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The
White House should increase broadband access in the United
States, help U.S. companies sell abroad and take the lead on
global data and technology policy worldwide - or risk U.S. tech
companies being overtaken by Beijing, they say.
"The Biden administration must seize this moment to launch a
comprehensive, whole-of-government digital strategy, providing
good jobs for workers sidelined by automation and upgrading U.S.
competitiveness," the American Leadership Initiative (ALI), a
think tank led by former U.S. trade negotiator Orit Frenkel,
said in a report to be published on Thursday.
The report follows a Jan. 27 recommendation from the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce, the biggest U.S. business lobby, urging
Washington to partner with like-minded governments and the tech
industry to set global tech standards.
Business groups and others are pressing for a reset of U.S.
efforts to counter China's tech prowess in areas like artificial
intelligence, which they say were poorly coordinated and overly
politicized under former President Donald Trump.
The Biden administration is reviewing Trump's approach toward
China on trade, technology and other areas.
One critical step, ALI said, would be to set up an "Office of
Global Digital Policy" at the White House, which would work more
closely with U.S. allies.
ALI's report, based on six months of meetings with experts,
business leaders, academics and elected officials, including
Antony Blinken, now U.S. Secretary of State, includes dozens of
specific recommendations including expanded access to broadband,
connected devices, digital training and education to address
existing racial, socioeconomic and geographic disparities.
"Forty million Americans do not have reliable internet service,
or none at all, and among low-income households, 30% don't have
a smart phone," Frenkel, a former General Electric Co executive,
told Reuters.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission estimates it would
cost up to $80 billion to achieve universal broadband.
Frenkel said the effort could be part of an infrastructure
investment plan that Biden officials plan to unveil later this
year after securing passage of a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief
plan.
The White House had no immediate comment on the proposals.
ALI also called for a "Digital Marshall Plan" that would provide
export financing and support for U.S. companies competing
against Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and other Chinese technology
providers abroad, Frenkel said, estimating the cost at around
$60 billion.
Frenkel said she witnessed China's aggressive push to sell its
technology while still at GE, noting it raised critical security
concerns. Chinese technology also gave developing countries more
refined tools to monitor and censor their populations, she said.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Nandita Bose in Washington;
Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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