Polis, Issa Urge Congress to Protect U.S. Digital Economy as Part of Trade Legislation

Press Release

Representatives Jared Polis (CO-02) and Darrell Issa (CA-49) today sent a letter to the leaders of the House Ways & Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee urging them to protect U.S. businesses that rely on the Internet as part of any upcoming Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation.

"Many countries around the world are pursuing what has been called "digital protectionism' restrictions targeted at U.S. Internet and digitally-intensive businesses in order to protect local industries from new competition or keep data away from U.S. companies or shores, often under the sympathetic guise of enforcing intellectual property rights," the representatives wrote. "In light of this disturbing trend, our trade agreements must stand firmly in support of an open, vibrant Internet."

Polis and Issa referenced recently enacted laws in European nations prohibiting online platforms from publishing brief excerpts of others' website content -- even if those excerpts include hyperlinks to the original source. The representatives wrote that without strong safeguards against these types of abuses, trade agreements risk harming U.S. economic interests and costing American jobs.

This letter comes on the heels of several recent letters that Polis has sent to Obama administration officials and Congressional leaders regarding the present trade negotiations. Previous letters focused on the need to protect the rights of workers, improve the transparency of the negotiations, and end abuses of human rights.

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