Washington DC-headquartered lobby group The Internet Association — which named its president and CEO earlier this year — has now unveiled its full membership roster and policy platform.
The list of 14 companies signed up to the lobby group are: Amazon.com, AOL, eBay, Expedia, Facebook, Google, IAC, LinkedIn, Monster Worldwide, Rackspace, salesforce.com, TripAdvisor, Yahoo!, and Zynga.
In its inaugural press release, the group describes itself as “an umbrella public policy organization dedicated to strengthening and protecting a free and innovative Internet” — and says the three key target areas for its lobbying activities are: protecting Internet freedom; fostering innovation and economic growth; and empowering users.
“A free and innovative Internet is vital to our nation’s economic growth,” said Michael Beckerman, President and CEO of The Internet Association, in a statement. “These companies are all fierce competitors in the market place, but they recognize the Internet needs a unified voice in Washington. They understand the future of the Internet is at stake and that we must work together to protect it.”
Educating policymakers about the myriad economic benefits and creative freedoms afforded by the Internet and Internet companies is also a key focus for the group’s work.
“The Internet is the fastest growing sector of the US economy with an unparalleled record of job creation and innovation across all sectors. It is the Internet’s decentralized and open model that has unleashed unprecedented entrepreneurialism, creativity and innovation. Policymakers must understand that the preservation of that freedom is essential to the vitality of the Internet itself and the resulting economic prosperity,” Beckerman added.