Access Partnership released its trends report “Tech Policy Trends in 2020,” an in-depth study looking in at the Top 10 trends that will drive the most significant technological upheavals this year. The report includes a broad range of themes, from Europe’s growing aspirations around digital sovereignty to China’s challenging posture to the political ramifications of failing to address these issues during a U.S. election year.
“Shifts in tech policy will disrupt life for everyone. While some governments try to leverage the benefits of 5G, artificial intelligence, and IoT, others find reasons simply to confront Big Tech ranging from protectionism to climate urgency. ‘Techlash’ trends highlighted in our report lay bare the risks of regulatory overreach: stymied innovation and economic growth for some and an unfair advantage for others,” says Access Partnership’s managing director Greg Francis.
Highlights of the report include:
- AI regulation taking shape in the EU and the United States
- EU-based Digital Services Act (DSA) as the newest power grab since the GDPR
- New wave of tech protectionism in Europe
- China as a supply chain liability; other Asian nations filling in
- Spectrum sharing likely to become more mainstream with 5G
- 5G security to take an important position with shift to control functions
- U.S. privacy laws taking bipartisan note from California’s CCPA
- Data sharing regs to heat up, as balance with innovation becomes more critical
- IoTs, SIMs and eSIMs: who’s responsible for setting regulation?
- Rise of ‘green’ technology policy: another balancing act with industry emissions vs. the industry’s potential ability to solve climate change
“In just one year, we’ve seen dramatic changes in the regulatory and policy landscape for technology companies, originating in Europe but deeply affecting U.S. and other major global players. The report notes that while divisive impeachment proceedings in America create a blockage in new legislation pipelines, there is surprising bipartisan agreement on tech policy -- Republicans are moving to protect companies from growth-killing regulation, and Democrats are seeking to pre-empt state-level measures. We expect to see new regulatory models emerging in the U.S. and other nations in reaction to the EU’s push for digital sovereignty,” Francis adds.
Tech Policy Trends in 2020 is a compilation of 10 deeply researched thought pieces by Access Partnership’s tech policy experts on the coming year’s most difficult aspects of global technology policy as they affect governments, consumers and the technology sector.
