Alliance for Public Technology (APT) is a now defunct membership organization that was focused on government involvement in technological infrastructure. The group operated from 1994 until 2010.

Founding and History

The Alliance for Public Technology was founded in 1994 to support the government advancement and regulation of telecommunications technology. The group would issue comments on pending legislation and regulatory proposals and publish policy papers related to telecommunications issues, especially related to emerging internet technologies. From website archives, it appears that most activity by the group began to slow down around 2008 and 2009, with the group filing its last tax documents in 2010. ¹

Priority Issues

The Alliance for Public Technology was focused on issues such as broadband access, net-neutrality, and perceived consumer welfare and often advocated for government intervention in developing technology infrastructure. ^{2 3} For example, in one of APT’s last published policy reports, the organization recommended that the federal government establish “national goals for broadband deployment” and use tax incentives and low-interest loans to direct broadband development, and create a federal bureaucracy to deal with broadband issues. ⁴

Finances

Fiscal year 2009 is the last year the Alliance for Public Technology appears to have been active based on its tax filings. That year it had $121,352 in revenue, of which $115,633 was derived from contributions and grants. Only $350 was derived from membership dues, reflecting the declining state of the supposedly membership-based organization. The organization had $104,543 in expenses, of which $82,743 was allocated to professional fees and payments to independent contractors. The organization ended the year with $31,302 in net assets. ⁵ In 2010, the organization dispersed these assets and dissolved. ⁶

Membership

The Alliance for Public Technology was comprised of various members, both individuals and organizational members, with yearly dues. However, APT did not publish a list of members or member organizations. ⁷ APT did partner with the Communications Workers of America labor union on projects such as a database of state government initiatives related to broadband access. ⁸

1. Alliance for Public Technology, Return of an Organization Exempt from Income Tax, Form 990, 2010, Part I.
2. “Publications: APT Reports,” Archived February 5, 2009. Accessed June 14, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20090205181815/http://apt.org/publications/apt-reports.html.
3. “Public Policy: Filings and Action Alerts,” Archived February 6, 2009. Accessed June 14, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20090206085443/http://www.apt.org/public-policy/filings-and-alerts.html.
4. “Achieving Universal Broadband: Policies for Stimulating Deployment and Demand,” February 2007. Archived February 19, 2009. Accessed June 14, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20090219102645/http://www.apt.org/publications/reports-studies/Final-Report-Feb2007.pdf.
5. Alliance for Public Technology, Return of an Organization Exempt from Income Tax, Form 990, 2009, Part I.
6. Alliance for Public Technology, Return of an Organization Exempt from Income Tax, Form 990, 2010, Part I.
7. “APT: Membership,” Archived from the original February 5, 2009. Accessed June 14, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20090205181750/http://apt.org/membership/.
8. “Alliance for Public Technology and Communication Workers of America Report.” Alliance for Public Technology and Communication Workers of America. Archived April 9, 2017.  Accessed June 14, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20170409102900/http://www.cetfund.org/resources/otherstateinitiatives/apt-speedmatters.