Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

The new battleground for tech leadership isn't tariffs, it's discriminatory regulations disguised as consumer protection. Join ITIF on December 4th as experts convene to discuss ITIF's new report on non-tariff attacks (NTAs) and the policy solutions America needs now. Governments worldwide have discovered a powerful weapon against U.S. tech leadership: regulations that look legitimate but are designed to weaken American firms, extract resources, and control our innovation capacity. While we focus on traditional trade barriers, these NTAs are quietly dismantling U.S. competitiveness in our strategic competition with China. Our panel will tackle: → How to distinguish regulatory protectionism from legitimate policy → The stakes for U.S. economic and national security → Policy solutions to counter coordinated attacks on American tech Panel: Robert Atkinson (ITIF President), Stephen Ezell (ITIF Vice President), Jessica Melugin (Competitive Enterprise Institute), Trisha Ray (Atlantic Council), Shanker A. Singham (Competere). 📅 Thursday, December 4 | 12:00-1:00 PM EST 💻 Virtual Event 🔗 Register: https://lnkd.in/eUfsTxA7 #TechPolicy #Innovation #TechLeadership #TradePolicy #USCompetitiveness

New in this week's ITIF Update: 🔋 Powering Data Centers 💻 PLUS: Digital divide; DMA for the USA?; 📅 EVENTS: Non-tariff attacks; National power industries; FTC v. Meta 📨 Read it and subscribe to our emails: https://vist.ly/4fsxb

EVENT: Join ITIF’s Aegis Project for a for a #webinar on Thursday, December 4 at 12:00 PM ET as we discuss a new ITIF report on policy solutions to non-tariff attacks (NTAs), and explore the stakes for U.S. innovation, technology leadership, and global competitiveness. #Register for the event: https://lnkd.in/eUfsTxA7 Speakers: - Robert Atkinson, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (moderator) - Stephen Ezell, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (presenter) - Jessica Melugin, Competitive Enterprise Institute - Trisha R., Atlantic Council - Shanker Singham, Competere Ltd Background: #Governments around the world in recent years have deployed a wide range of #policies that constitute non-tariff attacks (#NTAs) on #America’s leading #technology companies. These attacks represent a new category of #trade barriers that traditional frameworks fail to adequately address. Unlike conventional #tariffs or standard non-tariff barriers (#NTBs), NTAs may be disguised as conventional domestic #regulations, but they are in fact designed to weaken specific U.S. firms and #industries, extract resources from them, and assert #strategic control over U.S. technological capabilities by restricting U.S. firms’ ability to #innovate and compete on level terms. This undermines U.S. technology leadership at the expense of #economic and #nationalsecurity in the geostrategic competition with China. Register for the webinar: https://lnkd.in/eUfsTxA7 #techpolicy #publicpolicy #nontariffattacks #US #China #technology #UStechleadership #techindustries #globalcompetitiveness

AI is driving rapid growth in data centers, and those facilities need energy. That becomes a major problem only if we fail to use the tools that manage when and how they draw power. Much of the current panic assumes data center demand is fixed. It isn’t. Roughly 40% of energy needs are not time sensitive and can be shifted across hours and regions. And, modern facilities already have batteries and controls that help flatten peaks or support the grid when needed. The real issue is outdated rules. FERC and DOE can expand demand response, accelerate load-shifting pilots, and push utilities to adopt grid-enhancing technologies that move more power over existing lines. If policymakers modernize markets and operators use their built-in flexibility, data centers can grow without straining the grid. Smart management makes rising AI demand a solvable challenge. https://vist.ly/4fsdj

A full U.S.–China chip decoupling would be self-defeating: $77 billion lost in sales, $14 billion cut from R&D, and 500,000 jobs gone—while rivals in Korea, Europe, Japan, and Taiwan scoop up the gains. 🔗 https://vist.ly/4fpyb

Non-tariff attacks (NTAs) are increasingly shaping the environment in which American technology companies operate. In this video, ITIF Policy Analyst Hilal Aka explains what they are and why they matter. Foreign governments are weaponizing regulations to target American tech companies. The EU extracted $6.7 billion in fines from U.S. firms in 2024 alone. Brazil, India, and Japan are following suit. The result? Drained R&D resources from AI, quantum computing, and semiconductors precisely when we need them most to compete with China. Ready for solutions? Join our expert panel on December 4th featuring leaders from the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Atlantic Council, and Competere as we discuss policy solutions to non-tariff attacks and how to defend U.S. technology leadership. 📅 December 4, 2025 🔗 Register: https://lnkd.in/eUfsTxA7

South Korea and the United States just took an important step by committing to remove digital trade barriers and support seamless cross-border data flows. That progress will only matter if Korea follows through at home. The biggest test is the misleadingly named “Fairness Act.” Modeled on the EU’s Digital Markets Act, it would allow regulators to pre-designate firms based on vague thresholds, impose limits on platform commissions, and police “discriminatory” terms that are part of normal business practices. The result would be less investment, more uncertainty, and a strong risk of targeting U.S. companies that are investing heavily in Korea. If Korea wants to strengthen its digital economy and uphold the commitments it just made with the United States, the path is clear: shelve the Fairness Act and pursue predictable, market-based digital policy. https://vist.ly/4fdr3

America’s nuclear push is accelerating—but without clear strategy, financing, workforce planning, or market structure, we risk repeating France’s costly failures. https://vist.ly/4fbz2

BEAD is on track to deliver universal deployment—but closing the digital divide “once and for all” requires finishing the job. Our letter urges NTIA to extend its winning formula of tech neutrality + clear guardrails to targeted affordability so BEAD doesn’t stop where the real divide begins. https://lnkd.in/eyeDmKcR