While tech and telecoms issues didn’t feature prominently during the leadership contest, there are open questions about the direction some will take
Certain aspects of the Online Safety Bill could be revisited: Over the coming weeks and months, the new prime minister’s plans in areas such as online safety, digital competition and the ongoing upgrade of the UK’s connectivity will come under the spotlight. Concerned about the implications for censorship, Truss has offered only lukewarm support for the Online Safety Bill. While highly unlikely to scrap it, she wants to find a better balance between protecting free speech and those under-18 before bringing the legislation back to Parliament. Should Nadine Dorries continue as Culture Secretary, it’s hard to envisage significant changes to what’s already been presented.
The new prime minister has pledged to back the UK’s digital regulator: In contrast, Truss has provided a more definitive signal of her intent regarding digital competition and big tech, committing to presenting legislation this autumn aimed at reining in the power of big tech, and taking fire at Chinese-backed TikTok. While the relationship with China doesn’t look set to improve, more power to the Digital Markets Unit would make it better equipped to tackle anti-competitive practices by the largest online platforms and give teeth to a regulator that has so far only been operating in shadow form.
The nature of any pro-investment support remains to be seen: Despite a well-publicised visit to CityFibre in Leeds, Truss said fairly little on the subject of telecoms, beyond stating that she wanted to level up infrastructure in places where broadband and mobile coverage is currently poor. Broadband builders will want to know whether the “super deduction” tax relief for infrastructure investment will continue. Given this was a Sunak initiative, and Truss’s choice for Chancellor is keen to do things differently, it seems unlikely to survive in current form. Without a replacement, going beyond today’s 70% gigabit broadband coverage would get that bit harder.
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