SIIA strongly opposes the new procurement rule that imposes a 30% domestic content requirement on an ill-defined range of electronic products and services. It is bad enough that the rule explicitly targets laptops and computers, but it could also extend to any software, application or electronic content that the Indian government might deem to be covered. SIIA’s members in the software and digital content industries are deeply concerned by this development and urge the U.S. government to engage strongly with the government of India to rollback this protectionist policy. Allowing the policy to stand not only increases the risk that India will extend it to other sectors, but also that other countries will seek to imitate it.
Ken Wasch is President of SIIA.