What a Joe Biden presidency means for future of tech
President- elect Joe Biden’s inauguration can’t come too soon for the tech industry.
Silicon Valley never had a seat at the Trump table. Nor did it really want one. From Day One there was a philosophical divide that transcended politics. President Donald Trump spent the last four years trying to “Make America Great Again.” The tech industry thrives by looking forward. Looking backward seldom leads to the kind of innovation that transforms America, which helps explain why the United States failed to make much progress in the last four years.
Tech issues aren’t likely to be at the top of Biden’s agenda on Jan. 20. But tech needs a seat at the Biden table to navigate what have been increasingly thorny issues for the industry: net neutrality, privacy, antitrust challenges, broadband access, science and technology investment, and H-1B visas.
The first item on Biden’s tech agenda should be to send Federal Communications Commission Chair Ajit Pai packing and replace him with someone who will restore net neutrality, preserving equal access to the internet for users. Bay Area Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Santa Clara, is right when he says Congress should pass legislation guaranteeing net neutrality. That may be a heavy lift if, as expected, Republicans retain control of the Senate. But the ping-ponging of the issue depending on who sits in the White House needs to end.
A long-term solution on privacy may be an easier task. The United States remains the only Western nation without fundamental online privacy protections. Republicans and Democrats have both voiced support for Congress to establish some kind of privacy protections. Polls show the American people support greater protections of their data. The tech industry should jump on board. The last thing it needs is the challenge of trying to comply with 50 different state laws, which is a likely scenario if Congress fails to act.
Biden may drop the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Google, but he’s unlikely to block investigations into whether Big Tech is violating antitrust laws. The tech industry should keep a close watch on who Biden is considering for the attorney general job. For example, Sen. Amy Klobuchar is considered a front-runner for the AG post, and she is on record saying breaking up Big Tech should be “on the table.”
The president-elect would receive strong support from the tech industry if he pushes for the United States to make a bigger investment in science and technology research and development. He should also gain bipartisan support for an infrastructure package that would include expanding broadband access throughout the nation. The COVID-19 pandemic makes clear how important it is for Americans to have universal internet access.
Tech should also encourage the president to follow through on rescinding Trump’s nonsensical policy on H-1B visas. In 2019, about 65% of H-1B visa holders in the United States worked in techrelated jobs. More needs to be done to stop the industry’s abuse of the system, but our economy greatly benefits when we encourage the world’s most innovative minds to come here and utilize their entrepreneurial skills.
It’s time for America to begin looking forward again. That can best be accomplished by tackling the tech industry’s biggest problems and taking steps to encourage innovation.