India's 3C reset: The reforms digital governance needs now

As technology, policy, and global forces collide, India must align connectivity, content, and conduct to build a coherent, future-ready digital governance model.

- BY DEEPAK MAHESHWARI

Even as connectivity expands and digitisation accelerates, public institutions and policy instruments will continue to influence—and be influenced by—shifts across society, politics, geostrategy, trade, and technology.

According to the International Telecommunications Union, one-third of humanity remains offline. The digital divide, amplified further in the context of Artificial Intelligence (AI), is particularly stark across geography, gender, and generation.

India did, admittedly, witness several significant and forward-looking developments in 2025. These included the notification of rules under both the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, alongside detailed recommendations on India's AI Governance Guidelines. Yet the global policy landscape remained in flux throughout 2025, mirroring the broader turbulence in the digital ecosystem.

Inconsistencies between policy development and technological advancement continue to create a conundrum for policymakers. They must remain committed to long-term strategic goals while simultaneously responding to short-term pressures and distractions.

A CLEARER POLICY COMPASS

As we enter 2026, three broad trends are emerging despite the fog of uncertainty created by continuous churn.

Firstly, domestic policies are exerting disproportionate global influence. This is evident in areas such as tariffs, export restrictions, critical minerals, global value chains, and rising calls for technology sovereignty—despite the undeniable reality that technology, by its nature, transcends borders.