Data transparency advocates register lobbyist

Introduction

An upstart data transparency group run by a former congressional counsel has registered its first lobbyist, new U.S. Senate filings show.

Hudson Hollister, a Republican who until last year served as counsel to the U.S. House’s Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, will lobby on behalf of the Data Transparency Coalition, which wants the federal government to institute “greater efficiency and better transparency by deploying consistent data standards.”

Hollister is also founder and executive director of the nonprofit coalition.

The Data Transparency Coalition, whose members include firms such as Teredata, SAP, Adaptive and Level One Technologies, will in part push for passage of a revamped version of the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act, which died during the last congressional session.

The group’s other lobbying priorities include pressing government agencies to adopt standard data formats so that data is more easily searchable, sortable and downloadable, Hollister said.

It will likewise advocate to make federal court documents, typically available for a charge through the government’s PACER system, free to the public, he said.

“There’s nobody else in the tech industry really advocating for this, and this is not going to happen if Congress doesn’t hear from the tech industry,” Hollister said.

Hollister’s registration is effective as of Jan. 28, as organizations that lobby have 45 days after first making contact with government officials to file paperwork.