8th Annual "State of the Net" Tech Policy Conference To Be Held January 17-18 in Washington, DC

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee, a Washington, D.C.-based organization working to educate the Congress and the public about important Internet-related policy issues, will host the 8th annual State of the Net Conference to be held January 17-18, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. This widely attended event provides opportunities to network and engage in key information technology policy issues and offers a balanced blend of academics, consumer groups, industry, and government.

The 2012 State of the Net Conference will feature in-depth discussions with leading Internet policy experts and panel tracks focusing on timely topics such as online piracy (SOPA), Internet sales tax, broadband, geolocation privacy, government surveillance, global Internet freedom, smartphone patent wars, commercial privacy, wireless spectrum, content licensing, and much more. The conference will also feature a keynote luncheon discussion between Tim Westergren, CEO & Founder, Pandora Media Inc., and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Co-Chair, Congressional Internet Caucus. Other keynotes include Rep. Jared Polis and Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Michael Posner.

You can register for the conference at http://www.netcaucus.org/conference/2012/.  Attendance is complimentary for media, and a full agenda will be posted shortly.

Other speakers to include, among others:

The Honorable Jared Polis (D-CO)

Brian Bieron, Senior Director of Federal Affairs, eBay Inc. (invited)

Steve Crocker, Chairman of the Board, ICANN; CEO and co-founder, Shinkuro, Inc.

The Honorable Theodore R. Essex, Administrative Law Judge, International Trade Commission

Amy D. Hammer, Assistant General Counsel, Verizon Communications Inc.

Kashmir Hill, Staff Writer, Forbes Magazine

Bill Hughes, Senior Vice President, Government Relations, Retail Industry Leaders Association

Jamil Jaffer, Senior Counsel, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

The Honorable David Kappos, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office

Mike Masnick, Editor, techdirt.com

Craig Moffett, VP & Senior Analyst, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. LLC.

Jeffrey Rosen, Professor of Law, The George Washington University; Legal Affairs Editor, The New Republic

Tommy Ross, Senior Intelligence and Defense Advisor to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

Sascha Segan, Lead Analyst, PCMag Mobile

Michael D. Smith, Professor of Information Technology and Marketing, Carnegie Mellon University

Tim Westergren, Chief Strategy Officer & Founder, Pandora Media, Inc.

Background:

The State of the Net Conference is the largest information technology policy conference in the United States, attracting over 600 attendees annually. As a leader in technology policy, the conference will address policy issues that will challenge the Administration and Policymakers in the next session of Congress. This year, the State of the Net Conference will dedicate a half-day symposium to the challenges presented by the online distribution of traditionally produced entertainment media -- from licensing issues to bandwidth constraints on Wednesday, January 18, 2012. 

About the Congressional Internet Caucus:

Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee is a diverse group of public interest, non-profit and industry groups working to educate the Congress and the public about important Internet-related policy issues. The group seeks to promote the growth and advancement of the Internet, provide a bicameral, bipartisan forum for Internet concerns to be raised, while promoting the education of internet-related issues. More information can be found at http://www.netcaucus.org.

SOURCE Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee