The U.S. House passed the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act, which was passed by the Senate. This bill reauthorizes two Small Business Administration (SBA) seed programs, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBTT) programs, which expired last year. Historically, the programs have helped drive small business innovation in a range of areas, including healthcare, telecom, and defense. The bill now goes to the President’s desk for his signature.
Thank you to everyone who attended our webinar, “Energy Policy and Community-First AI Infrastructure.” VFI will continue to share information about energy policy discussions.
Now here’s our roundup of this week’s tech policy news and a featured podcast.
This Week in Washington
- Axios: At the UN Global Fraud Summit in Austria, 11 major tech companies, including Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, and Amazon, signed an industry accord focused on preventing online scams and fraud. The companies plan to use AI, among other tools, to detect cybercrime.
- Reuters: A planned rule on AI chip exports was withdrawn by the U.S. Department of Commerce, following differing views within the administration on ensuring AI dominance. The proposed rule would have required government-to-government negotiations for any exports of over 100,000 chips.
- The Tennessean: Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) released a draft of a federal AI policy bill. The framework, which incorporates content around online safety for kids and deepfakes, builds on President Trump’s AI executive orders.
Article Summary
- Yahoo! Finance: Microsoft announced the company would end the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with local governments around datacenter development. The decision will increase transparency throughout the data center planning process. Microsoft will also look to terminate any existing local NDAs.
- Socure: A report from Socure revealed that AI has rapidly increased the speed and scale of fraud and cybercrime. Where fraudsters previously took weeks to convert prospects into crime, AI allows attacks to happen in as little as 48 hours. A bill in the U.S. Congress, the AI Fraud Accountability Act, would address this rise.
- Broadband Breakfast: The $21 million excess funds in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program have not yet been allocated. State broadband officials from Virginia and Delaware said they think the best use of these funds would be for public safety initiatives, such as increased emergency line connectivity.
- GovTech: New York State awarded the City University of New York a $3 million grant to support AI projects on campus. The projects include student and academic support, coursework, ethical and social implications, and AI literacy skilling.
Featured Podcast
- Catalyst with Shayle Kann
AI is driving an exponential increase in power demand, straining resources and leading to innovation and expansion. Host Shayle Kann welcomes Jake Elder, senior vice president of research and innovation at Energy Impact Partners, to discuss the solutions companies and governments are considering to expand production. (AI Scaling Pathways: On Grid, On Edge, Off Grid, Off Planet – March 12, 2026) – 43 minute listen.
Note: Voices for Innovation regularly shares a range of opinion articles and press releases from organizations in and publications covering tech policy. These pieces are meant to educate our audience, not to endorse specific platforms or bills.