This Week in Washington IP: Broadband Provisions of the Farm Act, Regulating the Digital Asset Economy, and Preserving the Right to Repair

This week in Washington IP news, the House Agriculture Committee explores the rural broadband provisions of the Farm Act as Congress gets ready to reauthorize those programs in 2023, while the House Subcommittee on Underserved, Agricultural and Rural Business Development takes a look at how technical protection measures have undermined consumers’ right to repair vehicles and devices. Over in the Senate, the Armed Services Committee holds a nomination hearing to debate President Biden’s nominee for Chief of Space Operations for the Department of Defense, while the Senate Agriculture Committee reviews a proposed bill that would grant jurisdiction to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to regulate the spot digital asset market. Elsewhere, both the Brookings Institution and the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation explore how democratic societies should approach technological adoption to ward off authoritarian regimes, while the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office holds a stakeholder meeting on business method patents.Read More