Lawrence Lessig
October 7, 2018
In the spring of 2008, I was asked to testify before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation about network neutrality. I had testified before the same committee on the same subject six years before. But now the issue was central in a presidential campaign, and interest had become much more focused.
As I sat at the hearing table, waiting for my chance to speak, I received a message from Sen. John Sununu, Republican of New Hampshire: "You shouldn’t be shilling," the message scolded me, "for big internet companies." I was stunned as I realized that Sununu thought I was being paid to give testimony. And then I recognized that of course he thought I was being paid. Practically everyone in my field now gets paid to give public testimony. ("Practically," but not everyone, and certainly not me.)
Read More...As I sat at the hearing table, waiting for my chance to speak, I received a message from Sen. John Sununu, Republican of New Hampshire: "You shouldn’t be shilling," the message scolded me, "for big internet companies." I was stunned as I realized that Sununu thought I was being paid to give testimony. And then I recognized that of course he thought I was being paid. Practically everyone in my field now gets paid to give public testimony. ("Practically," but not everyone, and certainly not me.)
