Hamad Swaid
S.J.D. Candidate
hswaid at sjd.law.harvard.edu
Dissertation
The Law and Political Economy of Internet Infrastructure in the United States
My research analyzes the law and political economy of internet infrastructure in the United States, focusing on disparities in high-speed internet access and the impact of federal funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (BIL) and the Digital Equity Act of 2021. The study aims to analyze how legal and political factors influence the implementation of state broadband plans in Texas and California, states with contrasting political landscapes and regulatory frameworks. The research explores the legal, economic, and regulatory factors shaping internet infrastructure deployment focusing on material aspects, while also incorporating qualitative and quantitative methods, including stakeholder interviews and participant observation, to understand how local communities and policymakers navigate these challenges.
Fields of Research and Supervisors
- Law and Political Economy of Technology Law and Policy with Professor Yochai Benkler, Harvard Law School, Principal Faculty Supervisor
- Legal Geographies and Social Change with Professor Lucie White, Harvard Law School
- Telecommunications Policy and Local Politics with Professor Christopher Ali, Pennsylvania State University
Additional Research Interests
- Legal/political theory and philosophy
- Law and technology
- Constitutional & administrative law
- Legal Colonialism and orientalism
- Environmental Law
Education
- Harvard Law School, S.J.D. Candidate 2024 – Present
- Harvard Law School, LL.M. Program 2023- 2024 (requirements fulfilled, degree waived)
- Tel Aviv University, LL.B. 2020
Representative Publications
- A universal Internet access in Israel? Infrastructure between nationality, market and matter, in collaboration with Mr. Alon Jasper, the journal of Law, Society and Culture, Faculty of Law, Tel Aviv University (forthcoming 2024)
- Hollow hope: readings in the Palestinians’ fight for freedom, published in the student paper “In The Naqba” (2019), The Minerva Humanities Center, Tel Aviv University.
Additional Information
Languages: English, Arabic, Hebrew
Last updated: June 12, 2024