Promoting Innovation in 2023
Pragmatic & Bipartisan Policy Solutions to Close the Digital Divide
As the 118th Congress gets underway, members from both parties have an incredible opportunity to move forward on a host of productive technology policy initiatives. These policies would enable entrepreneurs and innovators to bring the best ideas to the marketplace, which will ultimately go on to benefit consumers who are able to utilize these tools and technologies to improve their wellbeing.
Instead of falling into quagmires and political stalemates, legislators have opportunities to make real progress that will further close the digital divide while enabling economic growth and security. Each of the following suggestions represents opportunities for pragmatic and bipartisan solutions to outstanding challenges:
Broadband Deployment Accountability - The last two years Congress authorized record amounts of funding for broadband deployment through the NTIA. It is time for leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, House Oversight Committee and even the Senate Commerce Committee to exercise appropriate accountability over these programs to ensure these dollars are being spent to connect those without broadband and not being used to overbuild in communities that already have ample access. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) has already laid out a series of important questions for different agencies and private parties relating to these new broadband deployment efforts, providing a great example of how such oversight should look.
Evaluating Efficacy of Federal Programs - Related to accountability of broadband deployment is the evaluation of the efficacy of various programs used to allocate federal subsidies, including the Universal Service Fund and the Affordable Connectivity Program. Currently, there are outstanding questions about the future stability of these programs. Evaluation processes need to be put in place to determine whether these programs are effectively working toward their goal of improved connectivity and appropriately funded going forward, while also identifying wasteful duplication or wasted resources.
Ending Agency Intransigence - Over the past several years, the FCC has taken immense strides to promote innovation, allocating spectrum for new and emerging use cases that will enable entrepreneurship and help consumers. These uses include telemedicine, driverless vehicles, precision agriculture or augmented reality. Unfortunately, on too many occasions various federal agencies have stepped in to block this process with dubious claims that have often borne to be false, which only delays deployment of new innovations. Instead of allowing this interagency intransigence that only hurts the American public to continue, Congress has an opportunity to take ownership of this process and follow an approach that enables improvements that benefit consumers. It’s time for Congress to step up and improve this interagency spectrum review process.
Preserving National Security - It is clear that our technology networks are vulnerable to attacks from foreign actors, as has been demonstrated by the Colonial Pipeline hack, vulnerabilities exposed by Chinese-owned telecommunications infrastructure and social media apps. It’s also become quite apparent American innovators are victims of and vulnerable to Intellectual Property threats. Congress must use their various levers of power to protect Americans’ infrastructure and technology that may be vulnerable.
Government Jawboning - Much of the recent revelations stemming from #TwitterFiles have centered around efforts by various elected politicians, government agencies and the White House to coerce social media companies into censoring legal content. This has clearly had a chilling impact on free speech and expression. Members of Congress in the House and Senate have the opportunity to evaluate this conduct and create new rules of the road to protect free speech, including transparency rules for these federal actors.
Congress must take the opportunity before them to finally move a holistic agenda forward. As they consider various ideas, our team at the Digital First Project stands ready to help accomplish these laudable policies goals.