Tech Policy Central Events: Sponsors

Sponsors

Each year, a select group of influential decision makers and thought leaders participate in Tech Policy Summit. Featuring a who's who list of executives, academic experts, investors, regulators and policymakers, this exclusive gathering provides an independent, nonpartisan forum for learning and networking in an intimate setting.

The 3rd annual Summit took place May 11-13, 2009 in the SF Bay Area, and details of the next event will be announced soon.

2009 Sponsors and Partners

Thank you to the following companies and organizations for taking an active role in supporting the 3rd annual Tech Policy Summit and our mission of creating an open forum for discussion and collaboration:

PR Partner

Airline Sponsor

Launched in August 2007, Virgin America is a California-based airline that offers guests attractive fares and innovative features aimed at reinventing air travel. The airline's Red™ system features a touch-screen food menu, 25 on-demand films, seat-to-seat chat, thousands of MP3s, videogames and live TV.

Already launched on half its fleet, by the second quarter of 2009, the carrier will be the first U.S. airline to offer in-flight Internet on every flight. In addition to a Main Cabin that offers custom-designed leather seats with a deeper, more comfortable pitch, Virgin America's First Class features international-grade amenities, including seats with lumbar massagers.

The carrier's Main Cabin Select service offers 38-inches of seat pitch, complimentary food and cocktails, an all-access pass to Red™ and priority check-in and boarding. Grab a seat at VirginAmerica.com. All Tech Policy Summit attendees can take care of special low fares to and from the conference (you'll receive a special promo code once you register).

Platinum Sponsors

AT&T is a premier communications holding company offering the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services, the nation's fastest 3G network and the best wireless coverage worldwide, and the nation's leading high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of their three-screen integration strategy, AT&T operating companies are expanding their TV entertainment offerings.

In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE® magazine's list of the World's Most Admired Companies.

BusinessWeek is a global source of trusted content that informs and inspires business leaders to make smarter decisions in their professional and personal lives. Founded in 1929 and published by the McGraw-Hill Companies, BusinessWeek magazine is the market leader, with more than 4.9 million readers each week in 140 countries.

Local language editions include Chinese, Israeli and Bahasa Indonesian. Launched in 1994, BusinessWeek.com is the preeminent provider of daily, essential business news, information and services to business decision-makers. For more information, visit BusinessWeek.com.

Science Debate is a grassroots initiative started by six individuals that now includes thousands of scientists, engineers and concerned citizens. President Obama's answers to Science Debate's "14 Top Science Questions Facing America" formed the basis for his science policy, and his major appointments in science were early Science Debate supporters.

Signatories to the group's 2008 "Call for a Presidential Debate on Science & Technology" included the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Council on Competitiveness, the National Academies, over 175 leading universities and associations, Nobel laureates and other leading scientists, major business leaders, congresspersons of both major political parties and many others. More information is available at ScienceDebate2008.com.

Silver Sponsors

Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. The market leader in 2G and 3G mobile technologies, Ericsson supplies communications services and manages networks that serve more than 250 million subscribers. The company's portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, and broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and developers. The Sony Ericsson joint venture provides consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.

Ericsson is advancing its vision of 'communication for all' through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 70,000 employees generated revenue of USD 27 billion (SEK 209 billion) in 2008. Founded in 1876 and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm and NASDAQ. For more information, visit www.ericsson.com or www.ericsson.mobi.

Founded in February 2004, Facebook is a social utility that helps people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and coworkers. The company develops technologies that facilitate the sharing of information through the social graph, the digital mapping of people's real-world social connections.

Anyone can sign up for Facebook and interact with the people they know in a trusted environment.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is a global law firm with more than 1,100 lawyers in 21 offices. Orrick's Emerging Companies Group is a multidisciplinary group of lawyers within Orrick that merges deep experience and commitment to high-growth business with a global platform that scales with its clients as they grow.

Representing more than 600 venture-backed emerging companies worldwide, the Orrick Emerging Companies Group runs a strong network with more than 100 venture capital firms, banking and accounting firms, national laboratories, universities and public companies in Europe, the United States and Asia. The network is dedicated to working for Orrick's high-growth clients, including Facebook, eHarmony, RockYou, Pandora Media, Meebo, Trion World Network, CipherMax, RNA Networks, PathoLase and Nanosolar. Learn more at Orrick.com.

Technology and the Internet are changing democracy in America. Personal Democracy Forum is your place to meet the people who are making that change happen, discover the tools powering the new civic conversation, spot the early trends, and share in understanding and embracing this dynamic new force.

The Personal Democracy Forum conference will take place June 29 & 30 in New York City. For the sixth year, more than 1,000 top opinion makers, political practioners, technologists and journalists will come together at the PdF conference to network, exchange ideas and explore how technology and the Internet are changing politics, democracy and society. Visit Personal Democracy Forum's site for more info.

Tessera Technologies, Inc., delivers miniaturization technologies that transform electronic products. The company's packaging and interconnect solutions enable smaller, higher-functionality electronic devices. Tessera's imaging and optics solutions provide low-cost, high-quality camera functionality in electronic products and include image sensor packaging, wafer-level optics and image enhancement intellectual property.

The company also offers customized micro-optic lenses, from diffractive and refractive optical elements to integrated micro-optical subassemblies. Tessera licenses its technologies, as well as delivers products based on these technologies, to promote the development of the supply chain infrastructure. For information, visit www.tessera.com.

TRUSTe Privacy Seals help consumers click with confidence by guiding them to trustworthy Web sites. More than 2,400 Web sites rely on TRUSTe industry best practices to help them make the right decisions about privacy and protecting confidential user information. Half of the top 50 Web sites are certified, including Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft, Disney, eBay, Intuit and Facebook.

Independent research shows that when a TRUSTe Web seal is present, visitors are more likely to share personal information, register at higher rates and spend more money. To learn more about Internet privacy services, visit TRUSTe.com.

Bronze Sponsors

American Solutions is a tri-partisan citizen action network of over 1.5 Million members, founded by former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich.

Its goal is to create the next generation of solutions that will ensure that the United States remains the safest, freest, and most prosperous country in the world. Learn more at AmericanSolutions.com.

The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) works to promote democratic values and constitutional liberties in the digital age. With expertise in law, technology and policy, CDT seeks practical solutions to enhance free expression and privacy in global communications technologies.

CDT is dedicated to building consensus among all parties interested in the future of the Internet and other new communications media. Learn more at CDT's site.

CTIA-The Wireless Association® is an international nonprofit membership organization founded in 1984, representing all sectors of wireless communications - cellular, personal communication services and enhanced specialized mobile radio.

As an organization, CTIA represents service providers, manufacturers, wireless data and internet companies, as well as other contributors to the wireless universe. CTIA advocates on their behalf before the Executive Branch, the Federal Communications Commission, Congress, and state regulatory and legislative bodies.

CTIA also coordinates the industry's voluntary efforts to bring consumers a wide variety of choices and information regarding their wireless service, and supports important industry initiatives such as Wireless AMBER Alerts, and the "When it comes to Wireless, Safety is Your Call" safe driving public service announcement campaign. The association also operates the industry's leading trade shows, as well as equipment testing and certification programs to ensure a high standard of quality for consumers. Learn more at CTIA.org.

Founded by Chris Shipley and Mike Sigal, Guidewire Group is the world's leading analyst firm focused exclusively on startups and emerging markets.

Our chief skill lies in helping companies validate opportunities at key transition points, when every idea looks good on paper and every decision counts. Our insight comes from profiling hundreds of innovative companies every year -- from early-stage startups to established technology leaders -- to understand emerging market trends, best practices and common mistakes.

From market studies, positioning projects and competitive analyses, to funding and business strategy planning, we bring clarity, focus and experience to the art of transforming ideas into successful enterprises. Learn more at GuidewireGroup.com.

The inherent openness and anonymity of the Internet are creating unprecedented challenges for enterprises. Fraud, brand abuse and unauthorized channels have moved online and are on the rise.

MarkMonitor is the only company offering comprehensive, end-to-end solutions that enable an enterprise to both establish and defend their brands against multiple online risks. As the leading global provider of brand protection for the enterprise, MarkMonitor offers solutions that safeguard brands, reputations and revenues from ever-evolving online risks. The company's exclusive access to data, combined with its real-time prevention, detection and response capabilities, provides a more secure Internet for enterprises as well as their customers.

Headquartered in San Francisco, with regional offices and operations centers in London, Boise, Washington D.C. and the New York metro area, MarkMonitor safeguards the brands of more than half the Fortune 100.
Learn more at MarkMonitor.com.

One Economy Corporation is a global nonprofit organization that uses innovative approaches to deliver the power of technology and information to low-income people, giving them valuable tools for building better lives. One Economy helps bring broadband into the homes of low-income people, employs youth to train their community members to use technology effectively, and provides public-purpose media properties that offer a wealth of information on education, jobs, health care and other vital issues.

Its mission is to maximize the potential of technology to help low-income people improve their lives and enter the economic mainstream. For more information, visit One-Economy.com.

The Sunlight Foundation was co-founded in 2006 by Washington, D.C. businessman and lawyer Michael Klein and longtime Washington public interest advocate Ellen Miller with the non-partisan mission of using the revolutionary power of the Internet to make information about Congress and the federal government more meaningfully accessible to citizens.

Through our projects and grant-making, Sunlight serves as a catalyst for greater political transparency and to foster more openness and accountability in government. Sunlight's ultimate goal is to strengthen the relationship between citizens and their elected officials and to foster public trust in Congress. We are unique in that technology and the power of the Internet are at the core of every one of our efforts. Learn more at the Sunlight Foundation's site.

Verizon Communications Inc., a Dow 30 company, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving nearly 55 million customers nationwide.

Verizon Business operates one of the most expansive wholly-owned global IP networks. Verizon Telecom is deploying the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network to deliver the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services to customers.

Based in New York, Verizon has a diverse workforce of more than 252,000 and generates annual consolidated operating revenues of approximately $90 billion. Learn more at Verizon's site.

Media Sponsors

AlwaysOn ignited the open-media revolution in early 2003 by being the first media brand to launch a global blog network . In 2004, AlwaysOn continued to lead the media industry in innovation by introducing a social network where members can connect and engage. AlwaysOn is also revolutionizing the media business by applying its open-media principles to its executive event series (Venture Summit West, Stanford Summit, OnHollywood, OnMedia, GoingGreen, and BRiM - The Broadband Rights Marketplace,) and quarterly print "blogozine."

These venues empower its members to post and share their ideas and meet each other online. As our loyal readers know, AlwaysOn is committed to a free-market, merit-driven approach to reporting and event programming. No other media brand has dared to create such open interaction with its readers and event participants. Learn more at AlwaysOn's site.

Ars Technica - the name is Latin-derived for the "art of technology " - specializes in original news and reviews, analysis of technology trends, and expert advice on topics ranging from the most fundamental aspects of technology to the main ways technology is helping us enjoy our world. Ars works for the reader who not only needs to keep up on technology, but is passionate about it.

The team at Ars takes great pride in its unique combination of technical savvy and wide-ranging interest in the human arts and sciences. They're at home on Linux, Mac and Windows; they know both the home and the enterprise; they understand law and politics; and they specialize in bringing readers the right answer, the first time. It's no wonder that Ars has become a "go-to" destination for those who need to sift the wheat from the chaff. Learn more at Ars Technica.

Science Progess is an online magazine designed to improve public understanding of science and technology and to showcase exciting, progressive ideas about the many ways in which government and citizens can leverage innovation for the common good.

As a project of the Center for American Progress -- a non-profit, non-partisan public policy research organization in Washington, D.C. -- Science Progress bridges the gap between policy development and communication, drawing upon the extensive communications expertise of the Center staff to package policy ideas with traditional and new media tools and communicate them to diverse audiences. Learn more at scienceprogress.org.

Started in 1997 by Floor64 founder Mike Masnick and then growing into a group blogging effort, the Techdirt blog uses a proven economic framework to analyze and offer insight into news stories about changes in government policy, technology and legal issues that affect companies ability to innovate and grow.

The dynamic and interactive community of Techdirt readers often comment on the addictive quality of the content on the site, a feeling supported by the blog's 850,000+ RSS subscribers, 35,000+ posts, 250,000+ comments and a consistent Technorati 100 rating. Both Business Week and Forbes have awarded Techdirt with Best of the Web thought leader awards.

Research Sponsors

The University of Southern California's Center for Communication Law and Policy (CCLP) undertakes and supports rigorous academic research on issues related to communications law and regulation, and technology policy. The Center is affiliated with the USC Gould School of Law and the USC Annenberg School for Communication.

The communications sector has undergone a fundamental revolution in the last few years. In particular, we have seen the digital revolution in communications technology and the widespread adoption of both wireless technologies and the internet. These profound changes in the underlying nature of communications technology have had profound social and economic consequences.

The mission of the CCLP is to examine the role communications law and regulations and technology policy have in this process. The goal of the Center is provide research that will both help assess the impact of particular rules and policies, as well as to suggest policy reform. Learn more about CCLP online.

The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy think tank committed to articulating and advancing a pro-productivity, pro-innovation and pro-technology public policy agenda internationally, in Washington, D.C. and the states. Recognizing the vital role of technology in ensuring American prosperity, ITIF focuses on innovation, productivity and digital economy issues.

The mission of ITIF is to help policymakers at the federal and state levels to better understand the nature of the new innovation economy and the type of public policies needed to drive innovation, productivity and broad-based prosperity for all Americans.

ITIF publishes policy reports, holds forums and policy debates, advises elected officials and their staff, and is an active resource for the media. It develops new and creative policy proposals to advance innovation, analyzes existing policy issues through the lens of advancing innovation and prosperity, and opposes policies that hinder digital transformation and innovation. Learn more at ITIF's site.

Established in 1999, the New America Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit public policy institute dedicated to supporting a new generation of public intellectuals and public policy thinkers. New America's mission is to produce solutions-oriented research and writing on our nation's most difficult policy challenges.

Through its Wireless Future Program, New America has been working to expand access to an unlicensed spectrum "commons." New America believes that access to high-quality unlicensed, citizen-access spectrum will enable local governments and NGOs to cost effectively deploy community-based wireless broadband networks, helping to advance a future of universal, affordable and pervasive broadband connectivity. Learn more at New America Foundation's site.

The mission of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology (BCLT) is to foster beneficial and ethical advancement of technology by promoting the understanding and guiding the development of intellectual property and related fields of law and policy as they intersect with business, science and technology.

BCLT has taken advantage of its location near the "fertile crescent" of the information revolution. By reaching out to Silicon Valley and other Bay Area law firms, as well as to leading high technology companies, to forge a program in high technology law that not only provides opportunities for outstanding training for students interested in technology fields, but also serves as a resource for lawyers, industry groups, and other affected parties as they grapple with the complex policy and legal issues arising in the wake of high technology developments.

BCLT has developed links with several other organizations and outstanding affiliated faculty and scholars with interests in high technology law, including some of the top economists working on technology policy.

The Center for Internet and Society (CIS) is a public interest technology law and policy program at Stanford Law School. CIS brings together scholars, academics, legislators, students, programmers, and others to study the interaction of new technologies and the law and to examine how each promotes or harms public goods like free speech, privacy, and scientific inquiry.

CIS also provides law students and the general public with educational resources and analyses of policy issues, represents clients in matters that raise issues involving civil rights and technology, and sponsors a range of public events including a speakers series, conferences and workshops.

The Center for Policy on Emerging Technologies (C-PET) is a nonpartisan think tank whose primary focus is on the implications of the key emerging technologies of teh 21st century. Early issues to be addressed include the implications of artificial intelligence (AI), radio-frequency identifiers (RFIDs), and applications of nanotechnology.

C-PET is also developing a transatlantic dialogue on the societal dimensions of emerging technologies. C-PET's mission is to stimulate broad nonpartisan dialogue, and the development of policy proposals, on emerging technologies and their social, ethical, and legal implications.

Carnegie Mellon's Silicon Valley campus offers innovative part-time, full-time and bicoastal master's degree programs in information technology, innovation, software engineering and software management. We are also pleased to offer our new bicoastal Ph.D. program in mobility.

All of these programs are characterized by the University's ongoing focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems.

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