• Dr. Roslyn Layton Ph.D.

  Visiting Scholar, The American Enterprise Institute
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• Ms. Denise Zheng Vice President, Policy, The Business Roundtable
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Majority Statement

• Chairman Roger Wicker
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  Majority Statement

  Chairman Roger Wicker

  I am glad to convene this hearing with my good friend and colleague, Ranking Member Schatz. 

  The internet as we know it has become one of the most important inventions in our nation’s history.  We use it for just about everything.  Thanks to infrastructure investments and ingenuity, the internet is now an economic engine driving job creation and unprecedented access to information and opportunities.  In a short time, the World Wide Web has transformed into a global, interconnected information superhighway facilitating growth, freedom, and economic prosperity. 

  The multi-stakeholder governing model has been key to the internet’s development across the world.  This model has fostered the creation of a dynamic internet economy that promotes investment and innovation.  We owe many of the cutting-edge products and services we enjoy today to the internet economy.   

  Underpinning this economy is internet data.  As the internet grows and more people – and things – become connected, the volume, quality, and variety of internet data increases.  This is driving the development of new businesses and services, and it is enhancing online experiences for consumers.  Internet data is an essential commodity for businesses to compete and grow in the global digital market. 

  The importance of internet data has not gone unnoticed internationally.  In fact, it has expanded the focus of the conventional internet governing agenda.  Traditionally, internet governance has centered on the formation of policies and rules dedicated to the internet’s technical development across jurisdictions.  While this remains an important function and primary focus, the increasing value of data has shifted attention to the collection, use, movement, and overall treatment of internet data.  The rise of data localization rules, involving how data can be processed in a certain territory or jurisdiction, along with local content requirements, internet censorship policies, and cybersecurity laws are a few examples of this growing trend. 

  Policies targeting data and networks often stem from a country’s interest in fostering its own innovation or protecting its people from possible data misuse. But here’s a new problem, the global nature of the internet means that the impact and power of these laws goes beyond a jurisdiction’s borders.  U.S. companies compelled to change business models or alter operations to achieve compliance in foreign markets, and they are experiencing disruptions in their own domestic operations as well.  The result is less job creation, less investment, and less innovation in the United States. 

  Consumers are feeling the effects of international internet policies, also.  Overly restrictive limitations on data movement or inconsistencies across jurisdictions ultimately deliver an internet experience to consumers that is less personalized and more expensive to access. 

  Today, we look forward to examining the impact of global internet policies on U.S. businesses and consumers as well as the continued development of the internet around the world.  I would mention that I am Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, and as part of the Commission’s mission, we promote economic cooperation overseas, and so I also look forward to discussing the appropriate role that Congress should play in enhancing international coordination on the future of internet policies and empowering U.S. businesses to prosper in today’s global internet marketplace.  This is critically important to maintaining U.S. leadership in data-driven innovation and internet technologies for years to come. I welcome the witnesses here today and will introduce them in a moment after we have heard an opening statement from Senator Schatz. 

Testimony

• The Honorable Michael Chertoff

  Former Secretary of Homeland Security and Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, The Chertoff Group
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• Mr. James Bladel

  Vice President of Policy, GoDaddy
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• Dr. Roslyn Layton

  Ph.D., Visiting Scholar, The American Enterprise Institute
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• Mr. Christopher Painter

  Commissioner, Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace
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• Ms. Denise Zheng

  Vice President, Policy, The Business Roundtable
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