Summary

When the Internet was beginning to emerge in 1992-1993, he served as Deputy United States Coordinator for International communications and information policy, and a U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.    

Scott Cleland has also been a serial Independent Accountability Advocate:

1. Founder & Co-Chair of the Investorside Research Association (2002-2004) of 70 independent investment research providers, to challenge investment banking research conflicts of interest with independent research providers and to advance the Sarbanes-Oxley financial accountability legislation.Investorside was the first U.S. financial industry association to require a binding public ethics pledge of no conflicts of interest for members.
2. Founder & Chairman, of NetCompetition.org (2006-2018) – a pro-competition e-forum; supported by broadband interests; with a mission of promoting competitive Internet choices for consumers; and advocated opposition to Tech’s one-sided/asymmetric net neutrality economic price regulation for only broadband but not for tech platforms.
3. Founder and Executive Director of the Restore Us Institute (RUI) an Internet policy think tank and faith-based nonprofit, with a mission to restore U.S. Internet accountability to protect people from online harm. RUI provided nonpartisan Independent research to restore Internet accountability.

Scott Cleland is Founder and CEO of Precursor^® LLC, a pioneering advisory specialized in Macro-Internet and Macro-AI change research, causation analysis, externality expertise, & accountability analysis/advocacy. Scott Cleland’s Wikipedia Page is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Cleland.

Precursor^® empowers success by helping commercial clients anticipate Internet/AI change; organize chaos, navigate cause-effects; mitigate externalities; and advocate for Internet/AI/Information innovation, antitrust, IP, and integrity accountability.

In addition, Cleland is a ProvenPrecursor, an innovator/pioneer of Internet Change Research, MacroInternetics^®, and Macro-AI-Analytics^™, an Internet/AI integrity accountability advocate. 

With 30 years and 30k hours of macro-Internet experience and domain expertise respectively, he has been a prolific macro-Internet researcher and analyst. First, he wrote >500 investor analyses for top institutional investors for 13 years. Second, he wrote >1000 blogs over 14 years as Chairman of NetCompetition.org, a pro-competition e-forum supported by broadband interests with a mission of promoting competitive Internet choices for consumers. Third, he wrote, >2000 PrecursorBlog.com Internet competition and accountability analyses for leading corporations for 17 years. Fourth, he wrote 15 Internet accountability research analyses for the public for two years as Executive Director of the Restore Us Institute, the only research/education non-profit dedicated to restoring Internet accountability.

He served as Deputy United States Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy in the H. W. Bush Administration. The U.S. Department of State Advisory Committee for international communications and information policy appointed him to several terms 2002-2014. Eight congressional subcommittees have sought his expert testimony a total of 16 times. Governments on four continents have sought his expertise.

Institutional Investor twice ranked him the #1 independent telecom analyst, and his firm Precursor Group the #1 independent research firm for their pioneering “Change Research.” Fortune, National Journal, Barrons, WSJ’s Smart Money, Investors Business Daily, and Broadcasting & Cable have profiled Cleland.

For Scott Cleland’s work history see his LinkedIn profile.

As a strategic investment analyst for institutional investors for thirteen years, and as a strategic Internet policy/competition consultant to Fortune 100 companies for sixteen more years, Cleland has built a long track record of forthright foresight and client trust in accurately anticipating, alerting, and advising investors and companies of emerging strategic risks/opportunities before others.

A ProvenPrecursor with 30 yrs of Forthright Foresight, 1993-2024.

• In 1993, first analyst to predict FCC would price regulate cable industry. 
• In 1993, first analyst to predict passage of the 1996 Telecom Act and accurately predict Act’s winners/losers & FCC’s 1996-2006 winners/losers.
• In 1995, predicted radio stations would roll-up & be Act’s biggest winner. 
• In 1995, first analyst to predict the Baby Bells would merge/consolidate.
• In 1995, first to predict telcos/cable would win, long distance lose in Act.
• In 2000, first to spot WorldCom’s fraud and predict its 2002 bankruptcy.
• In 2001, first to predict competitive local exchange carriers go bankrupt.
• In 2001, House Financial Services Subcommittee Testimony “Who’s Looking Out for Investors?”
• In 2001, Senate testimony: the cause of Enron Broadband’s bankruptcy.
• In 2002, protected clients from $4t Dotcom crash and $1t fiber crash by exposing market Internet traffic growth expectations were 12x too high.
• In 2002 co-founded first unconflicted Investorside Research Association.
• In 2003, lead source for PBS Frontline’s Emmy winning “Wall Street Fix.”
• In 2004, Ranked Institutional Investor#1 independent telecom analyst.
• In 2005, Ranked #1 research firm for its “Change Research” innovations.
• In 2005, Senate testimony on 1996 Telecom Act competition outcomes.
• In 2006, founded NetCompetition uniting broadband industry advocacy.
• In 2007, Senate testimony: Google-DoubleClick tips Google to monopoly.
• In 2008, wrote analysis DOJ used to prove the proposed Google-Yahoo ad agreement was anticompetitive in making Yahoo dependent on Google.  
• In 2009, made case: Google-AdMob tips Google to a mobile ad monopoly.
• In 2010, House testimony: expect more Internet platform monopolies.
• In 2011, authored first critical book on Google — Search & Destroy.
• In 2012, forewarned inflection of world starting to change the Internet.
• In 2013, forewarned cryptocurrency would be fraud and bubble prone.
• In 2013, forewarned Snowden NSA scandal de-Americanized the Internet.
• In 2014, warned school boards/parent associations of google privacy risk.
• In 2015, made case for modernizing U.S. communications law on the Hill.
• In 2016, forewarned DOJ Google & Facebook stopped competing directly.
• In 2017, made case that the U.S. antitrust techlash would be bipartisan.
• In 2017, laid groundwork for DOJ/FTC Internet platform antitrust probes.  
• In 2018, made case to DOJ of market failure to protect consumer welfare.
• In 2018, quantified the $1.5T hidden public costs of U.S. Internet policy.
• In 2020, made case Section 230 Internet policy/law is anticompetitive.
• In 2020, predicted DOJ wins 2023 U.S. v Google search antitrust lawsuit.  
• In 2021, forewarned how Big-Tech’s power rivals the U.S. Government’s.
• In 2023, led Internet policy think tank and research nonprofit, Restore Us Institute, that researched, documented, and proved that U.S. Internet unaccountability policy/law has largely caused the evident degradation of: America’s Constitution, rule of law, civil justice, and democracy; individuals’ liberty, equality, rights, and privacy; America’s national security and public safety; and the  health and honesty of America’s economy, commerce, markets, and society.
• In 2024, provided Congressional Testimony – “Why Sunsetting Section 230 is Necessary” — for the May 22, 2024 hearing record for the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, hearing on “Legislative proposal to Sunset Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.”

A twice Internet research pioneer

1. Change Research

• As founder of the Precursor Group, conceived and co-pioneered a new investment research discipline — Change Research. The mission was helping investors improve performance by better anticipating change, the origin of investment opportunity and risk. We searched for ‘rudiments of change’ that often precede shifts in financial markets.
• Change research is all about the future. Standard methodologies all have a heavy historical bias assuming the future is like the past. Change by definition is different than the past. At core change is a cause that exposes effects. Thus, Change Research focuses on discontinuous complex change that matters materially and massively.

2.Macrointernetics^®

• Macrointernetics^® is to the Internet what macroeconomics is to the economy.
• Macrointernetics^® is a new necessary Internet change research discipline. It is necessary and nascent because the rudiments of Internet change are complex, powerful, under-researched, misunderstood, neglected, and often misrepresented and covered-up.  
• Macrointernetics^®, knowledge, body of facts, principles, and insights can enable strategies for entities to best anticipate and acclimate to the holistic Internet’s unusual risks and opportunities.
• It holistically studies the Internet’s unusual geo-system dynamics, risks and opportunities, design flaws, cause-effects, risk-rewards, and help vs. harms.
• Since change is a cause, Macrointernetics^® is all about the future and how the Internet’s rudiments of change are core causes that drive and expose predictable effects.
• It can determine if macro-Internet disruptions of sovereignty, peace, order, democracy, national security, capitalism, finance, the economy, markets, public safety, justice, and other reciprocal systems, change these reciprocal systems for better or worse.
• The best example of Macrointernetics^® at work is the Restore Us Institute 15-part research series below.
  1. Summary Evidence of Out-of-control U.S. Internet Harms & Crimes 1-10-23
  2. Summary Evidence of Americans’ Support for Internet Accountability 1-13-23
  3. The Cause of America’s Self-defeating Internet-Insecurity 1-19-23
  4. The Cause of America’s Moral/Ethical Decline Online 1-23-23
  5. The Cause of America’s Widespread Worsening 1-27-23
  6. The Evidence Internet Injustices Are Mass Victimizing Americans. 1-31-23
  7. The Evidence Americans Are Losing Their Liberties and Rights. 2-3-23
  8. The Case America Overall is Worse Off since Section 230. 2-6-23
  9. The Policymaker Case for Section 230 Repeal 2-28-23
  10. Case Sect. 230 Makes America Worse Economically, Financially, Socially. 3-7-23
  11. The Evidence & Analysis Exposing America’s Internet Injustice System. 3-21-23
  12. The Case that What Makes AI Most Dangerous Makes It Most Fixable. 4-25-23
  13. Evidence Sect. 230’s Key Precedent is Fraudulent Not Congress’ Intent. 5-23-23
  14. The Case that Section 230 is the U.S. Constitution’s Worst Enemy. 7-25-23
  15. Evidence Sect. 230’s Uncivil War Is Destroying Democracy in America. 10-17-23

RUI’s 15-Part Internet Accountability Research Series in One PDF Document

Institutional Investor #1 Independent investment research analyst, communications, 2005.

Institutional Investor #1 Independent investment research firm, communications, Founder and CEO, Precursor Group, recognized for its pioneering and innovative “Change Research,” 2005

Institutional Investor #1 Independent investment research analyst, communications, 2004.

Institutional Investor #1 Independent investment research firm, communications, Founder and CEO, Precursor Group, recognized for its pioneering and innovative “Change Research.” 2004. 

Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence and Achievement in his professional field, Kalamazoo College, 2000.

Institutional Investor All American Research Team, Washington Research, Telecom Analyst, 1996.

Superior Honor Award for service to Secretary of State James A. Baker III, as the lead briefer for all the Secretary’s 35 congressional hearings on all foreign policy matters during the Persian Gulf War and the dissolution of the former Soviet Union, United States Department of State ,1992

Special Achievement Award, from Assistant Secretary of Treasury for Legislative Affairs, 1988

Special Achievement Award, from Assistant Secretary of Treasury for Management, 1986

Proven Precursor bona fides in discovering differently what others miss.

“Discovery is seeing what everyone has seen and thinking what no one has thought.” Albert-Szent-Gyorgy, Nobel Laureate

• 2000 – Only investment analyst, to detect/call WorldCom’s fraudulent demise & record $107b bankruptcy when WorldCom was all buys as the #1 stock pick at $140b.
• 2001 – Conceived/co-founded the Investorside Research Association, for 70 independent research providers, to challenge investment banking research conflicts of interest. It was the first U.S. financial industry association to require a binding public ethics pledge of no banking conflicts for membership.
• 2001 – Testified before Senate Commerce that Enron’s $63b bankruptcy, was caused by conflicts of interest fraud – one conflicted accountant/auditor, fleecing investors.
• 2002 – Testified before Senate Financial Services that WorldCom’s investment banking analyst conflicts of interest enabled and hid WorldCom’s record bankruptcy/fraud.
• 2002 – Testified before Senate Financial Services: conflicted bank analysts’ hyped Internet traffic growth 12x too high; causing $4t Dotcom bubble,$1t Fiber bubble/crashes.
• 2003 – Lead source for PBS Frontline’s Emmy winning “Wall Street Fix”. Spotlighted the conflicts of interests causing Enron/WorldCom bankruptcies & dotcom/fiber bubbles.
• 2006 – Founded Precursorblog, the first widely-read Internet accountability blog on competition, antitrust, privacy, IP-piracy, Big-Tech, integrity, fraud, crime, Googleopoly, etc.
• 2007 – Testified: before Senate Judiciary that it was a no-brainer Google-DoubleClick would tip Google to a monopoly. Now Google faces over 100 antitrust cases globally.
• 2008 – Wrote white paper DOJ used to prove the proposed Google-Yahoo ad agreement anticompetitive in making Yahoo too dependent on Google. DOJ blocked the deal.
• 2009 – Made case to FTC that like Google-DoubleClick tipped Google to a monopoly, Google-AdMob would tip Google to a mobile ad monopoly. It dominates mobile ads.
• 2009 – Provided a ‘Financial Crisis Root Causes’ post-mortem and causation analysis for Treasury and banking/market regulators. Part I, Part II, Part III, & Part IV.
• 2010 – Testified before House Judiciary urging them to expect more Internet platform monopolies. Congress, DOJ/FTC since have investigated, Amazon, Facebook, & others.
• 2011 – Authored first critical book on Google — Search & Destroy, why you can’t trust Google Inc. The evidence showed Google had stolen something major every single year.
• 2013 – Among first to forewarn & explain why cryptocurrency would be fraud and bubble prone. Crypto has caused mass fraud & several disastrous bubble crashes since.
• 2015 – First watchdog to discover & spotlight the extreme extent of Big-Tech’s USG regulatory capture, in “The Appearance of Google-USG Conflicts of Interest Grows”
• 2017 – First to lay the groundwork, impetus & justification for DOJ, FTC, & House to embark on major Internet platform antitrust regulatory capture investigations & cases. 2018 – First to quantify the ~$1.5T hidden public costs of U.S. Internet unaccountability policy, a massive wasteful hidden taxpayer subsidy of Big-Tech’s regulatory capture.
• 2018 – First to lay groundwork/evidence that USG asymmetric offline/online accountability is regulatory capture failure to protect consumer welfare enabling fraud/abuse.
• 2022-2023 Founded/led Internet policy think tank and research nonprofit, Restore Us Institute, that researched, documented, and proved that U.S. Internet unaccountability policy/law is the foundation of Big-Tech’s regulatory capture and has largely caused the evident degradation of: America’s Constitution, rule of law, civil justice, democracy;
• individuals’ liberty, equality, rights, & privacy; America’s national security & public safety; and the health & honesty of America’s economy, commerce, markets, and society.
• 2024 – Written Testimony to House Energy & Commerce, “Why Sunsetting Section 230 is Necessary,” i.e., regulatory capture & its of out-of-control online fraud, crime, abuse.
• 2025- Discovered the AI defective design causing AI’s unexplainable, unpredictable & uncontrollable ‘hallucinations’ e.g., lies, mistakes, etc.; and their effects/externalities.

•  House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, 5-22-2024, written testimony in the record “Why Sunsetting Section 230 is Necessary” — for the hearing on “Legislative proposal to Sunset Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.”
• House Judiciary Competition Subcommittee, 9-16-10, Hearing on “Competition in the Evolving Digital Marketplace,” “The Evolving Competition Digital Dichotomy & Why Googleopoly is the Main Antitrust Event”
• Joint House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee, 6-18-09, Joint Hearing on Behavioral Advertising, “Why A Consumer-Driven, Technology/Competition-Neutral, Privacy Framework Is Superior to a Default ‘Finders Keepers Losers Weepers’ Privacy Framework”
• House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Internet Hearing, 9-17-08, “The Blind Eye to Privacy Law Arbitrage by Google — Broadly Threatens Respect for Privacy”
• Senate Judiciary Subcommittee On Antitrust, 9-27-07, “Google-DoubleClick Merger and the Online Advertising Industry,” “The Google-DoubleClick Anti-competitive Case”
• Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, 10-19-05, “Video and Telecom Competition is Increasingly Vibrant and Here to Stay, Recommendations on Telecom Reform Legislation”
• Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, 4-19-05, “Telecom Mergers in a Techcom World: How Antitrust Must Adapt to the Techcom Future”
• Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee, 2-11-04, Oversight Hearing, “Cable Competition – Increasing Price; Increasing Value?”
• Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee, 6-18-03, Oversight Hearing, “NewsCorp/Hughes Proposed Merger”
• House Financial Services Committee Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises, June 18, 2003, 6-16-03, “Mutual Funds Integrity and Fee Transparency Act of 2003”
• House Financial Services Oversight Subcommittee, Written testimony of Scott Cleland, Chairman and CEO of The Precursor Group: entitled: “The Effects of the Global Crossing Bankruptcy on Investors, Financial Markets and Employees”  Before the House oversight hearing on: “Global Crossing’s Bankruptcy: A Window into Broken System of Protecting Investors.”
• Hearing on Enron Bankruptcy, 12-18-01, “Conflicts of Interest Are Eroding the Market’s Integrity and Internal Controls”
• Senate Commerce Committee, Panel on Consumer Affairs, 12-18-01, Hearing on Enron Bankruptcy, “Conflicts of Interest Are Eroding the Market’s Integrity and Internal Controls”
• House Judiciary Committee, June 5, 2001, 6-5-01 Oversight Hearing, “House Internet Freedom and Broadband Deployment Act of 2001”
• House Judiciary Committee, 7-18-00, Legislative Hearing on H.R. 1686, the “Internet Freedom Act” and H.R. 1685, the “Internet Growth and Development Act of 1999”
• House Judiciary Committee, 6-30-99, House Internet Freedom Act and Internet Growth, Development Act of 1999
• Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Business Rights and Competition, 5-19-98, Telephone Industry Consolidation

A Cyber-Conservative acquainted with Tech’s censorship of conservatives.

Pioneers & coheres Cyber-Conservatism to balance cyber extremes & cease censorship of conservatives.

• 1987-1988 Served in the Reagan Administration as a Schedule C political appointee and as Director of Legislative Affairs of the U.S. Department of Treasury. 
• 1989-1992 Served in the H.W. Bush Administration twice as a Schedule C political appointee–
  1. First served as a US. State Department Senior Policy Advisor in the Legislative Affairs Office briefing Congress for approval of Foreign Aid Appropriations & Arms Sales. 
  2. Second as a State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary of State & Deputy United States Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy.
• May 13,1999, Briefed Texas Governor George W. Bush about The Internet & E-Commerce to prep for the 2000 U.S Presidential Republican Nomination & Presidential Election.
• Scott Cleland Authored Search & Destroy Why You Can’t Trust Google Inc. with Ira Brodsky 5-2011 My critique of Google/Internet/tech values: In Defense of Rule of Law & My Cyber-Conservatism. 2011
• Conservative Leadership Conference CLC 2007, “Speaking on New Media at CLC.” 10-2007
• Washington Times “America’s Unique Internet Success” “Ultimate Internet gatekeeper” ” 2007
• Washington Examiner “Why Net Neutrality’s day are numbered.” 2016
• CPAC 2009 Tech Panel “Technology Policy,Cutting-edge Conservative Thought.” Presented white paper on “Neutralism: Exposing the Far Left Ideology behind Net Neutrality. ” 2/3/09
• Federalist Society 2009 Forum: Is Google monopolizing & if so, what?Presented 12-9-2009
• CPAC 2015 Google Panel “Big Brother & Big Data.” Paper on Google’s Anti-Conservative Values: 3/15
• Fox News — Pete Hegseth “Are Tech Giants Algorithms purging Conservatives?” 2011
• Fox News – Tucker Carlson China Google plans censored search engine nixing free speech 2018
• The Blaze – Glenn Beck on Cleland’s book: “Search & Destroy Why you can’t trust Google Inc.” 2014
• Forbes’s ‘Tech Capitalist’ blogger of 38 articles. “The Real Reasons Google Killed SOPA/PIPA” 2011-2012
• Daily Caller Contributor 38 articles. Cancel Section 230’s power to censor conservatives 2011-21
• Heartland Institute Contributor 5 articles. “Big-Tech defenders underestimate its power over USG” 2021
• Townhall contributor 4 articles. “What’s causing Christianity’s decline in America?” 2022
• Ripon Society’s Ripon Forum 1 Article. “Why Section 230 is counterproductive U.S. Policy” March 2023
• Restore Us Institute founded nonprofit think tank to advocate for repeal of Section 230. 16 articles 2023
• U.S. Congress expert witness, 17 testimonies under oath, like Sunsetting Section 230’s Necessary. 1998-2024
• C-Span’s 16 interviews with Scott Cleland on Internet, antitrust, competition, net neutrality, 1998-2011
• Precursorblog.com advocacy against net neutrality regs, censorship of conservatives, and Google’s unaccountabilities. 2,200 articles, 64 on censorship; 229 on free speech; 80 on 1st Amendment. 2006-2024
• Twitter/NetCompetition Led broadband industry advocacy against net neutrality regs & censorship of conservatives. “The attempt to intimidate NetCompetition’s free speech” 1.4k articles~2006-19

Cleland’s First Trump Administration cyber-conservative advocacy 2016-2020

• 2016 Alerted the Trump Transition Google former executives were broadly entrenched in the USG and documented “How Google is anti-employment, anti-property & pro-regulation. Cleland 11-18-2016.
• 2017 Guided Trump DOJ with “Slam Dunk” Antitrust Case Against Alphabet-Google 6/28/17
• 2017 Provided the Trump DOJ/FTC & Congress’ America’s Antitrust Enforcement Credibility Crisis, which helped prompt DOJ/ FTC antitrust cases against Google, Meta, & Amazon. Cleland 12/12/17
• 2017 Telling timeline: Google’s USG Influence Nixed Competition in 2nd Obama Admin. 10/25/17
• 2018 Daily Caller The Solid Conservative Antitrust Case Against Google. Cleland 1/19/2018
• Sect. 230 submission To Trump Administration/DOJ, AG Barr on how Big-Tech’s Sect. 230 impunity is “Evident Internet market failure to protect consumer Welfare.” Cleland 5/31/18
• 2018 Presented at Stigler U-Chicago antitrust conference “Rejecting the Google School of No- Antitrust & Fake Consumer Welfare Standard,” Cleland 4/9/18
• 2020 PrecursorBlog, Accurately predicted how Trump Admin/Barr AG-filed antitrust case against Google’s Search monopoly, would win. White Paper Scott Cleland, 10/21/2020
• 2021 PrecursorBlog, Flags Big-Tech power to cancel 80m conservatives’ free speech 1-22-21
• 2025 Signatory of Christian AI Letter to President Trump, Christianity in the Age of AI. 5-21-25