Protocol, January 21, 2021

By Kevin McAllister

From BSA's Victoria Espinel: Technology will play a critical role in boosting our economic recovery as well as in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We're keeping a close eye on several things at the beginning of the Biden administration, from the president's choices to lead various agencies and departments, to his executive orders, to foreign policy resets, to topics that he calls out in his remarks.

In his economic stimulus speech last week, President Biden talked about inclusive economic growth as a priority in 2021. The benefits of technology need to be available to more Americans, including disadvantaged communities and communities of color. They need access to technology (including high-speed internet connections as well as equipment) and training. The Biden team has signaled they're planning an economic recovery package, and we are looking forward to working with the administration to include funding for these programs.

The relationship between the US and EU has several tech policy friction points; at the same time, they have shared values and strategic interests that are aligned. We're looking to see how the Biden administration will seek to solve existing issues like data transfers and get in front of emerging issues like artificial intelligence. Both sides of the Atlantic are eager to improve relations and fostering a more harmonious tech policy environment is key to that effort. President Biden has said he would like to convene an international summit in 2021, and we are looking to see how tech policy will feature on the agenda.

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Original Posting: https://www.protocol.com/braintrust/biden-tech--policy-early-signals