If the federal government isn’t making enough room for tech advancements in the U.S., then it’s up to the states, or a single person in those states, to champion tech policies, panelists on a Louisiana emerging technologies panel said today.
The panel was part of the Pelican Institute’s Solutions Summit 2.0, which drew in a number of conservative state leaders, including former gubernatorial candidate Eddie Rispone, state Sen. Sharon Hewitt, LOGA President Gifford Briggs, and AT&T Regional Director of External Affairs Matt Adams, who sat in on the tech policy panel.
The panelists touched on a number of topics, including state and local challenges with developing 5G networks, federal regulatory changes and closing the digital divide in rural communities.
The U.S. is competing on a global scale to once again be a leader in internet technology. This time around, it’s 5G. As the winners of the race to 4G, the U.S. saw tremendous economic benefits from the first-mover advantage, says panelist Evan Swarztrauber, a policy adviser for the Federal Communications Commission.
After coming in second place in the last round, China is making a strong push into the 5G market, relying on its state-controlled economy to make way for the needed infrastructure.
The FCC has stepped in to try and prevent localities from “price gouging” and instating high permit fees or other barriers that would hike up the costs or prevent 5G from coming to their areas, Swarztrauber says.
“The technology is moving faster than regulation and politics,” says Brent Skorup, a senior research fellow at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center.
Cities outside Silicon Valley—like Pittsburgh—that have been successful in recruiting tech companies have established “wide guardrails” in their policies, essentially allowing companies to come in and try out the technology on small scales, says Jonathon Hauenschild with the American Legislative Exchange Council.
A similar philosophy is used for “regulatory sandboxes,” areas cities or states have carved out for testing technology, Skorup says.
To better equip Louisiana for the modern tech era, Swarztrauber says opening up to 5G goes beyond tech jobs but extends to infrastructure work, which is experiencing a massive, nationwide workforce shortage.
