Anti-tech legislation is back in Congress and that’s bad news for New York’s local economies.

 Small businesses and startups increasingly rely on digital platforms to succeed, and large technology companies provide the foundations critical to our virtual and literal “Main Streets” as we look to our economic future. Instead of engaging in populist “big is bad” political posturing, Congress must acknowledge that anti-tech legislation is wrong for the future of our country’s local economies. During a recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Attorney General Merrick Garland expressed the Department of Justice’s continued support for the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, a piece of misguided legislation that will hobble America’s largest tech companies and has harmful implications for small businesses that rely on technology to survive. 

 Indeed, experts point to the complexities and potential pitfalls of the approach taken by this bill and others like it. As such, Garland and our elected officials in Washington, D.C. — including President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer — should be wary of supporting anti-innovation bills, especially as competition with China accelerates. Senator Schumer must understand the important role that large technology companies play in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the future of “Main Street America.” Without the vital services these platforms provide, the future of places like the greater Binghamton area remains uncertain. Legislators must take a careful and nuanced approach to any laws attempting to regulate large technology companies.

 During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers stayed home and ordered through their phones. Local merchants moved their services online and found new ways to compete and reach customers outside of their immediate locations. Today, it is clear how vital technology platforms are for keeping small businesses open and competitive. Digital marketplaces, social media, and productivity tools have kept businesses thriving in the face of uncertainty. During the 2020 holiday season, local shoppers took advantage of venues like Bring Broome Home, a concentrated listing of Broome County retailers whose online presence allowed area residents to opt to spend their money locally and help small family businesses weather the economic uncertainties of the pandemic. 

 A recent study by startup advocacy organization Engine explores the role of free and low-cost digital services. It finds that 100 percent of startups employ three or more digital services provided by large technology companies. Entrepreneurs in the Southern Tier and throughout western and upstate New York are key to building the 21st-century economy. Locally, the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator is home to 35 startups, ranging from virtual reality to clean-energy initiatives and high-tech video-production companies. The bills under consideration in Congress threaten to upend the technology ecosystem that entrepreneurs rely on. The platforms, robust economic resources, and opportunities critical to launching and empowering startups and small businesses are all at risk if the anti-tech movement has its way. Research finds that if passed into law, the anti-tech bills would reduce small-business revenues by $500 billion in the first five years after enactment.

Many small businesses, including those that make up Binghamton’s vibrant minority and immigrant-owned business community, could not scale their operations without digital platforms. They rely on social media and online marketplaces, and work with app developers. Marketing, payment processing, and cybersecurity are all services they access through major technology platforms. These small businesses include shops that introduce local and online customers to products and services that both celebrate and welcome diversity. They enrich our community and strengthen the region’s economic and cultural landscape. 

Today, our region is attracting high earners working remotely and is home to entrepreneurs changing the game in cutting-edge technology. These companies make everything from essential components for various medical uses to developing lithium batteries that will help power the clean-energy future to keep the U.S. competitive in the global marketplace. Their collective vision can only be fully realized if elected officials support innovation and investment in technology. This includes investments from the same digital platforms that Congress is poised to dismantle.            

Stacey Duncan is the CEO of the Leadership Alliance, a partnership between The Agency and the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce to lead economic, business and community development in the Greater Binghamton area.

Creating alliances and exercising diplomacy are key elements of foreign policy, and both are essential for America to play a constructive role in making the world more peaceful and prosperous. Recent developments remind us that these policy tools can be highly successful and deserve our support.

On April 4, Finland became the 31st member nation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The Nordic democracy had long exercised a policy of neutrality in international conflicts, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine early last year pushed Finland over the edge. Finland shares an 832-mile border with Russia, so Vladimir Putin’s aggression and expansionist rhetoric are a threat.

NATO is arguably the most successful peacetime alliance in history. Created in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and 10 European nations, it had the initial goal of containing the expansion of the Soviet Union after World War II. The alliance was remarkably successful, thanks largely to its founding principle: that an attack against one member would be considered an attack against all.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO took on new responsibilities related to preserving peace. Even so, it was possible to question its relevance. Donald Trump, as president, criticized the organization and complained that other countries were not doing enough to support it.

But with the Ukraine invasion, it became clear that Russia is a threat. NATO has played a key role in supporting Ukraine and uniting the world against Putin. The alliance has helped coordinate assistance and supported the delivery of humanitarian and non-lethal assistance to Ukraine. NATO members have provided extensive military aid, including equipment and weapons. NATO’s guarantee of mutual self-defense has given them the confidence to do so.

There isn’t perfect unity within NATO. Sweden sought to join the alliance along with Finland but has been blocked by Turkey and Hungary. But NATO’s 74-year record of success demonstrates the importance of alliances in supporting democracy and deterring aggression.

Days after Finland joined NATO, President Joe Biden was in Northern Ireland, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which largely ended decades of violence between Protestants and Catholics in the region. Diplomatic efforts by the U.S. played a major role in producing the agreement. It’s a shining example of successful diplomacy.

Religious and political strife in Ireland go back a long way. Ireland won independence from the United Kingdom a century ago, but Protestant majority Northern Ireland remained part of the UK. Between the 1960s and 1990s, tensions led to a violent era, known as The Troubles, which left more than 3,500 people dead and 50,000 injured. According to one count, there were nearly 37,000 shooting incidents and more than 16,000 actual and attempted bombings.

Former Sen. George Mitchell, the U.S. envoy to Northern Ireland, worked tirelessly to end the violence. He once said the peace talks included 700 days of failure and only one day of success. Importantly, the successful day was the last one. As Biden pointed out, achieving peace was critical to the region’s financial success and prosperity, which has seen Northern Ireland’s economic output more than double in the past 25 years.

Again, success hasn’t been perfect. There are still occasional acts of violence, and Northern Ireland’s government has been stymied by disagreements over how to manage border issues that arose with Brexit, the UK’s departure from the European Union. But there’s no question the Good Friday Agreement changed life in Northern Ireland for the better.

It’s easy to become discouraged about the state of the world, given all the violence, conflict, and hardship that we read about every day. But NATO and the Good Friday Agreement are examples of how alliances and diplomacy can work. It’s worth remembering them when the world’s problems seem overwhelming.                                   

Lee Hamilton, 92, is a senior advisor for the Indiana University (IU) Center on Representative Government, distinguished scholar at the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and professor of practice at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Hamilton, a Democrat, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years (1965-1999), representing a district in south-central Indiana.