Monthly Archives: June 2015

Washington, D.C. – Internet Association President and CEO Michael Beckerman issues the following statement on the House passage of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015:

“Internet platforms have transformed the way we engage in commerce and trade. The continued growth of the Internet as a global channel for innovation, trade, and commerce is made possible by laws that preserve the vitality of an open and user-focused online environment.

“The passage of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 is a positive step towards recognizing the importance of digital trade. We are encouraged that the bill offers some guidance that recognizes the importance of promoting copyright limitations and exceptions, as well as the protections, reflected in U.S. law.

“As this bill moves towards becoming law, the Internet industry looks forward to continuing its engagement on global trade to ensure policies that make the Internet work are embedded into future trade agreements.”

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Washington, D.C. – The Internet Association is proud to announce that Zenefits has joined as the organization’s 35th member. The fastest-growing SaaS company in history, Zenefits is a free, cloud HR automation platform that makes it effortless to manage a business and its employees by automating all of the associated HR administrative work: compliance, on-boarding, payroll updates, health insurance, and other employee benefits.

“Our company’s mission is to make it effortless for our 10,000 customers to manage their small- and medium-sized businesses, and provide benefits to over 100,000 employees,” said Zenefits Vice President of Public Policy Chris Massey. “We’ve harnessed the power of cloud computing to solve a problem every entrepreneur faces. Our solution doesn’t just eliminate the paperwork; it eliminates the actual work through HR automation via cloud computing. The Internet Association is a natural partner, and we’re proud to be a member.”

Zenefits’ free cloud-based software lets employers manage their payroll, health insurance, on-boarding, benefits, and more — all from a single, beautifully-designed dashboard. Employers can connect to their existing benefit providers or add new ones as needed, automating 95 percent of administration work so that tasks which used to take weeks can now be done in minutes. Zenefits does this all for free, without any contracts or disruptive switching of legacy systems, for over 10,000 small-and medium-sized businesses across the United States.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small firms create 63 percent of net new private-sector jobs. Zenefits allows these small firms to increase their productivity, thereby creating opportunities to employ more workers and contribute more to the prosperity of our economy. With more than 10,000 customers today, Zenefits’ rapid growth since its inception in 2012 is unprecedented among business-software startups.

“The Internet Association is excited to welcome Zenefits to our community of leading Internet companies,” said Michael Beckerman, Internet Association President and CEO. “Zenefits has truly embraced the power of the Internet to help small businesses thrive, and we look forward to partnering with them to promote policies that foster and protect Internet innovation in the future.”

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Washington, D.C. – Internet Association President and CEO Michael Beckerman issues the following statement on the House Judiciary Committee passage of the Innovation Act:

“The Internet Association applauds the venue and discovery changes accepted into the manager’s package at today’s markup of the Innovation Act. These provisions are critically important to Internet companies and startups by helping to curb abusive patent litigation. With these changes, along with Chairman Goodlatte’s commitment to improve the pleadings language and ensure the IPR process remains an effective tool to weed out bad patents, the Internet Association will support this legislation. We look forward to working with all Members of the House as this important bipartisan bill moves to a floor vote.”

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Washington, D.C. – Internet Association President and CEO Michael Beckerman issues the following statement in support of the DOTCOM Act:

“The Internet Association applauds Chairman Walden, Ranking Member Pallone, and Rep. Shimkus on the bipartisan DOTCOM Act. Congress has an important oversight role to play in the ICANN transition, as the seamless operation of the Internet is at stake. The approach taken in this legislation will help ensure the necessary checks and balances are in place before a transition occurs. The Internet industry looks forward to working with the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the NTIA, and ICANN to ensure that stakeholders are protected as the transition moves forward.”

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Washington, D.C. – Internet Association President and CEO Michael Beckerman issues the following statement upon release of Rep. Tom Marino and Rep. Judy Chu’s discussion draft of the Copyright Office for the Digital Economy (CODE) Act:

“Wholesale changes to the Copyright Office must first be made before determining whether it should be spun off as an independent agency. To achieve modernization, the Copyright Office must be reformed to better represent all stakeholders through the incorporation of policies that facilitate consumers’ access to content, encourage innovation, and protect content-creators. We look forward to working with Congress to accomplish these goals.”

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Internet Association President and CEO Michael Beckerman issues the following statement in advance of the Senate Judiciary Committee markup of the PATENT Act:

“The Internet Association applauds the tireless efforts of the Senate Judiciary Committee — in particular Senators Grassley, Leahy, Cornyn, Schumer, Hatch, Lee and Klobuchar — to advance legislation curbing abusive patent litigation tactics. Specifically, the Protecting American Talent and Entrepreneurship (PATENT) Act includes provisions such as heightened pleading, discovery, and fee shifting that help to reduce the harmful burdens patent trolls impose on the economy.

“We appreciate the commitment of the sponsors to improve the Inter Partes Review (IPR) provisions as introduced. As currently written, the proposed changes to the IPR program significantly weaken a process that allows leading companies and employers to challenge the validity of low quality patents in the appropriate forum.

“The final package must include strong reforms to stop patent trolls from wreaking havoc on our economy. The Internet Association and its member companies will continue to work with the Senate, House and all relevant stakeholders as this process moves forward.”

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Slater: “The checks and balances outlined in the Draft Proposal are a step in the right direction, but work must continue to clarify and refine the rules and controls before a handover occurs.”

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Internet Association weighed in on the transition of key Internet domain name functions from U.S. Government stewardship to the global Internet multi-stakeholder community.  In comments submitted in response to ICANN’s Cross Community Working Group (CCWG) Accountability Initial Draft Proposal, the Internet Association highlights its support for the transition process, but cautions ICANN not to work towards any artificial deadline for its completion.

“In a post-transition world, it is essential that ICANN be fortified with the appropriate separation of powers necessary to protect the system from capture by any one stakeholder group,” said Abigail Slater, Internet Association Vice President of Legal and Regulatory Policy.  “The checks and balances outlined in the Draft Proposal are a step in the right direction, but work must continue to clarify and refine the rules and controls before a handover occurs,” said Slater.

The comments support changes to ICANN’s bylaws to benefit the Internet community as a whole and to carry out its activities through an open and transparent process.  However, the Internet Association asks that a timeline be put in place to implement the final plan, and asks that the U.S. government continue its oversight of ICANN until the transition is fully implemented.

“A successful transition is fundamental to the proper functioning of the Internet, and we should not push towards a rushed or artificial deadline for transition.  The Internet industry looks forward to engaging in the process to ensure accountability mechanisms at ICANN that protect stakeholders after the transition from U.S. government stewardship,” Slater concluded.

To view the comments, click here.

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Washington, D.C. – Internet Association President and CEO Michael Beckerman issues the following statement on the Senate Passage of the USA Freedom Act:

“The Internet industry applauds the passage of the USA Freedom Act in the Senate, and is thankful to the bicameral, bipartisan group of legislators that championed this meaningful reform of government surveillance programs. Ending bulk data collection and increasing transparency and accountability of government practices are important steps towards the preservation of a free and open Internet. The USA Freedom Act sets a foundation for future surveillance laws, and we will continue to emphasize the need for additional surveillance reforms going forward.”

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