Published: Jan. 8, 2020

The University of Colorado Law School will host a field hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law on Friday, Jan. 17. The hearing will address online platforms and market power.

In an announcement, Subcommittee Vice Chair and Rep. Joe Neguse ('09), D-Colo., whose district includes Boulder, called the state of Colorado—and the 2nd Congressional District in particular—a "hub for tech innovation and ingenuity."

The subcommittee is chaired by David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and includes Ken Buck (R-Colo.), who represents Colorado's 4th Congressional District. Several top executives are expected to speak about competition in the digital marketplace.

This is the second congressional hearing held at Colorado Law in the last six months. In August Colorado Law hosted a field hearing of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.

"We are pleased to feature these kinds of important, high-profile events at Colorado Law,” said Dean S. James Anaya. "From congressional hearings to an annual session of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which we hosted in fall 2018, we are proud to provide a platform for official inquiries of national and often international importance."

The hearing is open to the public and will be livestreamed at this link. More details will be forthcoming.

I look forward to welcoming @HouseJudiciary & @RepCicilline to Colorado for a congressional field hearing.

Having these hearings in Colorado allow our communities to engage directly in congressional matters & highlights the innovation happening in Colorado. https://t.co/1eBP8hxaeL

— Rep. Joe Neguse (@RepJoeNeguse) January 9, 2020

"CU Boulder is where policy and research intersect," said Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano. "We are excited to have our experts join with national policy makers and industry leaders to discuss the future of technology and the economy."

Colorado Law offers nationally recognized programs in technology and intellectual property law as well as entrepreneurial and business law. The Denver-Boulder metro area is one of the country’s epicenters for innovation and technology, featuring such businesses as CenturyLink, DISH Network, CableLabs, Zayo Group, Oracle, and NetApp, and satellite offices for Amazon and Google. Boulder has a vibrant entrepreneurial community with many startup and emerging companies, and was recently ranked No. 4 in the nation for number of high-tech jobs.

"Issues around market power and competition in the tech sector impact all of us and influence how we approach topics from data privacy to the creation of new technologies like artificial intelligence. Silicon Flatirons is excited to help facilitate this important conversation and have the opportunity to bring lawmakers and entrepreneurs together at Colorado Law," said Amie Stepanovich, executive director of the law school's Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technololgy, and Entrepreneurship. "The lessons we learn during this hearing will provide guidance for the future of the technology and entrepreneurial sectors as well as guide our work at the center as a national leader at convening around these topics."