Bruce Mehlman, Author at Internet Innovation Alliance

Internet Innovation Alliance

Bruce Mehlman

Co-Chairman

Bruce Mehlman is a leader in Washington DC, helping Fortune 500 companies and innovative start-ups understand, anticipate and navigate the public policy environment and trends likely to impact the global marketplace.

Currently Co-Chairman of the Internet Innovation Alliance, Mehlman previously served as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Technology Policy. At Commerce Mehlman worked closely with leaders from industry, federal labs, universities and governments on issues impacting technology creators and users including innovation policy, broadband, biotechnology, tech-led economic growth, technology transfer, nanotechnology and workforce policy.

Mehlman worked as telecommunications policy counsel for Cisco Systems, policy director and general counsel to the House Republican Conference under Rep. J.C. Watts (R-OK), general counsel to the National Republican Congressional Committee, and as a commercial litigation attorney in a major Washington law firm.

Recent Contributions from Bruce Mehlman

This is America’s broadband moment. Don’t screw it up.

The easy part is over. Congress approved once-in-a-generation bipartisan infrastructure legislation last November, including $65 billion dollars to accelerate broadband deployment and help close persistent digital divides across…

April 7, 2022

Bipartisan wins are there for the taking

Antitrust, broadband, and China are three connected areas where there’s agreement across the aisle and opportunity for deal-making, despite the challenging environment in Washington.

September 10, 2021

Symmetrical Broadband Speeds Aren’t the Answer to Closing the Digital Divide

With limited funds to achieve universal broadband, the U.S. needs a combination of solutions responsive to local needs that can be cost-effectively deployed. Closing the gap between the digital haves and have-nots depends on it.

July 27, 2021

Why a government-owned 5G network is still a bad idea

Don’t give up on market-led innovation when we need it most

October 21, 2020

Americans Are Voting for Broadband

For most of us, it’s hard to imagine having spent the last six months without access to reliable, high-speed broadband internet. But for at least 18 million Americans, that’s been their everyday reality – limited options for staying in touch with family and friends, lost work opportunities, no connectivity for distance learning and no way to benefit from telehealth visits.

September 10, 2020

Bridging the Digital Divide has Never Been More Critical

As Americans continue to persevere through the COVID-19 pandemic while simultaneously confronting a deep recession and persistent social injustice, we need to come to grips with one of the challenges these convergent crises have brought into bold relief: the digital divide.

August 14, 2020

Bruce Mehlman: Economic recovery from coronavirus demands more available, affordable and accessible broadband

As policymakers focus on helping Americans rebuild our economy and our lives, they can take meaningful steps to close the digital divides and accelerate our comeback by making broadband more available, affordable, accessible and American.

May 30, 2020

It’s Time to Reverse the Country’s Scientific Slide

America’s leaders today should remember the good advice of our founding fathers and reflect with smart policymaking that the U.S.’s global competitiveness, national security, and economic growth and stability at home depend on our ability to maintain leadership in innovation. If we don’t step up the pace, at the end of the next decade we’ll find ourselves far behind.

January 29, 2020

Broadband Providers Are Leading the Way in Building America’s Infrastructure

The Progressive Policy Institute has just issued its annual Investment Heroes report, and the results are no surprise: once again, broadband providers lead the way. In the top five non-financial companies by estimated U.S. capital expenditure, AT&T is second with $19.2 billion in capex in the U.S., and Verizon is fourth with $14.9 billion.

December 16, 2019

Democratic Candidates Need to Learn to Play the Long Game on Broadband

It’s time for candidates to discuss how they propose to get to fast broadband for everyone, rather than just throwing money at a problem and hoping for the best public sector solution.

November 18, 2019

Gottheimer, Others Want a Compromise on Net Neutrality. We Think That’s a good thing, Group Says

It’s entirely possible for Congress to enact a net neutrality bill this year, but there is little time to spare. Posturing should give way to negotiating. That’s the only way that both sides of the aisle and both sides of Capitol Hill will be able to point to a real accomplishment: putting core open internet provisions in statute law.

June 18, 2019

There’s a Better Way to Save the Internet Than the “Save the Internet” Act

Net neutrality has been among the most contentious policy issues in telecommunications or almost any other area over the past decade. But there is a real way forward to solve this issue instead of continuing to debate it at a time when the country should be focusing on advancing 5G technology.

March 25, 2019