Week of January 15, 2024
With just four days left before a partial government shutdown, a snow day isn’t an option for lawmakers today. On Friday, government funding will run out for a number of key agencies per the agreed upon laddered continuing resolution.
Funding for several departments including Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Energy and Housing and Urban Development is set to expire Friday at midnight. Even a partial disruption could have sweeping impacts on several tech programs, including AI EO directives, NQIA, and CHIPS, under the Department of Energy’s jurisdiction. Leadership has reached a tentative deal for another continuing resolution through the first week of March, but will need to garner significant bipartisan support from Members to get across the finish line.
Also on our radar this week are several hearings around funding and foreign emerging tech competition in House Foreign Affairs and Senate Banking, as well as an oversight hearing on the Cyber Safety Review Board in Senate HSGAC. The House Oversight Cyber Subcommittee will be hearing from experts on ways to build an AI-ready workforce. On the Administration front, the FTC will be reviewing its sweeping proposed changes to children’s online safety protections at its open meeting this Thursday.
What We’re Watching:
House Oversight on Building an AI-Ready Workforce: The House Oversight Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation Subcommittee, is set to hear tomorrow from industry stakeholders and academics on ways to build an AI-ready workforce. This hearing is another in the steady drumbeat of AI-focused meetings Members continue to have in order to better understand the issue in hopes of producing impactful legislation to harness the benefits while mitigating risks. The hearing will focus on ways for the U.S. to secure its AI leadership and ensure cross-sector adoption of the technology. Members will also seek to understand which jobs will most likely be impacted and what new positions will be created through AI adoption. This is the fifth hearing on AI that Subcommittee Chair Nancy Mace (R-SC) has held so far.
Congress Keeps Tech Competition Top of Mind: China competition and emerging tech investment have been top of mind for lawmakers over the past year, and efforts to reign in foreign investment are not slowing now. The House Foreign Affairs Committee is holding two hearings this week. The first aimed at understanding U.S. money flow in Chinese military advancements, and the other in the Indo-Pacific subcommittee on emerging technology. Subcommittee members will hear from State Department officials and BIS to understand the emerging technology concerns in the Indo-Pacific region. The Senate Banking Committee is also holding a hearing on the national security implications of China outpacing the U.S. in emerging tech. Lawmakers pledged to focus efforts this year at reigning in U.S. investment in Chinese tech companies, notably AI companies, and these hearings serve to reinforce that commitment.
FTC Revitalizes COPPA Rules: The FTC issued sweeping proposed changes to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) right before the holidays, and will be reviewing them at their open meeting this Thursday. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking aims to provide additional avenues to protect children’s safety online including on social media, video game platforms, and digital advertising networks. The FTC highlights the purpose of the changes is to “shift the burden from parents to providers to ensure that digital services are safe and secure for children,” signaling more responsibility for tech companies in reducing and preventing online harms. There are eight primary changes to the rule outlined in the 150 page NPRM, including limits on data retention, changes to ed tech, opt-in requirements for targeted advertising, accountability measures for Safe Harbor programs, and more. Additionally, the NPRM outlines new expanded definitions for several COPPA provisions, including personal information that will now also pertain to biometric identifiers.
What’s Happening This Week:
Tech Hearings
Senate HSGAC hearing on the Cyber Safety Review Board - Wednesday, January 17 at 10:00 AM ET
House Foreign Affairs hearing on U.S. Money in China’s Military - Wednesday, January 17 at 10:00 AM ET
House Foreign Affairs hearing on Protecting Emerging Technologies for Peace and Stability in the Indo-Pacific - Wednesday, January 17 at 2:00 PM ET
House Oversight Cyber hearing on an AI-Ready Workforce - Wednesday, January 17 at 2:00 PM ET
HFSC hearing on Oversight of the SEC’s Proposed Climate Disclosure Rule - Thursday, January 18 at 10:00 AM ET
Senate Banking hearing on China emerging tech and national security - Thursday, January 18 at 10:00 AM ET
Tech Events
The Aspen Institute - "Beyond the Clickbait: The Impact of AI on Cybersecurity" - Tuesday, January 16 at 10:00 AM ET
The Center for Strategic and International Studies - "Artificial Intelligence and Neurodiversity" - Tuesday, January 16 at 10:00 AM ET
FTC Open Meeting on COPPA Changes - Thursday, January 18 at 11:00 AM ET
The Center for Strategic and International Studies - "The State of Trade and Technology Policy Entering 2024" - Tuesday, January 16 at 12:00 PM ET
Public Citizen - "AI and Financial Services Policy" - Wednesday, January 17 at 1:00 PM ET
The RAND Corporation - "Harnessing Quantum Technology for the Benefit of Society: How the U.S. and Japan are Moving Quantum Science Research from the Lab to Everyday Life" - Thursday, January 18 at 10:00 AM ET
NAIAC Law Enforcement Subcommittee meeting - Friday, January 19 at 1:00 PM ET
What’s Interesting This Week:
See My Name In Neon Lights!... On January 19, 1915, the neon-lighting tube was patented by Georges Claude. In 1923, Georges Claude and his French company Claude Neon, introduced neon gas signs to the United States, by selling two to a Packard car dealership in Los Angeles for $1,250 a piece. Neon lighting quickly became a popular fixture in outdoor advertising.
