Blog

May 13, 2020 | Dan Lips

Recognizing the Need to Confront the Global Spread of Digital Authoritarianism The U.S. Agency for International Development recently unveiled a new digital strategy—detailing plans to leverage technology in foreign aid investments to support countries’ transition to self-reliance. The new approach comes as the United States reconsiders how to answer authoritarian sharp power and promote American

May 13, 2020 | Joel Thayer

We Shouldn’t Let Territorial Federal Agencies Override a Pro-Innovation Decision by the FCC Senator Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., gave a speech on the Senate floor yesterday attacking the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) unanimously approved Order granting Ligado’s application to modify its license. Sen. Inhofe argues: I think by now it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone

How to Build

May 11, 2020 | Marshall Kosloff

In response to Marc Andreessen’s essay It’s Time to Build, Lincoln Network hosted A Time to Build? Institutional Failure and Reform After COVID-19. Marshall Kosloff, Lincoln’s director of outreach and media moderated the webinar panel with Eli Dourado, Mark Lutter, and Marci Harris. We believe that Andreessen’s call to build and reform our institutions has

May 1, 2020 | Alexiaa Jordan

“Out of 3,500 congressional staff, less than 20 have any technical background. Decent governance in the 21st century REQUIRES talented technologists to serve in government. ” — Travis Moore, Founder and Director of TechCongress Now, TechCongress has launched a new Congressional Digital Service Fellowship for experienced technologists. Here’s what they’re looking for: Commitment to helping

May 1, 2020 | Alexiaa Jordan

Here at Lincoln, we believe technologists and innovators have an important role to play in addressing our nation’s most pressing problems. So we wanted to highlight tech companies that are supporting our nation and providing services to communities that are struggling. We’ve created a Wiki highlighting the ways that the industry has mobilized to confront the virus.

April 30, 2020 | Marshall Kosloff

Marshall Kosloff, Director of Outreach and Media for Lincoln Network, moderated a virtual panel featuring the following distinguished guests, Eli Dourado, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Growth and Opportunity. Marci Harris, CEO, and Co-Founder of PopVoxMark Lutter, Founder and Executive Director of the Charter Cities Institute The event was inspired by Marc Andreessen,

April 30, 2020 | Zach Graves

Charting a path forward for enhanced science and technology expertise in Congress Yesterday the Congressional Research Service published a 71 page report, “The Office of Technology Assessment: History, Authorities, Issues, and Options.” As its title suggests, the report covers the history of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), recent legislative activity, and the recommendations from

Policy Update for March-April

April 28, 2020 | Zach Graves

The following post was originally set as an email newsletter to our friends and supporters. Re: Lincoln Policy Team Activities for March-April 2020 Dear friends and supporters of Lincoln: Thanks for tuning in again. After narrowly making it back from vacationing in Portugal, I’ve been spending a lot of time getting our new CRM and

April 28, 2020 | Dan Lips

Harmonizing cybersecurity regulations imposed on state governments was a good idea before the pandemic. Now, it should be a top priority to help states address current challenges and defend the 2020 election. State governments are facing unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19 pandemic. While saving lives and addressing urgent public health needs remains the focus, state

Soft Power Meets Sharp Power

April 28, 2020 | Jordan McGillis

Chinese State Influence on American Companies U.S.-China relations are in a period of high tension, with the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 being the most recent in a litany of flashpoints. The spread of the lethal coronavirus from Wuhan comes amid an ongoing trade dispute and increased U.S. attention on repression in the province of Xinjiang

Video: GDPR 2 Years Later

April 27, 2020 | Alexiaa Jordan

Featuring: *Matthias Bauer, PhD, Senior Economist at the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) – will cover the interplay between Digital Services Taxes and GDPR *Philip Thompson, Policy Analyst with the Property Rights Alliance – will cover GDPR as a barrier to trade *Alexiaa Jordan, Policy Analyst with Lincoln Network – will cover CCPA and US privacy regimes as they relate to GDPR *Eline Chivot, Senior Policy Analyst at ITIF Center for Data Innovation – will cover the current status of GDPR and its effects 2 years later *Andreas Hellmann, International Advocacy Manager at Americans for Tax Reform Foundation *Katie McAuliffe, Executive Director, Digital Liberty – moderator

April 23, 2020 | Lars Schönander

Today the Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously to adopt rules making 1200 MHz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band available for use by unlicensed technologies. There are tremendous benefits for both industry and consumers in making more available spectrum for use by unlicensed technologies, such as Wi-Fi, where it will permit more users to

April 22, 2020 | Dan Lips

Removing regulatory barriers to allow federal and state agencies to work together is a good start Writing in the Wall Street Journal this weekend, Andy Kessler described how wasted tax dollars and outdated IT systems are hindering the nation’s ability to address the COVID-19 pandemic, pointing to alarming examples at the state and federal level.

April 21, 2020 | Zach Graves

Former members of Congress participated in a “Mock Remote Hearing” exercise to test the viability of online proceedings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was co-chaired by Former Rep. Brian Baird [D, WA] and Former Rep. Bob Inglis [R, SC] and co-hosted by AEI, The Brookings Institution, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation, Georgetown University,

April 20, 2020 | Joel Thayer

By Joel Thayer and Garrett Johnson Shelter-in-place America depends on an internet economy powered by tech company innovations. However, digital innovation relies on the existence of strong broadband networks. With the adoption of 5G, tech companies need priority access arrangements for essential services such as autonomous vehicles and telemedicine to operate successfully. That said, if

April 16, 2020 | Joel Thayer

More spectrum will help pave the way for IoT and 5G FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s announcement that he had circulated a draft order to approve Ligado Network’s application is a welcomed one. Granting Ligado’s application would modify its license to allow the company to deploy a low-power terrestrial network for 5G and IoT by leveraging

April 16, 2020 | Garrett Johnson

Exploding demand for government assistance at nearly every level has strained many old technology systems to the point of crashing, causing millions of Americans nightmares. Any startup would dream of the hockey-stick traffic spikes experienced by state unemployment pages or by the federal Small Business Administration (SBA) since mid-March, but the current crisis provides another

April 15, 2020 | Zach Graves

We’re excited announce Lincoln Network’s inaugural cohort of Policy Hackers–10 tech professionals from around the country passionate about helping bridge the gap between innovators and policymakers. Fellows will remain in their current roles while engaging with policy experts, lobbyists, academics, and government officials throughout the year-long program, including summits in DC and the Bay Area.

April 15, 2020 | Dan Lips

By Ian Patterson & Dan Lips Intro As discussed in a previous article, there are many surplus federal properties in areas hardest hit by COVID-19 that we believe could be quickly utilized for field hospitals, homeless housing, and other needs. Lincoln has issued a grant proposal to develop software that helps state and local officials

April 7, 2020 | Dan Lips

By Dan Lips and Ian Patterson Images of the USNS Comfort docking on Manhattan’s West Side and a field hospital constructed in Central Park show the gravity of the medical emergency taking place in New York City. As the heroic doctors, nurses, health care professionals and first responders work to take care of patients, policymakers

April 7, 2020 | Dan Lips

By Maggi Molina and Dan Lips Congress faces major challenges in 2020—including the Coronavirus pandemic and addressing its significant disruptions to our way of life. With the Congressional Budget Office already forecasting trillion dollar federal deficits through 2030, lawmakers may have less flexibility to authorize new spending to address these problems. One way for Congress

April 6, 2020 | Ryan Khurana

Much has been made of the responses by various East Asian nations to the COVID-19 pandemic that is currently scourging the globe. While nearly every East Asian country has managed to get the spread of the virus down to at least a double-digit daily increase by April 2020, compared to the thousands of new cases

April 6, 2020 | Dan Lips

Since 2016, national leaders have worked to prepare for the 2020 election—anticipating foreign adversaries again working to use cyber operations to influence and interfere with the democratic process. But no one predicted the challenges posed by the Coronavirus outbreak. Holding a presidential election during a pandemic could test the nation’s current capacity for self-government. Government

April 1, 2020 | Sean Roberts

A Vote by Mail election is a solution not without risks. Various US Congressional bills over the past couple of months have proposed permanently making Vote by Mail and other elections provisions the law of the land. While Vote by Mail could be a good solution for the social distancing issues brought on by the

So You Want to Work for Uncle Sam?

March 20, 2020 | Zach Graves

Lincoln has a new Wiki to help technology professionals find ways to get involved in government (at least for a year or two) The state and federal government requires the work of technologists more now than ever. From improving data reporting at the US Census to rebuilding the Federal Election Commission’s website to make the

Lessons from California’s Primary

March 11, 2020 | Sean Roberts

The Shift to Voting Centers Caused Systemwide Challenges

How Platforms Drive Innovation

March 6, 2020 | Lars Schönander

One creates b2b software, the other disrupted the taxi industry. What Shopify and Uber share in common is the status as unicorn companies while they were private. Shopify at IPO was valued around $1 Billion Dollars, with Uber being valued around $72 billion dollars. Shopify has had a rewarding post IPO life, with the

Policy Update for January-February

March 4, 2020 | Zach Graves

The following post was originally set as an email newsletter to our friends and supporters. Re: Lincoln Policy Team Activities for January-February, 2020 Dear friends and supporters of Lincoln: First, I wanted to give you an update about our expanded policy team. As you can see from the graphic below, we’ve added a few new

March 4, 2020 | Mike Wacker

The following post was written by Mike Wacker, a software developer and ex-Google engineer based in Washington State. “Right now, if you Google the word ‘idiot’ under images, a picture of Donald Trump comes up. […] How would that happen?” When Rep. Zoe Logren (D-CA) asked this question to Google CEO Sundar Pichai in December

February 27, 2020 | Zach Graves

Eric Schmidt is right we need more R&D investment to beat China. But we also need more capacity to assess its efficiency and efficacy. Defense Innovation Board chairman and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has an excellent op-ed today in the New York Times (disclosure: Lincoln is a grantee of his foundation) making the case

Video: Protocols vs. Platforms

February 25, 2020 | Zach Graves

ABOUT THE EVENT The early Internet evolved around many different protocols. Email utilized Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), Post Office Protocol (POP), and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP); The web was accessed using Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP), with data sent over Transmission Control Protocol and the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP); and you could chat with

The Case Against Non-Competes

February 24, 2020 | Ryan Khurana

A recently introduced bill entitled the Workforce Mobility Act by a bipartisan coalition of Senators Todd Young (R-Ind) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn), and Representatives Scott Peters (CA-52), Mike Gallagher (WI-08), and Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18) offers the long overdue opportunity to limit the breadth and scope of non-compete agreements over American workers. Long has it

February 11, 2020 | Lars Schönander

Machine learning is rapidly becoming a major part of the products we consume and how we interact with governments, from neural networks that improved Google Translate to automated decision systems using decision trees for detecting potential SNAP fraud in New York City. For machine learning to work, large datasets are required to be able

February 3, 2020 | Dan Lips

Federal News Radio’s Tom Temin recently interviewed the Lincoln Network’s Dan Lips and the R Street Institute’s Tony Mills to discuss the Government Accountability Office’s 2020 budget: “Imagine an organization with the mission of finding fault with nearly everything everyone else does. In a nutshell, that’s exactly what the Government Accountability Office does. And it’s

February 3, 2020 | Jess Miers

How expanding copyright protections for APIs could undermine the future of the web Application programming interfaces (APIs) are the building blocks of modern software development. Programmers rarely write code from scratch. Instead, programmers start with APIs to automate traditional routine processes and basic functionality. But besides providing a basic standard for software developers, APIs do