Publications

Used for Publications Categories only

White House AI Principles a Boon for American Innovation

January 17, 2020 | Ryan Khurana

The American AI Initiative, created by the Trump Administration in February 2019, highlighted the White House’s priorities to make artificial intelligence a pivotal asset in shaping America’s future. While the initial plan was criticized for a lack of specifics, on January 7th the Office of Management and Budget released its “Guidance for Regulation of Artificial

January 16, 2020 | Will Upton

Lincoln Network’s Zach Graves recently appeared on a panel at CES entitled: “Should Big Tech be Broken Up?” You can check out the full panel below. Featuring: Moderator:Jamie Susskind VP Regulatory Affairs, CTA Panelists:Jennifer HuddlestonResearch Fellow, Mercatus Center Charlotte SlaimanPolicy Counsel, Public Knowledge Zach GravesHead of Policy, Lincoln Network Dr. Robert AtkinsonPresident, Information Technology and

January 10, 2020 | Zach Graves

Apply by Feb. 28, 2020! We’re excited to announce the launch of our new Policy Hackers fellowship. This new program is designed to teach tech professionals—including technologists, investors, product managers, founders, and more—how to navigate government and public policy. The program is a 12 month, non-resident fellowship designed around the busy schedules of tech professionals, with content designed to augment

January 2, 2020 | Garrett Johnson

Congress approved $1.4 trillion in new spending last week to avoid another government shutdown over the holidays. Taxpayers are right to be wary whenever Congress pulls out its checkbook. But when it comes to one important line-item, budget hawks should be rooting for more funding, not less. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) serves as Congress’s

December 31, 2019 | Dan Lips

In a new op-ed in The Hill, Lincoln Network’s Garrett Johnson and R Street Institute’s Tony Mills explain why taxpayers should support strengthening the Government Accountability Office—pointing to the auditors’ estimated return-on-investment of $338 for each tax dollar spent in FY2019. Since 2010, GAO has delivered hundreds of billions in taxpayer savings, including by identifying

December 19, 2019 | Zach Graves

Lincoln Network was founded to be a bridge between policymakers and innovators, closing the gap between tech hubs like Silicon Valley and policy hubs like Washington, DC. We believe in a world of free markets and free people, and that fostering a robust but responsible innovation ecosystem is crucial to creating a better, freer, and

December 18, 2019 | Will Upton

Despite the convenience and benefits of online platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, the growing power and influence of ‘Big Tech’ have inspired a new wave of critics on both America’s Left and Right. These critics have argued online platforms promote unhealthy addiction, exacerbate polarization, waste our time and energy, and create easier pathways to

December 5, 2019 | Zach Graves

The following letter was sent to the House Committee on Science, Space, & Technology on December 5, 2019. Click here for the full PDF version. Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson, ChairwomanHon. Frank Lucas, Ranking MemberHouse Committee on Science, Space, & Technology2321 Rayburn House Office BuildingWashington, DC 20515 Re: Options for Improved Science and Technology Advice for

December 4, 2019 | Zach Graves

The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) released its congressionally directed report on science and technology (S&T) expertise and capacity in Congress in October 2019. In this paper, Daniel Schuman and Zach Graves review the report’s conclusions and offer an analysis of its findings. Click here to read the full report.

November 26, 2019 | Garrett Johnson

Increasing science and technology advice would be an important first step Technological advancements are rapidly changing the American economy and workforce. At the same time, lawmakers increasingly appear to lack the capability to understand and respond effectively to this transformation. Flip phone-wielding lawmakers may have been cutting edge in the 1990s, but not in today’s Congress, which routinely grapples

November 26, 2019 | Zach Graves

Lincoln Network and Bipartisan Policy Center recently teamed up to host a policy forum on enhancing science and technology expertise and capacity in Congress. Watch the full event below. Featuring: Yuri BeckelmanDeputy Chief of Staff, Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) Dr. Robert Cook-DeeganProfessor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University Adam KeiperSenior

Reviving Expertise in a Populist Age

November 25, 2019 | Zach Graves

Zach Graves is the head of policy at Lincoln Network and an associate fellow at the R Street Institute. M. Anthony Mills is associate vice president of policy and a senior fellow at the R Street Institute. Though we have heard laments for decades that American democracy is sliding into idiocracy, never has more ink been spilled on

Job Opening: Research Associate

November 25, 2019 | Zach Graves

Job Opening: Research Associate About the Organization Lincoln Network was founded to be a bridge between policymakers and innovators, closing the gap between tech hubs like Silicon Valley and policy hubs like Washington, DC. We believe in a world of free markets and free people, and that fostering a robust but responsible innovation ecosystem is

Beware Big Tech’s Embrace Of Regulation

November 25, 2019 | Aaron Ginn

Major players worried about upstarts displacing them are hurrying to cement their market dominance. Silicon Valley has entered a downward spiral of metaphorical mob-like violence, accelerated by broader societal ills and its own mistakes. In an effort akin to taking a hammer to the problem, “breaking up Big Tech” has become one of the few

November 25, 2019 | Dan Lips

Government Watchdogs Can Use Data Analytics to Identify Billions in Taxpayer Savings While impeachment hearings and the 2020 election dominate the political headlines, several encouraging bipartisan efforts to reform Washington and improve governance are making progress below the radar. The result could be billions in taxpayer savings. This month, the House of Representatives extended the

November 21, 2019 | Garrett Johnson

Conservative voters are (or should be) worried about being censored by social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Or so holds an enduring conservative narrative. But my organization, the Lincoln Network, conducted a national poll with Morning Consult to learn how Republican voters really feel about this issue. The results suggest a significant gap between the

November 21, 2019 | Will Upton

From August 1st to 3rd, 2019, Lincoln Network in conjunction with Morning Consult polled Republican voters on a series of questions regarding the major technology/social media platforms (including Google, Facebook, and Twitter) in order to decipher what impact voter opinion could have on the 2020 elections. The data shows that, overwhelmingly, Republican voters approve of

Answering China’s Sharp Power

November 20, 2019 | Dan Lips

The Federal Communications Commission will soon consider a proposal to prevent U.S. companies from using Universal Service Fund dollars to purchase equipment or services from companies deemed to present a national security threat, including Huawei and ZTE Corporation. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai made the case for his proposal: “Thanks

October 21, 2019 | Will Upton

To further our vision for bridging the gap between Silicon Valley innovators and Washington, DC, policymakers, Lincoln Network has expanded its policy team with a key new hire. Lincoln Network welcomes Dan Lips as Director of Cyber and National Security Policy. Prior to Lincoln, Lips served as Assistant Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs

October 1, 2019 | Will Upton

Today’s 2-1 ruling in Mozilla v. Federal Communications Commission from the D.C. Circuit largely reaffirms the FCC’s 2018 net neutrality framework, avoiding an innovation-crushing regulatory regime. However, as Lincoln Network co-founder Garrett Johnson argued, Congress still needs to step in to address the harmful regulatory uncertainty of the protracted fight over net neutrality: While some

September 30, 2019 | Zach Graves

The article, “Incorporating Ethics Into Technology Assessment,” was co-authored by Zach Graves and Robert Cook-Deegan. It appears in the Fall 2019 issue of Issues in Science and Technology. Visit the Issues website here, or click here to read the full version of the article.

September 29, 2019 | Zach Graves

The following one pager was co-authored by Lincoln Network’s Zach Graves and Demand Progress’s Daniel Schuman. Click here to download a printer-friendly PDF version. The Office of Technology Assessment From 1974-1995, the Office of Technology Assessment served as a legislative branch support agency tasked with providing Congress with technology assessments: multi-disciplinary, authoritative analyses of science

Call for guest bloggers

September 11, 2019 | Zach Graves

With the recent launch of our policy website and blog, Lincoln Network is seeking to expand its roster of guest contributors in DC, Silicon Valley, and other tech/policy hubs. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to): Silicon Valley vs. DC culture and translation problems 💿🆚🏛️ Hot takes on tech policy issues in the

Progress in closing the digital divide

August 6, 2019 | Garrett Johnson

The world has moved online. With just an internet connection, one can access a vast range of digital services, educational materials, and economic opportunities unimaginable by previous generations. Yet, many people who need these opportunities the most – such as low income people of color – have still been left behind. It’s clear that as

August 1, 2019 | Zach Graves

Over the past two years, following high-profile hearings with Mark Zuckerberg and other tech CEOs, there has been a resurgence of interest in addressing Congress’s knowledge gap on scientific and technical policy issues (a conversation which we’ve been proud to help lead). One solution that has gained momentum is restoring the Office of Technology Assessment, a science and

Job Opening: Innovation Policy Expert

July 30, 2019 | Zach Graves

Lincoln Network was founded to be a bridge between policymakers and innovators, closing the gap between tech hubs like Silicon Valley and policy hubs like Washington, DC. We see our value proposition in cross-pollination, network building, and translation between groups that don’t speak the same language. Our work includes helping innovators understand the policy world,

July 30, 2019 | Zach Graves

Over the past year or so, there’s been growing interest in bringing back the Office of Technology Assessment, a think tank within Congress that helped it understand complex science and technology issues from 1974 to 1995. Should OTA be brought back, it seems unlikely that policymakers will leave it unchanged (as they reexamine issues like the timeliness

July 30, 2019 | Ryan Radia

Access to speedy, reliable broadband matters a lot to our economy, whether we’re at work, on our smartphone, or sitting on the couch. But it’s not always easy to measure how well we’re doing as a nation in terms of deploying speedy broadband. One sticking point is the gulf between speeds reported by Internet service

July 25, 2019 | Zach Graves

The Supreme Court may soon finally start to rein in the sprawling administrative state, returning authority to make laws to Congress. Conservatives have dreamed of this restoration of the Constitution’s separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches. But Congress clearly isn’t equipped to decide the hard questions that lawmakers have simply left to

July 25, 2019 | Will Upton

Lincoln joined a coalition letter organized by the Institute for Liberty supporting the FCC’s efforts to curb excessive state and local cable franchise fees, as well as in-kind demands, that chill broadband deployment. The letter encourages the Commission to adopt the draft Third Report and Order on the implementation of Section 621 of the Cable Act during

Lincoln’s approach to policy

July 21, 2019 | Zach Graves

Make the future happen sooner. The mission of Lincoln’s policy project is to bridge the gap between innovators, technologists, and policymakers, and leverage that position to advance policy discussions that will help create a better, freer, and more abundant future. In the face of increasing backlash against science and technology, we are optimistic about the

July 20, 2019 | Zach Graves

Lincoln joined a bipartisan coalition letter urging new Congressional Budget Office director Dr. Phillip Swagel to improve CBO’s information publication practices and transparency. Other signatories include Demand Progress, Americans for Prosperity, Campaign for Liberty, TechFreedom, FreedomWorks, and others.

July 20, 2019 | Zach Graves

Lincoln joined a bipartisan coalition letter organized by Demand Progress in support of the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act (ACMRA) sponsored by Sens. Rob Portman (R-Oh), Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). This legislation would take important steps towards improving the accessibility of public government information . The letter argues: The ACMRA

July 19, 2019 | Ryan Khurana

On June 28th, 2019, after 46 years of regulatory dormancy, action was once again taken to make supersonic flight a reality in the United States. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a notice of proposed rulemaking that would allow for special flight reauthorizations for the testing and development supersonic aircraft. This came after bipartisan legislation

July 17, 2019 | Ryan Radia

Conservatives see the Constitution as their best defense online, but have they considered the broader consequences? Conservatives often accuse big tech companies of suppressing right-leaning voices and giving preferential treatment to left-wing commentators and news outlets. Google is the target of these latest allegations, which include a heavily edited video that seemingly depicts an executive suggesting