Week of September 25, 2023
We’re just five days away from government funding running out, and the prospects for a resolution are growing grimmer by the hour. Speaker McCarthy was unable to strike a deal with certain Freedom Caucus Members, lending to the growing possibility of a government shutdown come Friday at midnight.
Even with the uncertainty, however, lawmakers are facing another busy week on Capitol Hill, tackling other legislative priorities. On Wednesday, House Financial Services will have its turn to grill SEC Chair Gensler at its oversight hearing, and the House Judiciary IP Subcommittee will focus on the U.S. Copyright Office, where recent AI concerns are sure to be a hot topic. Also on AI, the Senate Rules Committee will be examining the use of AI in U.S. elections and campaigning.
What We’re Watching:
Gensler In the Financial Services Hot Seat: Securities and Exchange Commissioner (SEC) Gary Gensler will testify to the House Financial Services Committee this Wednesday in what is sure include heated questions from a number of Members on the agency’s handling of issues around crypto, investment disclosures, and proposed guidance on green investments. Several Republican Members have expressed concern with the SEC overstepping its authority on regulatory financial issues, including bringing a number of enforcement actions against several cryptocurrency companies despite no clear regulatory framework to do so.
House Judiciary IP Subcommittee to Hear from Copyright Office: The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet, will hear from Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and Director at the U.S. Copyright Office, to discuss current issues in copyright, including AI. Lawmakers have been focused on the intersection of AI and copyright, particularly as it relates to creator compensation for content used in training AI models and whether AI-generated content is eligible for copyright.
Congress Looks At Use of AI in Campaigns: The Senate Rules Committee will examine the potential ways AI can impact elections and campaigns, and what measures Congress should take to mitigate harms. Members will hear from several witnesses engaged on the issue, including former Federal Elections Commission (FEC) Chair Trevor Potter, to explain the agency’s role in combating misinformation and disinformation perpetuated by AI. In August, the FEC voted to engage on the use of AI in campaign ads, opening a public comment period to potentially develop rules on deceptive campaign ads generated by AI.
What’s Happening This Week:
Tech Hearings
House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on US Copyright Office Oversight - Wednesday, September 27 at 10:00 AM ET
Senate Rules hearing on AI and the future of elections - Wednesday, September 27 at 3:30 PM ET
House Oversight joint subcommittee hearing on combating ransomware attacks - Wednesday, September 27 at 1:00 PM ET
House E&C Legislative Subcommittee hearing on ticket competition bills - Wednesday, September 27 at 10:30 AM ET
House Financial Services hearing on Oversight of the SEC - Wednesday, September 27 at 10:00 AM ET
Senate Intel hearing on countering China’s malign influence - Wednesday, September 27 at 2:30 PM ET
Tech Events
Politico - Politico AI and Tech Summit - Wednesday, September 27 at 12:30 PM ET
USPTO - AI/ET Partnership meeting on AI tools and data - Wednesday, September 27 at 10:30 AM ET
The Atlantic Council - U.S. Agency for International Development Equitable Community of Practice workshop - "Collective Action," focusing on "integrating gender equity into AI applications within international development" - Wednesday, September 27 at 10:00 AM ET
Washington Post Live - "The Next Generation of Cyber Threats" - Tuesday, September 26 at 9:00 AM ET
R Street Institute - Panel Discussion on the ITC - Tuesday, September 26 at 4:00 PM ET
The Intelligence and National Security Alliance - Panel on Securing the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's, Implementing New Regulations and Cybersecurity Guidance, How NGA is partnering with industry and future of cybersecurity in the quantum age - Thursday, September 28 at 9:00 AM ET
What’s Interesting This Week:
Hey, the Wifi’s Down!.... On September 30, 1980, Digital, Intel, and Xerox released version 1.0 of the Ethernet specification, known as the Blue Book. Since that time, Ethernet has evolved into the de facto networking standard for local area networks (LAN) in businesses and in the home. When wifi is down, Ethernet remains the trusty model for connectivity!
