Infrastructure for the Digital Age: Building a Safer, More Resilient Digital Ecosystem in the United States and Beyond

As the United States transitions to the next four years under a second Trump administration, it is critical that upgrading our traditional infrastructure—our nation’s roads, transit systems, utility grids, and broadband networks—remains an area of bipartisan agreement. But there is also an urgent need to focus on transforming the country’s digital infrastructure.

This series of articles examines the factors—both domestic and global—that could shape the implementation of digital public infrastructure (DPI) and offers recommendations for U.S. action and leadership. The Digital Impact and Governance Initiative (DIGI) at New America asked a range of experts to explore whether DPI could serve as a foundational approach for a safer, more resilient digital ecosystem in the United States and beyond.

Acknowledgments

With profound thanks to the many colleagues and practitioners who contributed to this collection, this work builds on the research and conversations hosted by many organizations and governments around the world. DIGI is grateful for the insight and assistance received from Lilian Coral, Daniela Flores, Marcia Kramer, Andreen Soley, Emily Tavenner, and program alumni. We look forward to continuing to collaborate on the tapestry of big ideas for a better and safer data-powered future.

Research Participants

Research participants shared their perspectives through a written survey. Their inclusion is not an endorsement of the opinions of other participants.

• Susan Aaronson, Professor and Director of the Digital Trade and Data Governance Hub at George Washington University
• Daniel Abadie, Senior Technical Advisor at the Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure
• Laura Bingham, Professor and Executive Director at the Institute for Law, Innovation & Technology at Temple University
• Daniel Castro, Director at the Center for Data Innovation
• David Eaves, Professor and Deputy Director in Digital Government at the University College London Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose
• Carl Gahnberg, Director of Policy Development and Research at the Internet Society
• Lauri Goldkind, Professor at Fordham University and Editor in Chief of the Journal of Technology in Human Services
• Joseph Lorenzo Hall, Distinguished Technologist of Strong Internet at the Internet Society
• Yolanda Martínez, Practice Manager for Digital Development in Latin America and the Caribbean at The World Bank
• Akash Kapur, Senior Fellow at New America and the GovLab and Visiting Research Scholar at Princeton University
• Beth Simone Noveck, Professor and Director of the Burnes Center for Social Change and the GovLab at Northeastern University
• Lacey Strahm, Policy Lead at OpenMined
• Audrey Tang, Senior Research Fellow at the Collective Intelligence Project and Taiwan’s First Minister of Digital Affairs
• Alek Tarkowski, Co-Founder and Director of Strategy at the Open Future Foundation
• Diana Zamora, Director of Global Public Policy at Mastercard
• Ethan Zuckerman, Professor and Director of the Digital Public Infrastructure Initiative at UMass Amherst