Stakeholders across the economy — including startups — are telling the U.S. trade chief about harmful trade barriers, but it’s unclear if the agency will do anything to address them.
AI Essentials: What are transformers?
AI Essentials: What is compute and how is it measured?
If you wanted to haul large amounts of water from a well, you would (at one point in history) need a resource, like a horse, to pull the load. You would measure how much weight the horse can pull per minute in terms of “horsepower.” In the world of AI, the resource required to make models work is compute, and it’s measured in FLOPS.
Paying twice? The persistent proposal that could upend the Internet and increase startup costs
Last month, a majority of the European Parliament voted in favor of a resolution contemplating a policy framework that could diminish startup competitiveness and endanger the open Internet. The vote is the latest in a long-running effort by telecom companies to force websites and apps to pay them based on the traffic they generate. That model, sometimes called “sender pays,” is gaining popularity with policymakers throughout the world—including in the U.S.—threatening net neutrality principles and the competitiveness of U.S. startups.
#StartupsEverywhere: San Francisco, Calif.
Fiskkit provides users a platform to engage granularly with online content, discuss important topics together, and present accurate, valid, and relevant evidence to counter misinformation on the Internet. Users can comment on and critique articles line-by-line, identifying what is true, false, well-reasoned, or unsound. Through this engagement, Founder and CEO John Pettus thinks that Fiskkit can promote critical thinking and civility in our discourse. We recently spoke to John to learn more about Fiskkit, how startups can benefit from a wider array of corporate structures, the importance of intermediary liability frameworks, the value of balanced copyright laws, and his vision for Fiskkit moving forward.
#StartupsEverywhere: Manhattan, Kan.
HitchPin is a platform connecting farmers and ranchers to enable the efficient allocation of products and services across the agriculture/food industry. We spoke with the CEO and Founder of HitchPin, Trevor McKeeman, to learn more about the startup, the solutions they’re providing for farmers, and his experience starting a business in middle America.
#StartupsEverywhere: Bloomington, Minn.
TheraTec is a digital health startup whose platform helps improve outcomes for patients with musculoskeletal conditions while also lowering their cost of care. We recently spoke with Tony Hyk, CEO of TheraTec, to learn more about the company, policy challenges they’ve encountered, their experience as the target of a patent troll, and what they see on the horizon.
Don’t expand the USMCA grievance list
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has been privy to the ire of politicians at both ends of the political spectrum in recent weeks. That misplaced bipartisan disdain isn’t limited to the 1996 law, however. As the USMCA approaches formal consideration in Congress, attacks on the agreement’s Article 19.17, which mirrors the language of Section 230, have ramped up as well.
In a Ways and Means Committee hearing on trade policy earlier this month, Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) showed clear animus towards the article in a terse exchange with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Running over her time, the congresswoman asked why the U.S. intermediary liability rules were included in the agreement, saying she had “significant concerns regarding the USTR’s stance on CDA 230.” Ambassador Lighthizer defended the CDA 230-like language, saying “it’s U.S. law” and that the digital trade chapter is “a way for small internet companies to grow and use their advantages.”
The Ambassador is right. Article 19.17—and the digital trade chapter of the USMCA—will lead to greater innovation domestically and among our trading partners. As Santa Clara Law School professor and leading Section 230 scholar Eric Goldman points out in a letter signed by Engine, Article 19.17 is critical to this end because it lowers barriers, strengthens markets, and advances liberty.
Immunity for content generated by third parties on their platforms allows startups can get off the ground without exposure to potentially crippling lawsuits. It facilitates consumer trust by enabling third-party reviews, a hallmark of Internet commerce that would not exist without such protections. Finally, Article 19.17 expands free speech opportunities through increased access to platforms.
Unfortunately, Rep. Sánchez isn't alone in her criticism of the liability rules. Her Republican colleagues, Reps. Paul Gosar (Ariz.) and Matt Gaetz (Fla.), also oppose Article 19.17, attacking the U.S. liability rules that have fostered the internet we know today.
The House Democrats’ nine-member working group is focused on reconciling their issues with the USMCA in four areas: drug pricing, enforcement, labor, and the environment. While it appears unlikely that agreement will come to a vote with just 12 work days left before Congress enters its six-week recess, that list of issues need not be expanded. Going forward, the USMCA doesn't need another roadblock. Especially not one that needlessly picks apart the novel and innovation-advancing digital trade chapter.
