Coronavirus concerns are forcing the cancellation of more industry summits and prompting the FCC to ban nonessential travel and participation in large gatherings (see 2003040061). America's Communications Association Thursday also announced the cancellation of its March summit.

The U.S., the European Union and Japan should do more to align their export control regimes and cooperate on new export control measures to defend against Chinese mercantilist trade practices, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation said in a Jan. 13 report. The three parties should schedule “formal meetings” to discuss export controls, saying previous discussions have been too “limited in scope. They should be broader given the changing nature of China’s pursuit of advanced technology.”

The U.S. should make a national market for digital goods and services, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said Monday, releasing a report. “Achieving a digital single market will either require states to cooperate more on creating uniform laws or Congress to take a more active role in passing laws that preempt conflicting rules,” ITIF said. States and localities blocked digital commerce with restrictive licensing, conflicting rules and policies that benefit local incumbents over new entrants, ITIF said. It’s been a problem for data privacy, net neutrality and other areas, it said. “National rules promote efficiency and innovation, while ensuring uniform protections for all consumers,” said Senior Policy Analyst Alan McQuinn, the report’s author.

The U.S. should make a national market for digital goods and services, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said Monday, releasing a report. “Achieving a digital single market will either require states to cooperate more on creating uniform laws or Congress to take a more active role in passing laws that preempt conflicting rules,” ITIF said. States and localities blocked digital commerce with restrictive licensing, conflicting rules and policies that benefit local incumbents over new entrants, ITIF said. It’s been a problem for data privacy, net neutrality and other areas, it said. “National rules promote efficiency and innovation, while ensuring uniform protections for all consumers,” said Senior Policy Analyst Alan McQuinn, the report’s author.

A bipartisan group of senators warned the FTC not to weaken children’s online privacy protections as it reviews the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The agency’s “failure now and in recent years to fully enforce COPPA compliance has us concerned that an update at this time could diminish children and parents’ control of their data or otherwise weaken existing privacy protections,” wrote Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass.; Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; Josh Hawley, R-Mo.; and Marsha Blackburn, R-S.C., Thursday: “Now is not the time to pull back.”

A bipartisan group of senators warned the FTC not to weaken children’s online privacy protections as it reviews the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The agency’s “failure now and in recent years to fully enforce COPPA compliance has us concerned that an update at this time could diminish children and parents’ control of their data or otherwise weaken existing privacy protections,” wrote Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass.; Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; Josh Hawley, R-Mo.; and Marsha Blackburn, R-S.C., Thursday: “Now is not the time to pull back.”

The State Department should revamp several aspects of its draft guidance for exports of surveillance technology (see 1909040071) because some of it is “troubling,” “overly broad” and may unnecessarily restrict exports, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said in comments.

France’s digital service tax (DST) is a radical departure from international norm, discriminates against U.S. companies and undermines efforts to reach global, multilateral consensus on the digital economy, tech companies and trade groups told U.S. officials on Aug. 19 (see 1908140023). Witnesses from Facebook, Google, Amazon, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the Computer & Communications Industry Association and the Information Technology Industry Council testified before the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and officials from various federal agencies. Representatives from the departments of Commerce, State, Agriculture, Homeland Security and others questioned tech witnesses as part of the USTR’s Section 301 investigation of France’s DST (see 1907100076).

France’s digital service tax (DST) is a radical departure from international norm, discriminates against U.S. companies and undermines efforts to reach global, multilateral consensus on the digital economy, tech companies and trade groups told U.S. officials Monday (see 1908140056). Witnesses from Facebook, Google, Amazon, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the Computer & Communications Industry Association and the Information Technology Industry Council testified before the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and officials from various federal agencies. Representatives from the departments of Commerce, State, Agriculture, Homeland Security and others questioned tech witnesses as part of the USTR’s Section 301 investigation of France’s DST.

France’s digital service tax (DST) is a radical departure from international norm, discriminates against U.S. companies and undermines efforts to reach global, multilateral consensus on the digital economy, tech companies and trade groups told U.S. officials Monday (see 1908140056). Witnesses from Facebook, Google, Amazon, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the Computer & Communications Industry Association and the Information Technology Industry Council testified before the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and officials from various federal agencies. Representatives from the departments of Commerce, State, Agriculture, Homeland Security and others questioned tech witnesses as part of the USTR’s Section 301 investigation of France’s DST.