Blog

SBA.gov vs. Instacart – Collapsing IT Infrastructure During Covid 19

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 2020

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

Symposium on Technology Assessment

February 1, 2020 | Zach Graves

In July of last year, Lincoln Network announced a call for papers on the future of technology assessment and science advice for Congress. The following papers from the first round of this series are available below. “Legislative Science Advice in Europe and the United Kingdom,” by Chris Tyler, University College London “The Many Meanings of

January 30, 2020 | Zach Graves

Lincoln head of policy Zach Graves discusses tech and innovation policy with Schmidt Futures’ Kumar Garg at the Day One Project conference at the National Academies of Sciences.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 | 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

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 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