POLITICO holds inaugural tech summit, “At a Digital Crossroads: Washington and Silicon Valley”

Government officials, tech lobbyists, civil rights advocates and researchers participated in POLITICO’s inaugural tech summit: “At a Digital Crossroads: Washington and Silicon Valley.” Key takeaways include:

1. Self-regulation isn’t going to cut it. In the face of impending regulatory threats, some tech companies proactively made changes to the way they do business. But according to lawmakers and advocates, no amount of defensive efforts by the tech industry is going to save companies from impending government intervention.
2. Lawmakers and agencies are betting big that this is the time to make a change. Nearly every panel included mention of policymakers’ bullishness on the legislative vehicles currently moving through Congress with major tech provisions. They argued bipartisan interest will result in actual fixes to the societal ills surrounding technology.
3. Silicon Valley's lobbyists don’t quite get what DC wants. NetChoice CEO Steve DelBianco said the tech industry is looking for “clearer, broad signals that enjoy consensus support from both parties.” It’s possible that policymakers, particularly under Democratic control, are being quite clear about what changes they’re hoping for — but Silicon Valley doesn’t want to hear it.
4. It all goes back to the Federal Trade Commission. “There’s been a lot of discussion during reconciliation about funding the FTC,” Klobuchar said, referring to the $1 billion infusion for the agency that she is trying to add to the spending bill. “You have bipartisan agreement that these agencies have become shadows of their former selves.” Panelists disagreed over whether it’s time for a new digital regulator, but agreed on one thing — they’re curious to see how the FTC uses its full authority over the next four years.