Welcome back to the TechNet Wire, a short round-up of narratives we’re tracking, policies we’re shaping, and member company initiatives we’re excited about. In this issue:

  • Data from our new poll on Americans’ use of online services and opinions on regulation; 
  • TechNet’s launch of a new coalition dedicated to streaming; and 
  • “Bits and bytes” — announcements and other news from TechNet members.

Thought Cloud

Recent economic news does not signal any near-term relief from the affordability pressures that Americans are facing.

As stubbornly high prices across our economy continue to weigh on American households’ finances, a new poll out from us shows that Americans are regularly using online services — such as shopping marketplaces, search engines, and others — to make their lives easier and find the best deals for their money.

This data is particularly instructive as Congressional lawmakers and interest groups consider legislation that would disrupt these services — namely the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA).

So, we asked voters for their thoughts on potential regulation along those lines, and the results were stark. They registered serious concern that it would lead to weaker personal data protection, higher prices, and increased risks of scams and fraud.

They also said overwhelmingly that Congress should prioritize lowering everyday costs for families rather than pass new restrictions that could disrupt the online services they use.

The upshot: Congress very likely does not have the runway to pass legislation like AICOA with the remaining session time they have this year. However, the ideas underpinning this proposal are very likely to come back around in the next Congress.

Lawmakers should take note that Americans are calling on them to focus on cost of living issues, not make them worse by disrupting the innovative services they rely on.

Dig into the poll results here.

Policy Download

In case you missed it: this week, TechNet launched a new advocacy coalition, called the Streaming Access and Choice Alliance.

Anchored by founding members Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube — three companies at the forefront of delivering best-in-class streaming services — this coalition will support continued innovation in entertainment and advocate for policies that put consumers’ preferences first.

Why now? Streaming is the fastest-growing and most consumer-friendly entertainment option available today. Americans have gravitated to it in huge numbers because of the value, flexibility, and high-quality experience it offers.

It also plays a central role in bringing sports programming to wider, more diverse audiences across the country, offering high-quality and personalized viewing experiences — when and where people want.

As streaming has grown as a share of TV viewing, it’s become clear that streamers need their own coalition.

The Streaming Access and Choice Alliance will engage with policymakers to highlight the many benefits that streaming services deliver to consumers and work to advance policies that enable them to provide even more value by offering a wider range of programming including, but not limited to, live sports content.

Learn more through the coalition’s website here.

TechNet Member Bits and Bytes

Airbnb launched the Airbnb Housing Accelerator, a $250 million commitment to help build more housing across the country that combines capital deployment, policy advocacy, and innovation into a coordinated system designed to help remove key barriers. 

Samsung is addressing demand by teachers for additional support on using AI in the classroom by releasing a new, free, ready-to-teach AI curriculum created in partnership with the Mark Cuban Foundation. 

Salesforce announced $27 million in new education grants nationwide, including $18 million directly supporting public school districts in San Francisco, Oakland, New York City, Chicago, and Indianapolis, ahead of its annual Dreamforce conference.

Thanks for reading,

The TechNet Communications Team

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