The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened many divides in communities in the United States. The list includes the digital divide – the gap between those who have access to high-speed internet and those who do not. This digital divide is pronounced in communities of color. While many people have successfully been able to rely on the internet during this time of crisis, too many people who are Latinx, Black, Indigenous, [...]

Joe Biden is officially the Democratic presidential nominee, all thanks to his moderate reputation. The former vice president trounced over a dozen progressive primary opponents by promising stable, centrist leadership and gradual change. It is now perplexing that Biden is embracing many of his defeated opponents’ ideas, which Democratic base voters rejected just a few months ago. He established a “unity” task force populated by the most vocal supporters of [...]

Next week, the House of Representatives is set to vote on a bill to stabilize the Affordable Care Act. The legislation -- known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act -- aims to expand Obamacare exchange subsidies and help more Americans obtain affordable health coverage amidst COVID-19 and an economic recession. That is certainly an admirable endeavor. Unfortunately, instead of simply allocating funding for these new subsidies, [...]

It is safe to say that COVID-19 either has or will negatively impact virtually every industry in the U.S. and abroad. Millions of Americans have lost their job or been furloughed, and many fear a second wave of infection is inevitable. One industry that people do not tend to focus on, that has been impacted significantly by this outbreak, is the film, television and streaming industry. This is truly [...]

During these challenging times, it is important to examine the role that innovation and intellectual property (IP) protections play in curing diseases and treating chronic conditions; all the more relevant right now with the global outbreak of COVID-19. When one thinks about the tight connection between IP and medical breakthroughs, it is not unreasonable to say that the type of innovation that is facilitated by IP is exactly the [...]

During this time of crisis, with a worldwide pandemic claiming tens of thousands of lives and states ordering people to stay home, affordable, reliable internet is a lifeline for families living in America. For those of us fortunate enough to be able to work from home, reliable internet is a must-have resource that means the difference between being able to pay the bills or not. For students and teachers distance [...]

A quick look around any home in 2020 will reveal just how essential Wi-Fi has become to our daily lives.It’s no longer just the obvious devices such as laptops, tablets and phones that we connect to the internet through Wi-Fi; increasingly, everything from refrigerators and thermostats to baby monitors and even the cars in our garages may be Wi-Fi connected.This trend is only accelerating. In fact, some estimates suggest that [...]

A Maryland-based biotech firm may have just cured HIV. That company recently submitted an FDA application for AGT103-T, an HIV therapy that could eliminate the virus in a single dose. If the agency approves the drug, clinical trials could begin as soon as January. The news is a good reminder of how drug innovation can address the biggest public health crises of our time. Although medical progress benefits all [...]

By Rosa Mendoza, President and CEO, ALLvanza The time has come to be counted. The U.S. Census Bureau will soon begin collecting data about everyone living in the United States, regardless of citizenship or immigration status, based on the directive from the Constitution to do so every ten years. With regard to the census, the worst thing that already underserved communities can do is to not be counted. It [...]

By Rosa Mendoza, President & CEO, ALLvanza In our internet-based society, it is nearly impossible to go through daily life without engaging with technology in some form. "Digital exhaust" is how some refer to the byproduct of online activity. Specifically, it refers to all the data collected by various parties as a result of one’s online activities. Advances in technology, both in the public and private sectors, make it [...]

By Rosa Mendoza, President and CEO, ALLvanza This month, “Dora the Explorer” turns 19. Enjoying a nearly 15-year run as the No. 1 preschool show on television, the groundbreaking Nickelodeon series continues to delight and educate young audiences around the world and do its small part to enrich our nation’s understanding of its own Hispanic heritage and communities. I remember joyfully watching Dora myself when it first became popular, [...]

By Rosa Mendoza, President and CEO, ALLvanza It’s an exciting time in the creative industries – including for diverse storytellers. And on World IP Day, which celebrates the important role strong IP protections play in supporting creativity and innovation, it’s a good time to take stock of the creative landscape and the role strong IP protections play in helping to incentivize storytelling by all creators.In the film and television industries, innovation, competition [...]

By Rosa Mendoza, President and CEO, ALLvanza Every Women’s History Month is an opportunity for reflection and commitment. We, at ALLvanza, reflect on the progress that has been made and we re-commit to not accepting anything other than complete equality in every aspect of our lives. We reflect on the countless female role models that have emerged and raised the glass ceiling bit by bit. At this time in our history, we have more female directors in the [...]

By Rosa Mendoza, President & CEO, ALLvanza One of the beauties of our nation is our freedom; freedom to speak, to learn, to work, to earn. Each of those freedoms relies heavily on the Internet, and I would further posit a free and open Internet. In order to have the freedom to speak, lawful Internet content must not be blocked or throttled in any way. In order to learn, broadband providers must be transparent about [...]

By: Rosa Mendoza Davila, President and CEO of ALLvanza Yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a statement regarding its draft annual broadband deployment report and, upon first review, the connectivity numbers look very promising. Almost two decades have passed since we began using the term Digital Divide to describe the disparity in connectivity, and thereby opportunity for success, in our Internet-based global society. If these numbers are correct, and [...]

By Rosa Mendoza, ALLvanza Founder, President and CEO Since one of ALLvanza’s primary areas of focus is the protection of intellectual property rights, we continually monitor the progress of the modernization of the copyright process undertaken by the U.S. Copyright Office. A piece to read for background is the Modified U.S. Copyright Office Provisional IT Modernization Plan. Many aspects of the plan are encouraging because ALLvanza advocates for the Copyright [...]

By Rosa Mendoza, ALLvanza Founder, President and CEO Access to affordable, reliable broadband Internet and the knowledge and ability to fully utilize this vital resource have become determining factors for achieving success in our technology-enabled world. Truly the Internet has become foundational to every activity in our lives ranging from the most mundane of tasks (checking the weather or your favorite team’s box score) to the most important of tasks [...]

By Rosa Mendoza, ALLvanza Founder, President and CEO Advancements in emerging technology present, all at once, a great unknown and incredible opportunities. Because of the complex nature of new developments in emerging technology, many times people have a hard time understanding the possible negative outcomes as well as the many opportunities and benefits they offer. It is critical that advocacy groups do their due diligence in understanding and analyzing new developments [...]