Despite the recent tensions, policymakers must come together to ensure that startup ecosystems on either side of the Atlantic are able to thrive.
Startup News Digest 09/24/21
The Big Story: Congress hits roadblock on immigration reform
A potential pathway to citizenship for Dreamers—a group critical to the startup ecosystem—was derailed this week when the Senate Parliamentarian blocked Democrats’ efforts to include immigration reform in the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill. Many Dreamers are entrepreneurs, and, as a group, they employ over 86,000 individuals across the country. Legislators are now considering alternative proposals to ensure immigration provisions remain a priority.
Startup News Digest 09/17/21
Startup News Digest 09/10/21
The Big Story: Global governments complicate content moderation. This week, governments across the globe zeroed in on how companies treat user content online, with several countries advancing policies that would make content hosting and moderation more difficult for Internet companies and hinder free expression online.
Startup News Digest 08/27/21
The Big Story: Startups should watch as Congress works on reconciliation bill. The House this week moved ahead with two major legislative packages that will have varying impacts on the U.S. startup ecosystem. On Tuesday, the House voted to approve a budget resolution creating a path for Congress to write its $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, which could include immigration, childcare, and tax provisions. It also set a deadline to vote on the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill in late September, which includes billions of dollars for broadband expansion.
Startup News Digest 08/20/21
The Big Story: Congressional Startup Day brings policymakers and innovators together. This week, members of Congress and startups across the country celebrated Congressional Startup Day, the annual bipartisan, bicameral celebration giving startups a chance to connect with the members of Congress who represent them and identify the ways in which policymakers can encourage innovation and entrepreneurship.
Startup News Digest 08/13/21
The Big Story: Senate passes infrastructure bill, but crypto problems remain. This week, the Senate approved the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which has several provisions aimed at making broadband more accessible and affordable across the country, increasing opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship. While those provisions are a big win for the startup ecosystem, the bill also contains a contentious provision that would create compliance burdens and data collection requirements on a large part of the cryptocurrency community.
Startup News Digest 08/06/21
The Big Story: Senate setting up broadband boost as part of infrastructure package. As the Senate moves toward passing the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, startups stand to gain from provisions in the bill that would increase reliable, accessible, and affordable broadband across the country. Although the bill has faced hurdles as it is being considered on the Senate floor—including significant pushback from the cryptocurrency community—the bill overall is a win for startups and Internet users.
Startup News Digest 07/30/21
The Big Story: LIKE Act provides hope for startup visas
A new bill in Congress would create more opportunities for foreign-born innovators and strengthen our diverse startup ecosystem. This week, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), chair of the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship, introduced the Let Immigrants Kickstart Employment (LIKE) Act, legislation that would enable foreign-born innovators who meet certain investment benchmarks to embark on their entrepreneurial endeavors in the U.S., while also providing them with a pathway to permanent residency. A startup visa is more critical than ever, as other countries continue to attract founders through visas and investment in entrepreneurial infrastructure.
Startup News Digest 07/23/21
The Big Story: Patent Quality Week examines startups’ need for balance. Today we close out our inaugural Patent Quality Week where we partnered with numerous organizations to showcase the importance of patent quality from a variety of perspectives and industries.
Startup News Digest 07/16/21
The Big Story: As Congress pushes ahead on infrastructure, startups stand to gain. Congress has the chance to move the ball forward on an infrastructure package that if passed, would provide billions of dollars for several categories of infrastructure, including roads and bridges, electric vehicles, cybersecurity, and broadband—a major win for startups.
Startup News Digest 07/09/21
Startup News Digest 07/02/21
The Big Story: Global leaders land on tax deal that would create certainty for tech. Negotiations on a global tax regime came to a close on Thursday, with 130 countries and jurisdictions—including India, China, and Switzerland—agreeing to a deal supported by U.S. policymakers and technology companies that targets the world’s largest companies.
Startup News Digest 06/25/21
The Big Story: After marathon markup, House panel advances tech bills. Following a multi-day, contentious markup, the House Judiciary Committee advanced several bills aimed at large tech companies despite concerns from companies, industry groups, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle that the bills will have unintended consequences—including making it harder for startups to get acquired.
Startup News Digest 06/18/21
The Big Story: Recognizing the contributions of immigrant entrepreneurs. Throughout the month of June, we celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month and recognize the impact of the immigrant community in the U. S., including on the country’s startup ecosystem. As the nation reflects on the significant contributions of this community as a whole, it is important to acknowledge and uplift the stories of immigrant entrepreneurs and recognize the challenges these founders face.
Startup News Digest 06/11/21
The Big Story: G7 tax deal reached, but faces uncertainty in U.S. Congress. This week, the finance leaders of the G7 countries came to an agreement on a global minimum corporate tax rate of at least 15 percent, which could hinge on the withdrawal of unilateral digital services taxes that disproportionately impact U.S. tech firms. The deal, which comes after years of negotiations in an effort to revamp international taxation, represents a first step in redrafting the rules in how multinational corporations are taxed.
Startup News Digest 06/04/21
The Big Story: Transatlantic data deal a priority ahead of U.S.-EU summit. Ahead of the U.S.-European Union summit later this month, President Joe Biden is renewing the administration’s focus on negotiating a new deal to let U.S. companies, especially startups, that operate in Europe store and process EU users’ data in the U.S. The two governments must address policy-related obstacles to transatlantic digital trade, including the invalidation of the last data flow deal as well as likely impacts from other EU proposals around digital taxes, artificial intelligence, and online platforms and marketplaces.
Startup News Digest 05/28/21
The Big Story: Lawmakers consider SHOP SAFE Act despite outsized impact on e-commerce startups. This week, lawmakers examined the recently reintroduced SHOP SAFE Act, which would place high compliance burdens on e-commerce startups with the goal of deterring trademark infringement. The bill was the subject of yesterday’s hearing held by the House Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.
Startups Stand to Lose as Countries Implement Their Own Digital Services Taxes
TLDR: As federal officials hold hearings on potential action against countries that have enacted their own digital services taxes (DSTs), U.S. startups remain concerned that they could be affected by the digital levies in the form of higher costs for needed services, or even subjected to the new taxes themselves. Rather than imposing unilateral DSTs that harm startup growth, countries and global officials should work to reach a uniform digital tax framework that provides certainty for Internet companies of all sizes.
Startup News Digest 04/02/21
The Big Story: Biden unveils infrastructure plan with broadband, tax proposals. President Joe Biden announced an ambitious $2 trillion proposal this week that would rely on a combination of spending and tax credits to upgrade and expand the nation’s infrastructure. In addition to devoting billions of dollars towards upgrading schools, improving roads and bridges, and spurring a shift towards clean energy sources, the plan would also allocate $100 billion towards the expansion of broadband to narrow the nation’s digital divide. In a speech on Wednesday announcing his infrastructure plan, President Biden said the connectivity funding would “make sure every single American has access to high-quality, affordable high-speed Internet.”
