Connected Commerce Council (3C)

Supporting and empowering #SmallBusinesses with digital tools and advocating for a supportive policy environment. 🌐 Join us in driving growth and efficiency!

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

What a week in Washington, DC 🇺🇸

35 small business leaders came to our nation’s capital and made their voices heard, bringing real stories and real stakes to conversations on tech policy with Members of Congress, staff, and administration officials.

From the Capitol to the White House to our AI Showcase, these entrepreneurs showed why small business perspectives cannot be an afterthought when decisions are made about the digital tools that power growth, hiring, and opportunity.

Thank you to every business leader who stepped away from running your business to stand up for Main Street. Your voice matters, and this week it was heard!

[Chamber of Progress @ProgressChamber]

The New York State Legislature gave final passage to A.9349 / S.8623, the One Fair Price Act, today, sending the bill to Governor Kathy Hochul. The legislation would restrict how businesses use customer data to offer discounts, including personalized coupons and loyalty rewards. Recent statewide polling showed that 70 percent of New Yorkers oppose this sweeping ban, and that 70 percent expect requiring stores to offer every customer the same discount, as the bill requires, would mean fewer discounts or none at all.

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

Queens, NY-based small business owner Dawn Kelly built The Nourish Spot with a simple goal: to provide fresh, nutritious food while creating jobs and serving her community.

Since 2017, her neighborhood restaurant has expanded beyond its original storefront to include locations at JFK Airport and major NYC events, and also offers corporate catering — growth she says wouldn’t have been possible without digital tools that help her reach customers and stay visible.

We recently spoke with Dawn about small business advocacy, digital ads and tools, and why policymakers need to better understand how small businesses use data and technology to save time and money.

“I’ve been involved in advocacy since I got out of college, so I’ve seen firsthand how important it is to be part of the conversation,” she said. “It’s not about being an expert — it’s about sharing your experience and helping people understand what it’s actually like to run a small business day to day.”

Read the full Q&A: https://t.co/6dDmuNHKby

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

A major win for Colorado small businesses.

The proposed Colorado bill HB 1210 would have made it harder for small businesses to offer personalized discounts and promotions that help them attract customers, compete with bigger brands, and grow.

But small business owners spoke out, writing op-eds and letters that pointed out the bill's flaws — and this week, Colorado Governor Jared Polis vetoed it.

When small businesses speak out, it makes a difference!

[The Colorado Sun @ColoradoSun]

Polis vetoes three progressive bills
https://t.co/xm5pAh57ap

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

Today’s House Energy & Commerce (@HouseCommerce @EnergyCommerce) hearing made clear that Congress still has important work to do to establish a national data privacy standard that works for consumers and small businesses.

3C supports advancing the SECURE Data Act because small businesses need clear, consistent privacy rules that replace today’s confusing state-by-state patchwork and provide the certainty they need to innovate, compete, and grow.

Read our full statement: https://t.co/6WhLu6nEFj

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

Small businesses need clear, consistent privacy rules that protect consumers without creating a costly patchwork of state-by-state compliance burdens.

The SECURE Data Act is an important step toward a national privacy standard that gives small businesses the clarity they need to advertise, reach customers, and grow.

[Energy and Commerce Committee @HouseCommerce]

WATCH: Chairman @RepGusBilirakis gavels in today's CMT hearing looking at legislation to establish a federal privacy and data security law.

The SECURE Data Act is modeled from Republican and Democrat states across the country, taking a balanced approach to protect consumers and businesses.

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

Today, the House Energy & Commerce Committee is holding its first hearing on the SECURE Data Act, an important step toward establishing a clear national data privacy standard.

Small businesses should not have to navigate a growing patchwork of costly and confusing state privacy laws just to reach customers, advertise online, and grow.

3C strongly supports the SECURE Data Act because small businesses need privacy rules that protect consumers, provide clarity, and preserve access to the digital tools they use daily.

Congress should advance this common-sense national framework.

https://t.co/tc2tQLm22Z

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

Other Colorado small business leaders are raising the same concern: this bill could restrict everyday discounts, promotions, and pricing tools that help them serve customers and compete.

Read their letter to Gov. Polis urging a veto of HB 1210:
https://t.co/lAjPtPPyyK

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

Colorado small businesses could soon lose access to data-driven marketing tools that help them offer discounts, promotions, and personalized deals to customers.

That means fewer coupons for repeat customers, fewer follow-up offers for shoppers who left items in their carts, and fewer affordable ways for small businesses to compete.

As Denver small business owner Angel Johnson explains in a recent op-ed, these are not harmful practices. They’re common marketing tools that help small businesses reach customers, keep prices accessible, and build loyalty.

Governor @jaredpolis has until June 12 to veto the bill (HB 1210) or let it become law.

He should support Colorado small businesses and veto HB 1210.

Read Angel’s op-ed for more:
https://t.co/tbmUQgcaoQ

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

Small Business Month was not just a celebration. It was a reminder of the power of small business advocacy.

Across the country, small business leaders stepped up, spoke out, and made an impact.

In Minnesota, small business leaders helped stop proposed new taxes on digital advertising and social media. In Illinois, more than 200 small business leaders sounded the alarm that a digital ads tax could drive up costs for businesses working hard to reach customers online. And in New York, California, Colorado, Virginia, and beyond, entrepreneurs shared their real-world experience with policymakers debating the future of technology.

Their message was clear: policy decisions about technology cannot be made without the small businesses that use these tools every day.

3C is proud to stand with the small business advocates who made their voices heard and continue to show why smart, balanced tech policy is essential to helping small businesses compete, grow, and thrive.

Stay informed. Stay engaged. Help ensure your voice is heard in the policy conversations shaping the future of small business: https://t.co/FBrILmXzQj

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

“I’m not a policy expert. I run a business, and that is powerful enough.”

That line from Adebukola Ajao of Destiny African Market says it all.

In her new piece, Adebukola shares how she got involved in advocacy, what she learned from speaking with policymakers, and why more entrepreneurs should bring their voice into policy conversations.

At 3C, we believe small business leaders do exactly that – understand the issues, tell their stories, and show policymakers how decisions about the digital economy affect real people running real businesses.

Small business owners belong in the room.

Read her Substack for more: https://t.co/QiJxw5Tph0

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

Small business owner Neil Abramson of Massachusetts-based ECi Stores recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with policymakers and share how digital tools help his business compete and grow.

Neil spoke with Congressman Jim McGovern’s office about the importance of balanced tech policies that support small businesses by ensuring they can continue to use digital advertising and AI-powered tools to connect with customers and operate efficiently.

“Digital tools like AI and online advertising help us reach customers, manage our business, and stay competitive,” Neil said.

We’re grateful to Neil for taking the time to advocate for Massachusetts small businesses!

Read more: https://t.co/CAJFDKp39D

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

Read the letter from Minnesota small business leaders: https://t.co/rq3I9C107a

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

🌤️ A needed bright spot for Minnesota small businesses

After over 100 Minnesota small business leaders spoke out against proposed new taxes on social media and digital advertising, both proposals failed to advance before the legislature adjourned.

For small businesses already navigating rising costs, uncertainty, and real disruptions in their communities, affordable digital tools matter. Social media and digital ads help businesses reach customers, bring people through their doors, and make limited marketing budgets go further.

As the business leaders warned in their letter, new taxes would force them to  “either scale back advertising or raise prices on customers — both of which would hurt our businesses.”

Minnesota small businesses have been clear: lawmakers should not make it harder for them to reach customers, grow, and compete.

Read more from Minnesota small business owner Jeff Taxdahl in MinnPost: https://t.co/mrA03X46jo

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

Illinois small businesses are already navigating rising costs, tight margins, and economic uncertainty. A new tax on digital ads would make it even harder.

In a new op-ed, Dr. Tushar Shah, founder of VaSu Smiles in Bellwood, IL, explains how affordable digital ads help his orthodontic practice reach patients who may not have a regular dentist, build trust through patient stories, and keep care accessible to the community he serves.

HB 4894's backers say the tax would fall on large digital platforms. But in practice, added costs are often passed down to the businesses that purchase ads, leaving small businesses like Dr. Shah's to shoulder the burden.

Illinois lawmakers should listen to small business owners like Dr. Shah and reject this harmful digital ads tax.

Read more in the Illinois Business Journal: https://t.co/QjaI9rxQyw

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

🚨More than 200 small business leaders across Illinois are sounding the alarm about a new tax on digital advertising that would hurt small businesses working to reach customers, grow, and stay competitive.

In a letter to lawmakers, they made the stakes clear: “A digital ads tax is the wrong approach — one that would harm small businesses like ours across the state.”

Digital ads help small businesses survive and thrive — reaching the right customers without draining every last dollar. Tax that away, and you're not just hurting businesses. You're kicking the ladder out from under entrepreneurs still trying to climb.

Read the full letter: https://t.co/NEcWwb8LHf

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a sweeping new data privacy bill that could seriously undermine the digital tools small businesses use every day to connect with customers and grow.

HB 4746 would place strict limits on how data can be collected and used — threatening tools like:
▶️ Digital ads
▶️ Marketing analytics
▶️ E-commerce automation tools

These affordable, data-powered tools help small businesses compete with larger companies. Restricting them would make it harder for Massachusetts small businesses to reach customers and stay competitive.

Read more in our blog: https://t.co/sAFsH4Lyk2

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

Small business voices belong at the center of tech policy.

Kate Nolan, co-founder of Brown County Bikes in Nashville, Indiana, recently traveled to Washington, DC to meet with Sen. Todd Young and staff from Rep. Erin Houchin’s office. Her message was clear: for small businesses like Brown County Bikes, digital tools help turn online visibility into more customers, rentals, repairs, rides, and long-term growth, while helping them manage the day-to-day work behind the scenes.

As lawmakers consider new laws around data privacy, AI, and digital tools, Kate’s story is a powerful reminder that balanced tech policy has real-world consequences. It affects real businesses, real communities, and the people working hard to keep them moving forward.

Read more in the Brown County Democrat: https://t.co/JkGlbBgn3Z

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

Local taxes can have real consequences for small businesses.

In Philadelphia, the City Council is considering a new delivery tax that could raise costs for restaurants, retailers, and other small businesses already managing tight margins.

Small businesses are already managing tight margins. A new delivery tax would leave many with two bad options: absorb the cost or pass it on to customers.

Philadelphia business owners can speak out here:
https://t.co/S5KGwRPN1Y

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

Minnesota small businesses are already navigating rising costs, tighter margins, and economic uncertainty. Now, lawmakers are considering two bills (SF 5052 & SF 4787) that would make one of the most effective tools small businesses have, affordable digital advertising, more expensive.

In a new @MinnPost op-ed, Minnesota small business owner Jeff Taxdahl explains what that would mean in the real world: higher costs, fewer customers reached, slower growth, and tougher competition against larger companies with deeper pockets.

“I urge legislators to recognize the detrimental impact their proposed new taxes would have on small businesses across Minnesota, and to vote ‘no’ on SF 5052 and SF 4787,” he writes.

Minnesota lawmakers should listen to small business owners like Jeff and vote “no” on SF 5052 and SF 4787.

Read his full op-ed for more: https://t.co/mrA03X4E8W

[Connected Commerce Council (3C) @ConnectedCoun]

Small businesses power Buffalo’s economy, and their voices belong in the rooms where policy decisions are made.

Today, 3C was proud to partner with the Buffalo Niagara Partnership to convene Buffalo-area small business leaders and policymakers for a roundtable on the digital tools that help local businesses grow, compete, and serve their communities.

Entrepreneurs shared how technology is helping them reach new customers, manage rising costs, and stay resilient in a changing economy, from online marketplaces and digital ads to customer insights and AI.

These conversations matter because tech policy is not abstract for small businesses. It affects how they market, hire, sell, save time, and compete every day.

A big thank you to the Buffalo Niagara Partnership and the small business owners who brought their stories, insights, and perspectives to the table. Small business voices deserve to be heard, and today in Buffalo, they were.