Global Tech Association Urges Continued Bilateral U.S.-India Engagement on Eve of Annual ICT Working Group Meeting
WASHINGTON — Tomorrow, ITI representatives will join the annual U.S.-India Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Working Group meeting, which is taking place virtually and expected to address priority issues for the technology industry including data governance, privacy, and hardware testing requirements. The global technology association released the following statement in support of continued bilateral engagement and the importance of the trading relationship between the two countries:
“ITI members are pleased to see the U.S. and Indian governments continuing to discuss issues related to ICT products and services at the ICT Working Group this week,” said Rob Strayer, Executive Vice President of Policy at ITI. “This annual gathering is an important opportunity for both governments to work together to address bilateral concerns. We hope to see the ties between the U.S. and India grow stronger and for trade between the oldest and largest democracies to continue to expand over time, driving job growth, innovation, and global competitiveness.”
ITI would like to see a range of key issues for the tech sector addressed in the discussion, including:
- Safeguarding the ability of companies to move data across borders and eliminating requirements to store data locally;
- Ensuring the privacy of citizens is appropriately protected while continuing to allow innovation and economic growth;
- Streamlining processes and alleviating burdensome requirements related to the testing and certifications of ICT and telecom products;
- Reducing domestic content requirements for government tenders; and
- Improving the ease of doing business and a general relaxation of the burden of regulatory processes and requirements in order to facilitate innovation.