Letters, Comments & Testimony

Public Comment to the Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration

March 20, 2023 | Lars Schönander

Today, I submitted a public comment to the Economic Development Administration concerning its proposed rules for the Implementation of the Regional Technology and Innovation Hub Program. My name is Lars Erik Schönander. I am a Policy Technologist at Lincoln Network. I appreciate the opportunity to provide public comment to the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA)

March 1, 2023 | Luke Hogg

Today, Zach Graves, Executive Director of Lincoln Network, and figures from three other organizations, sent a letter to Speaker McCarthy and members of the House Republican Conference, recommending that they strengthen the legislative branch and its capacity for policymaking and oversight in the 118th Congress. The text of the letter reads: Dear Speaker McCarthy and members of

February 28, 2023 | Jonathon Hauenschild

Data breach notification standards are important tools to protect cybersecurity. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), though, lacks congressional authority to expand its current notification regime to include “accidental” or “inadvertent breaches.” In a recent comment filed with the FCC, I discussed the need to ensure that consumers are notified when bad actors intentionally access confidential

February 28, 2023 | Jonathon Hauenschild

When deploying broadband infrastructure, service providers should not discriminate against potential customers on the basis of income level, race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin. In a recent comment filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), I discussed the best ways for the FCC to realize its goal of closing the digital divide while preventing discrimination.

February 2, 2023 | Luke Hogg

Today, Zach Graves, Executive Director of Lincoln Network, and Matt Lira, former Special Assistant to the President for Innovation Policy, sent a letter to Speaker McCarthy, urging him to modernize the House of Representatives. The text of the letter reads: Dear Speaker McCarthy: Congratulations on your election as Speaker of the House of Representatives. As

November 18, 2022 | Geoff Cain

Click here to download a PDF of the letter. We write as U.S. foreign policy and national security professionals concerned about countering the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s malign influence to support the inclusion of the Establishing New Authorities for Businesses Laundering and Enabling Risks to Security (ENABLERS) Act in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal

September 14, 2022 | Geoff Cain

Click here to download a PDF of the full testimony. Social Media’s Impact on Homeland Security Chairman Peters, Ranking Member Portman, and Members of the Committee: It is an honor to be invited to testify here on social media’s impact on national security. Today, I will talk about one of the greatest technological threats facing

June 30, 2022 | Dan Lips

Click here to download a PDF of the full testimony. Chairman Coons, Ranking Member Graham, and Members of the Subcommittee: My name is Dan Lips. I am Head of Policy at Lincoln Network. I am writing to encourage the Subcommittee to provide additional funding to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), especially for its

June 24, 2022 | Luke Hogg

Click here to download a PDF of the full testimony. Chairman Van Hollen, Ranking Member Hyde-Smith, and Members of the Subcommittee, We are writing on behalf of Lincoln Network to encourage this Subcommittee to provide additional funding to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and to direct funds for the hiring of additional staff technologists. In

June 23, 2022 | Reynold Schweickhardt

Click here to download a full PDF of the testimony. Chair Kilmer, Vice Chair Timmons, and Members of the Committee: I am pleased to appear today to testify about ways to improve the digital capacity of the House of Representatives. I will be speaking to structural issues that raise the costs of implementing digital initiatives

June 21, 2022 | Lars Schönander

Click here to download a full PDF of the testimony. Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, Ranking Member John Kennedy, and Members of the Subcommittee: My name is Lars Erik Schönander. I am a Policy Technologist at Lincoln Network, a think tank to help bridge the gap between Silicon Valley and DC along with leveraging technology and technical

June 3, 2022 | Dan Lips

Click here to download a full PDF of the testimony. Chairwoman Lee, Ranking Member Rogers, and Members of the Subcommittee: My name is Dan Lips. I am head of policy at Lincoln Network. I am writing to encourage the Subcommittee to provide additional funding to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), specifically to provide

May 27, 2022 | Dan Lips

Click here to download a full PDF of the testimony. Chairman Reed, Ranking Member Braun, and Members of the Subcommittee: My name is Dan Lips. I am head of policy at Lincoln Network. I respectfully urge the subcommittee to fully fund the Comptroller General’s budget request of $810 million for the U.S. Government Accountability Office

May 26, 2022 | Dan Lips

Click here to download a full PDF of the testimony. Chairman DeLauro, Ranking Member Cole, and Members of the Subcommittee: My name is Dan Lips. I am Head of Policy at Lincoln Network. I respectfully urge the Subcommittee to conduct needed oversight of the Education Department’s programs to identify ways to increase the nation’s return-on-investment

May 19, 2022 | Dan Lips

Click here to download a full PDF of the testimony. Chairman Ryan, Ranking Member Herrera-Beautler, and Members of the Subcommittee: My name is Dan Lips. I am Head of Policy at Lincoln Network. I respectfully urge thesubcommittee to fully fund the Comptroller General’s budget request of $810 million for theU.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) for

December 6, 2021 | Luke Hogg

Click here to download a PDF of the letter. Dear Chairman Durbin and Ranking Member Grassley: We write to support your efforts to bring the Open Courts Act (S. 2614) to a vote before the Senate Judiciary Committee on December 9. We have long appreciated your commitment to transparency in all branches of government, including

November 3, 2021 | Luke Hogg

Today, Lincoln Network and six other organizations and individuals sent a letter to Senate Committee on Appropriations Vice Chairman Richard Shelby and Senate Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch Ranking Member Mike Braun urging them to prioritize Congress’ policy making capacity and increasing its oversight capabilities. This letter cited the lack of proportional investment in the

September 29, 2021 | Zach Graves

Written Testimony of Zach Graves Before the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress Click here to download the full PDF with footnotes. Note: The original date for this hearing was postponed and is currently expected to be rescheduled in the coming weeks. Chair Kilmer, Vice Chair Timmons, and members of the Committee: Thank you

July 22, 2021 | Zach Graves

Click here to view a PDF of the letter. Hon. Richard Shelby, Vice ChairU.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Hon. Mike Braun, Ranking MemberSubcommittee on the Legislative BranchU.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Re: Strengthening Article I with Policy and Oversight Capacity Dear Vice Chair Shelby and Ranking Member Braun, We the undersigned right-of-center organizations and individuals

June 17, 2021 | Dan Lips

Click here to download a PDF of the letter Chairman Hassan, Ranking Member Paul, and Members of the Subcommittee, Thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is Dan Lips. I am the vice president for national security and government oversight at Lincoln Network, a non-profit organization focused on bridging gaps between the technology

June 1, 2021 | Dan Lips

On Tuesday, Lincoln Network and representatives of eight organizations sent a letter to Chairman Bob Menedez and Ranking Member Jim Risch of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee requesting a hearing on American tech firms supporting digital authoritarianism. The letter cited recent media reports about Apple’s business practices in the People’s Republic of China and the

May 17, 2021 | Zach Graves

Click here to download a PDF of the letter 30 organizations and 11 congressional experts sent a bipartisan letter to House appropriators today calling to restore funding levels for congressional personal office and committee staff, amounting to double-digit percentage increases. The bipartisan letter was organized by the progressive organization Demand Progress and the conservative organization Lincoln

May 13, 2021 | Dan Lips

Click here to download a PDF of the letter Chairman Ryan, Ranking Member Herrera Beutler, and Members of the Subcommittee: My name is Dan Lips. I am the Director of National Security and Government Oversight with the Lincoln Network. I respectfully urge the subcommittee to fully fund the Comptroller General’s FY2020 budget request of $744.3

April 12, 2021 | Ariel Deschapell

Today, Lincoln Network, in conjunction with four other co-authors, submitted formal comments to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in response to the questions posed within the Policy Statement on the Custody of Digital Asset Securities by Special Purpose Broker-Dealers. In our formal comment, we address industry best practices related to custody of digital assets,

March 26, 2021 | Zach Graves

Click here to download a PDF of the letter Chairman Kilmer, Vice Chairman Timmons, and esteemed members of the Committee: Thank you for the opportunity to testify. My organization, Lincoln Network, works to bridge the gap between Silicon Valley and DC. This work entails building up and future-proofing our institutions with the capacity they need

February 26, 2021 | Zach Graves

Dear Honorable Majority Leader Schumer, Honorable Minority Leader McConnell, Honorable Chairwoman Klobuchar, and Honorable Ranking Member Blunt: The COVID-19 pandemic, growing economic hardship for many American families, a national reckoning over racial injustice, and the January 6 siege of the Capitol have strained our democracy, underscoring the need for a strong, well-prepared Congress. While democratic

February 17, 2021 | Zach Graves

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, House Republican Leader McCarthy, and Senate Republican Leader McConnell: We write in firm opposition to the proposed enclosure of the U.S. Capitol with permanent security fencing. The Capitol and surrounding buildings must remain open to all engaged in the business of our democracy. Congress should be the shining

February 16, 2021 | Zach Graves

The following letter was sent to the Hill on February 16, 2021. To discuss this issue further, please contact: Charlotte Slaiman, Competition Policy Director at Public Knowledge at [email protected]; Chris Riley, Senior Fellow at the R Street Institute at [email protected]; and Zach Graves, Head of Policy for Lincoln Network at [email protected] Hon. Chris Van Hollen,

February 11, 2021 | Joel Thayer

Click here to download a PDF of the letter Lincoln Network (“Lincoln”) writes to the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC” or “Commission”) to provide its comments in the above-captioned proceeding. Lincoln is a non-profit organization that seeks to bridge the often-siloed discussions between policymakers in Washington, D.C., and technologists in Silicon Valley so as to advance

February 8, 2021 | Zach Graves

Click here to download a PDF of the letter Dear Chair DeLauro, Chair Leahy, Ranking Member Granger, and Vice-Chair Shelby: On behalf of the undersigned individuals, civil society organizations, and industry groups, we urge you to increase the share of discretionary funding available for the Legislative branch both to address the historically diminished resources available

February 8, 2021 | Dan Lips

Click here to download a PDF of the letter Dear Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, and Leader McCarthy: On behalf of the undersigned organizations, members of the Power of the Purse Coalition, we write requesting your support for advancing a number of initiatives in the 117th Congress to strengthen the legislative branch’s constitutional authority

October 9, 2020 | Zach Graves

Click here to download a PDF of the letter October 7, 2020 Dear Representatives DeLauro, Kaptur, and Wasserman Schultz: We write to commend you for releasing proposals to further strengthen the responsiveness, transparency, accountability, and effectiveness of the House Committee on Appropriations. We applaud your energetic campaigns and your continued service to our country. The

October 8, 2020 | Zach Graves

Following the Department of Defense (DoD) Request for Information on a government-managed process for 5G development and action, Americans for Tax Reform led a group of 43 center-right organizations, think tanks, and policy experts in a coalition letter thanking U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD) for his leadership and support for the American competitive approach to 5G deployment. Recently, Sen.

September 17, 2020 | Garrett Johnson

Lincoln Network submitted comments to the FCC on RM-11862, the NTIA’s petition to “clarify” Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. Authored by Garrett Johnson and Zach Graves. Click here to view the full comment in PDF format. We write: The Commission has been asked to respond to the National Telecommunications and

August 7, 2020 | Zach Graves

Click here to download a PDF of the letter. The Honorable Richard Shelby Chair, Committee on Appropriations United States Senate The Honorable Patrick Leahy Ranking Member, Committee on Appropriations United States Senate Dear Chairman Shelby and Ranking Member Leahy: We write to respectfully request that video of Senate Appropriations Committee legislative mark-ups be broadcast online

July 31, 2020 | Zach Graves

Click here to download a PDF of the letter. The Honorable Tim Ryan H-306, The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Jamie Herrera Beutler 2352 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Chairman Ryan, Ranking Member Herrera Beutler, and Members of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Committee: We write in deep appreciation of your efforts to

July 31, 2020 | Zach Graves

Click here to download a PDF of the letter. July 27, 2020The Honorable Nancy PelosiSpeaker, U.S. House of Representatives The Honorable Mitch McConnellMajority Leader, U.S. Senate The Honorable Kevin McCarthyMinority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives The Honorable Charles SchumerMinority Leader, U.S. Senate Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leaders McConnell, Schumer, and McCarthy, The COVID-19 pandemic sparked an

July 17, 2020 | Zach Graves

Click here to download a PDF of the letter. Hon. Zoe Lofgren, Chair Hon. Rodney Davis, Ranking Member Committee on House Administration Committee on House Administration U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives Re: Hearing Entitled “Exploring the Feasibility and Security of Technology to Conduct Remote Voting in the House” Dear Chair Lofgren, Ranking

July 9, 2020 | Scott McKaig

Brief of the R Street Institute, Public Knowledge, Lincoln Network, Engine Advocacy, the Innovation Defense Foundation, and the American Antitrust Institute Click here to read the brief.

July 8, 2020 | Joel Thayer

Consumer Technology Association (CTA), a national trade organization representing more than 2,200 tech companies in the United States, recently submitted a petition for Rulemaking Or, In The Alternative, Waiver To Expand Marketing Opportunities For Innovative Technologies. Lincoln’s letter of support of the petition can be downloaded here Ms. Marlene H. Dortch Federal Communications Commission 445