, organizations and academic institutions grow and flourish by providing real-time information to help make more insightful decisions. We are excited to welcome them aboard.”

The Internet is one of the greatest engines for economic growth, freedom and prosperity the world has ever known. The unique nature of the Internet – free from government control and governed by multiple stakeholders – has unleashed unprecedented entrepreneurialism, creativity, innovation, and freedom far beyond imagination. Preserving a free Internet for all people is essential to the preservation of political and economic liberty.

The Internet Association is strongly opposed to ITU efforts to regulate the Internet and asks Congress to stand together on this important issue. We urge the Internet community to join together to stop this threat to Internet freedom.

We support efforts to protect the Internet’s multi-stakeholder and decentralized model, which has allowed it to flourish as a powerful economic driver. We will seek to work with Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle on this important issue.

“The Internet opens up a whole new way for small businesses and consumers to communicate with the government,” said U.S. Congressman Blake Farenthold. “With just a click of the mouse you can be an advocate for whatever cause you want. It is important to advance public policy solutions that strengthen the Internet and encourage innovation.”

“In every city and town across America, the Internet is creating jobs and growing the economy in new and unexpected ways; we came to Austin during SXSW to showcase where and how this is happening,” said The Internet Association President and CEO Michael Beckerman. “Our small business crawl, targeting entrepreneurs in Austin, Texas, cemented the fact that the Internet has moved to Main Street. Highlighting these brick and mortar businesses along with local startups will be a key component of our messaging as we educate lawmakers that the Internet impacts every sector of the economy. ”

In coming months, the Internet on Main Street tour will continue with small business crawls in Virginia, Kansas, and Maryland.

“America’s online privacy law was written 30 years ago, before the birth of the modern Internet. Currently, law enforcement agencies are not required to obtain a warrant to access email and other online documents stored for longer than six months. This analog era law must be updated for the digital age. The Internet Association strongly supports updating our privacy laws to preserve the principle that law enforcement access to online content should require a warrant, no matter where it is stored or for how long .An email in your inbox deserves the same legal protections as a letter in your mailbox.”