2024 i2Coalition Congressional Fly-In Recap

As we unpack from the 2024 i2Coalition Congressional Fly-In, we’re reflecting on the productive conversations, fascinating insights, and exciting experiences we shared together. “Each year the Fly-In gets better and better,” said i2Coalition Executive Director Christian Dawson. “More and more, the companies that support us see the value in coming and working with us to make sure legislators understand how the Internet works—so legislators are empowered to make smart legislation and avoid bad legislation.” 

A few highlights:

Day 1 was Capitol Hill Day: we had a series of productive meetings with Congressional representatives, helping them better understand how the Internet infrastructure industry really works, and the unintended impacts that hasty legislation can have. To have members from so many different corners of the industry working together in person, all in one place, to have these conversations with policy-makers is a serious force multiplier for the work we do on behalf of the companies that build the Internet and the people who use it.

Day 2 was Innovation Day, as our members gathered at CTA Innovation House for a series of sessions with government officials. Including a conversation about the site blocking issue with Darrel Issa, Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet. 

The Fly-In culminated with this year’s Internet Leadership Award ceremony, kicked off by a heartfelt message from Senator Ron Wyden, a key supporter of the Fly-In from the very beginning.

Internet Community Leadership Award: Justin Paine, VP, Global Head of Trust & Safety at Cloudflare

Internet Entrepreneurship Award: Michele Neylon, Founder & CEO, Blacknight Internet Solutions Ltd; and Paul Kelly, Owner, Blacknight Internet Solutions Ltd. (Kelly was unable to join us in person, but Neylon made sure that his acceptance was twice as entertaining.)

Lifetime Achievement in Building Internet Infrastructure Award: Brewster Kahle, Digital Librarian, Internet Archive

 

Champion of the Internet Award: Dr. Laurie Locascio, Director of NIST and Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology

There was plenty of time for networking and socializing as well. “My favorite part of the Fly-In was actually getting to meet other members of the i2Coalition,” said Lauren Hendry Parsons, Director of Communications and Advocacy at ExpressVPN and Co-Chair of the VPN Trust Initiative Working Group. “As a global member, we don’t often get to meet our American counterparts, and it was fantastic to come together as an industry and really get to hear the ways our interests overlap.”

“I think it’s important to be in D.C. in person to understand how legislation happens,” said Emilija Beržanskaitė, Product Counsel at Nord Security and VPN Trust initiative Co-Chair.

[From left: Chris Lewis of Public Knowledge, Brewster Kahle, Angie Kronenbug of INCOMPAS, Christian Dawson, and Matt Schruers of CCIA]

Thank you to everyone who supported us in organizing this year’s Fly-In, and everyone who made the journey to Washington, D.C. to take part. We look forward to continuing the amazing conversations we’ve had, and to applying what we learned to our Working Groups.

Also, we want to thank our sponsors for making this year’s event possible:
Identity Digital
Public Interest Registry
Recorded Future
Texas.Net
Cheval Capital