The Open Technology Initiative (OTI) formulates policy and regulatory reforms to support open architectures and open source innovations and facilitates the development and implementation of open technologies and communications networks.

OTI promotes affordable, universal, and ubiquitous communications networks through partnerships with communities, researchers, industry, and public interest groups. OTI is committed to maximizing the potentials of innovative open technologies by studying their social and economic impacts – particularly for poor, rural, and other underserved constituencies. As an independent non-profit initiative, OTI provides in-depth, objective research, analysis, and findings for policy decision-makers and the general public.

Steering Committee:

• Susan Crawford (Professor, University of Michigan Law School; Board Member, ICANN; Coordinator, One Web Day)
• Peter Eckersley (Staff Technologist, Electronic Frontier Foundation)
• Chris Libertelli (Senior Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs, Skype)
• Andrew McLaughlin (Head of Global Public Policy and Government Affairs, Google)
• Sascha Meinrath (Director, Open Technology Initiative)
• Alec Ross (Co-Founder & Executive Vice President, One Economy)
• Ben Scott (Policy Director, Free Press)
• Gigi Sohn (Executive Director, Public Knowledge)
• Barry Steinhardt (Director, Technology and Liberty Program, ACLU)
• Tim Wu (Professor, Columbia Law School)

Open Technology Initiative Priorities & Goals:

• Gather top technologists, tech-savvy policy analysts, & strategic thinkers from across the United States to inform current policy and regulatory debates.
• Conduct assessments of open technologies as a means to lower the economic costs of doing business for various market, NGO, and government sectors.
• Build bridges between community developers, entrepreneurs, academia, and industry to create partnerships with international NGOs and research groups.
• Study social impacts of open technologies and architectures.
• Provide objective research results to policy and regulatory decision-makers.
• Implement real-world open technology pilot projects and proofs of concept.
• Support initiatives to open the public airwaves.
• Expand the use of open source software, interoperability through open APIs, and increased access of FOSS technologies.
• Perform benchmark testing of open technologies for consumers and the general public.