Internet Innovation Alliance Names David Sutphen New Co-Chair

The Internet Innovation Alliance -- coalition of businesses, trade associations and non-profit groups dedicated to promoting broadband availability and adoption by all Americans -- has named David Sutphen Co-Chair to serve with co-founder Bruce Mehlman. Sutphen is a partner at Brunswick Group LLC, a strategic communications firm. He previously served as senior vice president of Government Relations for Viacom. Prior to his time at Viacom, he was the senior vice president of Government and Industry Relations for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and held positions at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights. A former senior staff member in Congress, Sutphen also spent six years in politics as general counsel to the late Sen Ted Kennedy (D-MA), where he handled civil rights and telecom issues, and as chief of staff to former Rep Harold Ford (D-TN). Sutphen began his career in Covington & Burling's communications practice group and clerked on the Third Circuit. He is an honors graduate of Amherst College and the University of Michigan Law School, where he was a member of the Editorial Board of the Law Review. He serves on the Board of Directors of the United States Soccer Foundation and LAYC, a Washington D.C.-based non-profit serving more than 4,000 at-risk youth. Sutphen replaces former IIA Co-Chair and co-founder Larry Irving. After leading the IIA since its inception in 2004, Irving recently stepped down to become vice president of Global Government Affairs at Hewlett Packard.