Public Knowledge hosts the Annual IP3 Awards to celebrate the work of those who have made significant contributions in the three areas of IP: Intellectual Property, Information Policy, and Internet Protocol. The awards help champion the advocates working diligently on behalf of the public interest to help everyone connect and communicate. Learn more about past recipients of the Annual IP3 Awards.
In 2024, we presented the Information Policy Award to Caitriona Fitzgerald, Deputy Director at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, where she provides expertise to advance strong privacy and artificial intelligence governance laws at both the state and federal level. She has testified before Congress and state legislatures. In 2023, she was named a Wasserstein Fellow at Harvard Law School. A member of the Massachusetts Bar, Ms. Fitzgerald graduated from Northeastern University School of Law (J.D.) and the State University of New York at Geneseo (B.A., Computer Science).
We presented the Intellectual Policy Award to Jonathan Band, Principal at Policy Bandwidth. He has helped shape the laws governing intellectual property and the internet through a combination of legislative and appellate advocacy. He has represented clients with respect to the drafting of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and other federal and state statutes relating to intellectual property and the internet. He has testified before Congress 10 times. He has complemented this legislative advocacy by filing amicus briefs in significant cases related to these provisions. Mr. Band has also represented clients in connection to the Marrakesh Treaty, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, and other international agreements.
We presented the Internet Protocol Award to Angela Siefer, Executive Director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, where she leads the digital equity movement by supporting community programs and equipping policymakers to act. Since earning her master’s in sociology from the University of Toledo in 1997, she has worked in the field we now call “digital inclusion.” Starting with setting up computer labs in underserved areas and managing local digital inclusion programs, Ms. Siefer’s first-hand knowledge led her to consult for the U.S. Department of Commerce and testify before Congress. In 2015, she saw that the growing field needed its own place to build best practices and community, so she became the founding Executive Director of the NDIA.
Finally, we presented a President’s Award to FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, who believes that communications technology has the potential to be one of the most powerful forces on Earth for promoting equality and opportunity. To unlock that potential, however, all Americans must have access. From combating internet inequality to advocating for diversity in employment, entrepreneurship, and media ownership, Commissioner Starks fights for policies designed to ensure that modern communications technology empowers everyone by championing the millions of Americans who lack access to or cannot afford home internet. He has consistently advocated for broadband deployment that helps rural communities tap into economic and educational opportunities that may not be close to home, which both encourages young people to stay in these rural areas and attracts new residents and employers.
In 2024, we heard from Dallas Harris, Nevada State Senator, as she spoke passionately about her time in the PKTrains fellowship program and how it equipped her for her career. Now celebrating its tenth year, this program has trained dozens of successful technology policy advocates dedicated to promoting the public interest. View the program to discover how and why Public Knowledge fellows make an impact in an era when we need to balance corporate power by forcefully representing the public. You may donate to support the program and help ensure that more diverse voices from a variety of backgrounds have a seat at the policymaking table.
We also commemorated the work of Sherwin Lee Siy, a pillar of Public Knowledge for nearly 10 years and a passionate advocate for the openness of information in the digital era. His openness and enthusiasm as a mentor to young advocates left a lasting mark across the entire field. Please help us honor Sherwin Lee Siy’s legacy of activism and mentorship by supporting the next generation of policy advocates through an endowed fellowship in his name. With this fellowship, we intend to build upon Sherwin’s life work and to fundamentally transform how advocates in our field represent the growing diversity within this country. You can watch our video celebrating the Sherwin Lee Siy Memorial Fund below.
Learn more about past recipients of the Annual IP3 Awards or reach out to Stephen Bennett, our Director of Development and External Affairs, to become an official sponsor. View our photo album to experience more of this momentous event.
