Entry Details

About the Entry

Category: 
All Content > Government Coverage > New England

Title of entry: 
Government coverage

Issue or Publication date:
9/23/2024

Publication name: 
SearchCIO

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https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/

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Entry URL(s), if applicable:
Please enter a URL that will direct judges to the entry: 
https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/feature/US-election-guide-Where-candidates-stand-on-tech
Additional URLs, if needed:
https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/news/366611676/Fears-grow-about-big-tech-guiding-US-AI-policy
https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/news/366592438/Supreme-Court-rulings-like-Chevron-hinder-regulation

Entry Essay: 
TechTarget’s audience consists of chief information officers and other executives making technology buying decisions. Those decisions can often be impacted by lawsuits, state policies and federal laws governing technology use.
In my work as a government and federal tech policy reporter, I focus on laws being passed, lawsuits that could affect companies, and efforts by Congress and the presidential administration on emerging tech issues such as AI. That's why I began working on the "Voter’s guide to the 2024 U.S. election and tech policy" alongside my editor, Patrick Thibodeau, with the goal of providing a quick but in-depth look at where presidential candidates and their running mates stood on the most pressing IT issues such as AI regulation, the tech race with China, the Federal Trade Commission's ban on noncompete agreements, and climate policy. This guide was updated with each change in the lead up to election day. It started with an expansive Republican candidate field that we winnowed down as candidates dropped out of the race. It also required fast updates when the expected Democratic candidate stepped back and new VP candidates were introduced – not just an update to text but to the graphics used as well. This work mattered to our audience because the U.S. president affects federal direction on numerous technology issues.
AI hasn't gone without notice at the federal level. It’s simply an issue Congress can’t agree on and instead, many policymakers and even the Biden administration have turned to big tech companies for information on AI, including what issues could be addressed through regulation. This reliance on big tech executives worried many experts enough to weigh in for my article “Fears grow about big tech guiding U.S. AI policy.” Some experts believe that big tech’s influence could harm smaller businesses, who might not have the same say as the larger companies. Extreme regulatory measures could also prove challenging for smaller businesses that don’t have the same resources as a larger firm to meet such regulations.
Lastly, decisions made by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2024 stand to have significant impact on rules created and implemented by federal enforcement agencies like the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In my article 'Supreme Court rulings like Chevron hinder regulation," I explore how decisions in three major cases this year could cause the FTC to lose its ability to enforce newly adopted rules like its ban on noncompete agreements. The rulings will also impact SEC rules such as its climate risk disclosure rule, which would’ve required companies to report on climate risks in their SEC filings. The SEC’s rule on climate risk disclosure already faced legal challenges before the Supreme Court rulings, meaning it’s unlikely to survive.
All areas of government can affect businesses in some way. I work hard to discover what work the government or courts are doing and through articles like the three outlined above, show why CIOs should care and what to prepare for.