Archive by author:
Howard FienbergReturn
Based in Washington, DC, Howard is the Insights Association's lobbyist for the marketing research and data analytics industry, focusing primarily on consumer privacy and data security, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), tort reform, and the funding and integrity of the decennial Census and the American Community Survey (ACS).
Howard has more than two decades of public policy experience. Before the Insights Association, he worked in Congress as senior legislative staffer for then-Representatives Christopher Cox (CA-48) and Cliff Stearns (FL-06). He also served more than four years with a science policy think tank, working to improve the understanding of scientific and social research and methodology among journalists and policymakers.
Howard is also co-director of The Census Project, a 900+ member coalition in support of a fair and accurate Census and ACS.
He has also served previously on the Board of Directors for the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics and and the Association of Government Relations Professionals.
Howard has an MA International Relations from the University of Essex in England and a BA Honors Political Studies from Trent University in Canada, and has obtained the Certified Association Executive (CAE), Professional Lobbying Certificate (PLC) and the Public Policy Certificate (PPC).
When not running advocacy for the Insights Association, Howard enjoys hockey, NFL football, sci-fi and horror movies, playing with his dog, and spending time with family and friends.
Noting that the U.S. government’s current approach “to survey, opinion and market research, unchanged since 2006, wastes taxpayer resources and hurts the private sector,” the leading nonprofit trade association for the insights industry called for the urgent modernization of federal research policy.
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In addition to the Insights Association's extensive recent comments to the House Energy & Commerce Committee on crafting federal privacy legislation, the nonprofit association also joined a coalition letter supporting a set of broad policy principles to guide such a bill.
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24Apr
Howard Fienberg |
24 Apr, 2025
|
Fighting for You,
politics,
exit poll,
data privacy,
Nevada,
Louisiana,
California,
artificial intelligence,
census,
competitive sourcing,
IDEA |
Government Affairs |
The insights industry faced more than just April showers, as the first full month of spring brought tempestuous issues, such as whether recent federal government action against DEI and sex/gender identity means we can no longer ask demographic questions, and determining the current impact of DOGE on the industry. We weighed in with Congress on consumer data privacy legislation, looked at a new privacy law change in Utah and the status of some AI legislation in California, urged more funding for ...
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The Insights Association joined a coalition letter urging Congress to provide $2 billion for the Census Bureau in Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26).
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In comments to the House Energy & Commerce Committee, the Insights Association (IA) recommended “a comprehensive federal consumer data privacy law that will respect and protect consumers, facilitate compliance in the private sector, preempt the patchwork of conflicting state laws, centralize enforcement at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state Attorneys General (AGs), and continue to allow for the informed decision-making provided by insights services.”
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27Mar
Howard Fienberg |
27 Mar, 2025
|
Fighting for You,
tax,
data privacy,
international,
Russia,
China,
California,
artificial intelligence,
census,
human resources,
independent contractors,
incentives,
tax,
Maryland |
Government Affairs |
March blew in like a lion for the insights industry, but it shows no signs of leaving like a lamb, as the Insights Association grappled with lots of advocacy issues, including: complicated new prohibitions on data sharing with certain foreign countries (and companies controlled by them); a new FTC nominee; worrisome tax bills in Maryland; a California bill to restrict artificial intelligence in interactions with research subjects; a new U.S. Labor Secretary potentially hostile to treating resear...
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The U.S. Senate approved the nomination of former Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer on March 10, 2025 to be Secretary of the Department of Labor, potentially complicating the insights industry’s ability to provide incentives to research subjects who participate in market research studies.
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27Feb
Howard Fienberg |
27 Feb, 2025
|
Fighting for You,
tax,
data privacy,
new jersey,
new York,
Washington,
artificial intelligence,
census,
competitive sourcing,
ethics |
Government Affairs |
February may be a shorter month on the calendar, but there was no shortage of advocacy work for the insights industry with new Trump Administration leadership, federal privacy legislation, more taxes in New Jersey and Washington state, disappearing census data, a new legislative threat to the ACS, AI regulation in Virginia and New York, federal reporting requirements for small businesses, and more.
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The Insights Association, the leading nonprofit association representing the market research and analytics industry, released a statement following the confirmation of Howard Lutnick as Secretary of Commerce in the second Trump Administration, focused on his new role in census policy and trans-Atlantic consumer data sharing.
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Congress is pressing the White House “to immediately restore public access to federal datasets and data-driven tools,” including Census Bureau data, as requested by the Insights Association and other allied groups.
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