On March 14, Robert Callahan announced he was leaving his post as TechAmerica’s director of state government affairs in California, to become executive director of the Internet Association’s first California office. Techwire asked Callahan to answer some questions about his new position and what it might mean to technology companies in the Golden State.
What major issues are you currently focused on?
RC: We’re currently focused in California on a variety of issues, including better-preparing our students for the 21st-century economy, encouraging the continued robust growth of the Internet-enabled "sharing economy," and ensuring that online innovation continues to thrive.
The Internet Association’s general priorities are to protect Internet freedom, foster innovation and economic growth, and empower Internet users. Nationally, we have led advocacy efforts on significant issues such as patent reform, immigration reform, international trade, privacy, copyright, and global Internet governance.
Are any of these issues unique to California?
RC: Not necessarily. But California does play a unique role in driving the discussion. The Golden State is home to many of the world’s top Internet companies and we have a rich history of technology and innovation. California takes pride in this homegrown sector and also sees itself as a leader on these issues. As a result, California lawmakers are often the first to address some of the more novel and complex issues related to Internet policy, and those discussions can certainly impact the national discourse.
What specific plans or initiatives do you have for California?
RC: First and foremost we want to establish ourselves as a resource to lawmakers and be a central part of any Internet policy debate. Second, we want lawmakers from every corner of the state to begin thinking about Internet issues as not just concerns of those in Silicon Valley or the Bay Area, but as a district issues for lawmakers in all 120 districts. Businesses of every size and shape and from every Main Street in California are experiencing growth and/or greater business opportunities thanks to the Internet. This powerful platform is enabling jobs and economic growth in local economies across the state. Just because a person’s business isn’t receiving increased foot traffic, doesn’t mean that their business isn’t growing online. California can and should assume a leadership role in encouraging technology-friendly policies that promote the Internet’s unmatched potential for economic, societal and cultural growth, and we hope to work side-by-side with lawmakers to achieve that.
Is California the first state field office outside of the national office?
RC: It is. Establishing a California office was the logical next step for the Association, given our membership footprint in this state and California’s role in the national conversation surrounding Internet policy. Frankly, we couldn’t afford to miss the discussions going on in Sacramento. A similar need for an Internet-specific voice at the federal level is what drove the creation of The Internet Association in 2012: we wanted to amplify and unify the voice of the Internet sector for policymakers, regulators, and opinion leaders in Washington, D.C. The relatively narrow, Internet-specific focus of our organization allows us to advocate for targeted, effective policy both in D.C. and in California, and drive our message as far as possible.
Are you sponsoring or supporting any legislation in California?
RC: While we are not sponsoring any legislation this year, we are supporting a number of bills related to improving California’s K-12 computer science curriculum in order to encourage young people to pursue degrees and careers in this exciting field. For example, Assembly Bill 2110 (Ting) would encourage the State’s Instructional Quality Commission to incorporate computer science content into its curriculum frameworks when they are next revised. This represents a small but important step towards better integrating computer science education into California schools. A greater emphasis in the classroom on computer science will help better prepare our students for the jobs of the future and expose them to knowledge and skills that may pique their interest in this innovative field at a key time in their educational development.
We are also supporting legislation to modernize the Money Transmission Act to account for the rise in e-commerce and growing popularity of online marketplaces. Assembly Bill 2209 (Dickinson) ensures that California’s money transmission law does not inadvertently inhibit continued growth and innovation in online commerce, while also modernizing the law to keep pace with new technologies.
Are you actively opposing any legislation in California?
RC: There are a number of issues the Legislature is grappling with this year that relate to Internet policy and that give us cause for concern, so we have been working diligently with lawmakers to ensure the Internet industry’s perspective is included in those discussions.
As an example, due to some recent high-level breaches, there has been a great deal of attention paid by the Legislature this year to data security. Our role in this process has been to help lawmakers understand the efforts our companies make when securing their users’ data online. Indeed, securing users’ data and keeping it safe from innovative hackers is a constant effort and one our companies hold as a top priority. What can happen though, is that in a rush to legislate a specific data security standard into law, the state ends up dampening the pace at which innovation can occur to keep data safe in the future. Standards enshrined in law are not flexible or nimble enough to keep up with the pace of innovation that is required of our companies if they are to address the constantly evolving threats from criminals.
Another bill we’re tracking focuses on student information privacy, which has also been a major topic this year as more and more schools are beginning to harness the great potential of online education tools, which can improve learning outcomes for students. In the process of ensuring our students’ personal information is appropriately protected when they are using such software and services, we also need to make sure that the Legislature does not arbitrarily limit the availability of high-quality online resources to schools and the students that can greatly benefit from them. As always on complex issues like this one, striking the proper balance is the key. Our State’s pro-innovation posture on these issues is important so that we can ensure online safety while continuing to encourage creativity and ingenuity in the marketplace and the "next big thing" — that we likely aren’t even aware of yet — can come to fruition.
What is your mission statement?
RC: The Internet Association’s mission is to advance public policy solutions to strengthen and protect Internet freedom, empower users, foster innovation, and promote economic growth. Our value to members rests in the fact that no other trade association represents the unified voice of Internet industry specifically. We like to say that while every Internet company is a tech company, not every tech company is an Internet company. Our members share similar interests and have similar company DNA, so our advocacy can be more targeted and effective. This focus allows us to be proactive on issues and nimble in our response as debates occur. We think this allows us to better represent the interests of our member companies and advance our overall mission.
Anything else you think Techwire readers should know?
RC: It’s always worth noting some of the statistics surrounding the incredible positive economic impact of the Internet. Despite the many cultural and social benefits, the role the Internet plays in boosting jobs and stimulating the economy is often overlooked. One area that was previously overlooked specifically was the Internet’s ability to empower individuals to create part-time businesses and these part-time businesses’ contribution to the economy. A 2013 study commissioned by The Internet Association found the Internet enabled part-time businesses to contribute $141 billion to the U.S. economy while creating 6.6 million jobs. This study helped highlight how the low- to non-existent barriers to entry have made the Internet a remarkable growth engine for small businesses. This study really showed the extent to which the Internet empowers part-time entrepreneurs to have the freedom and flexibility to do what they love and contribute to the economy in a major way.
