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Artificial Intelligence and Federal R&D

In November, we:

• Hosted an event on Capitol Hill, How AI Impacts Financial Services. The event featured speakers from Bloomberg, LSEG, JP Morgan, Amazon Web Services, and SIIA, plus Representatives Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) and Zach Nunn (R-IA). You can read more about the event in our recap blog.
• Submitted comments to the Department of Energy in response to its Request for Information on accelerating energy infrastructure to meet rapidly expanding AI-driven electricity demand. We emphasized that reliable, affordable, and scalable electricity is essential to enabling U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence, scientific discovery, and digital innovation.
• Published a blog supporting the recent executive order launching the “Genesis Mission,” which will serve as a dedicated, coordinated national effort to unleash a new age of AI-accelerated innovation and discovery to solve the greatest challenges of this century. Our support of the initiative was also covered in this Inside AI Policy article.
• Published a blog urging Congress to pass the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act (SPEED Act), H.R. 4776, to reform U.S. energy project permitting. The bill would modernize the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to accelerate federal approval of energy development and other construction projects.
• Spoke at the Corporate Social Responsibility of Big Tech conference hosted by Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law. Paul spoke on a panel on “Corporate Responsibility and Ethics in the Era of AI.”
• Presented at the FPF’s monthly legislation meeting. Paul addressed topics around federal privacy and youth privacy legislation, federal AI policy, and the FTC.
• Spoke at the Hudson Institute’s conference, America’s AI Challenge: Strategic Imperatives. Paul spoke on a panel, “The Great AI Competition: Can the US Out-Diffuse China?”
• Spoke on a webinar “Tech Transformation: How AI and Digital Tools are Changing the Game for Entrepreneurs,” hosted by the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) and Chamber of Progress. Bethany joined a panel discussion centered around opportunities and challenges for small businesses harnessing AI. 

Education and Children's Privacy

In November, we:

• Spoke at the Privacy and Security Forum in Washington, DC. Sara joined Emily Tabatabai and Mary Engle on a panel “Friends: AI’ll Be There for You: AI Chatbots and the Future of Online Safety.”
• Were highlighted in this EdWeek Market Brief article on proposed regulations on AI chatbots.
• Attended EDTECH Week and the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) Annual conference on November 10th and heard from many speakers, including member organizations.
• Joined a coalition letter coordinated by the Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI) requesting robust funding for education research and development (R&D) in the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills.

Privacy, Data, Cybersecurity and Government Procurement

In November, we:

• Joined nearly 60 global organizations in endorsing a statement urging governments to protect strong encryption as a foundation of the digital economy.
• Endorsed the PILLAR Act and were cited by House Homeland Security Chair Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) and Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) in a press release as it passed the House. The Act represents bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, among other things.

Competition, Digital Trade, and Innovation Policy

In November, we:

• Submitted comments to USTR on the operation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), as part of a mandatory review of the USMCA that will take place next summer. We stressed the importance of maintaining the agreement’s digital trade chapter, which is generally considered to be the gold standard among digital trade agreements.
• Issued a statement on the dismissal of one of the Federal Trade Commission’s main antitrust lawsuits against Meta.  
• Submitted formal comments to the Competition Commission of South Africa regarding its Draft Online Intermediation Platforms Guidance Note. The letter underscores SIIA’s concerns with adopting an ex ante regulatory framework modeled on the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), noting that the DMA has failed to deliver on its promised benefits and has instead created negative consequences for innovation, market competition, small businesses, and consumers.
• Joined a multi-industry coalition letter to the California Law Revision Commission, expressing concerns about potential efforts by California to adopt a state-specific legal standard for merger review that impedes, contradicts, or otherwise departs from the standard set by federal law.
• Published a blog on the App Store Freedom Act (ASFA), which mirrors many of the Digital Markets Act’s core requirements. We argue that Congress should take Europe’s experience as a cautionary tale, as the DMA has already produced a fractured digital landscape marked by weaker protections, more harmful content, and heightened risks for users.
• Published a blog on a recent French proposal to double its current digital services tax on large US tech companies. Were the proposal to pass, it would have far-reaching consequences beyond France, including potentially leading to a contagion of similar proposals in other jurisdictions.
• Published a blog urging Brazilian policymakers to learn from, rather than replicate, the mistakes made by EU and UK lawmakers when they passed and implemented their digital markets regulations. Like the EU and UK laws, the proposed law in Brazil would single out a small number of companies based solely on their size without regard to whether they engaged in anticompetitive conduct, or whether their conduct was harmful to consumers. 

Intellectual Property

In November, we:

• Joined a letter to President Trump urging the Administration to support a fair and predictable Standard-Essential Patent (SEP) licensing framework.
• Published an article on how third-party litigation funding threatens U.S. innovation and national security. Nate’s piece explains why greater transparency is essential to protect American companies and their IP.

Strategic Litigation

In November, we:

• Joined an amicus brief supporting Google in challenging the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s newly implemented “settled expectations” rule. The brief argues that the USPTO’s policy—used to deny hundreds of inter partes review (IPR) petitions—functions as an irrational barrier to meaningful patent validity review. According to amici, the rule effectively prevents PTAB challenges for patents older than six years and has been applied retroactively, denying businesses any realistic opportunity to comply.
• Joined a coalition of industry organizations in submitting an amicus brief urging the Federal Circuit to grant Intel and Lenovo’s petition for mandamus, arguing that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has unlawfully reshaped the PTAB institution process.

State Policy

In November, we:

• Released our inaugural SIIA State Policy 360°: 2025 Review & 2026 Outlook, which provides analysis about artificial intelligence, youth online privacy, and use of AI in education. This four-part series explores the trends and insights from the 2025 state sessions and forecasts for the 2026 state sessions that matter most to SIIA members.

Space Policy

In November, we:

• Submitted formal comments to the European Commission regarding the draft EU Space Act (EUSA). Our response asks the Commission to implement rules that foster innovation, arguing that the current text imposes overly restrictive ex ante regulations and design mandates that will stifle the new space economy.