October 13th, 2008
The candidates on tech
Wired has the obligatory candidates-on-tech piece today. They look at five key tech issues – broadband, H1B, green tech, net neutrality and spectrum – although TechPresident notes the list is not comprehensive and conceivably is biased towards Obama.
Here’s the breakdown.
Broadband. McCain: D. “McCain has consistently been on the wrong side of this issue. As Senate Commerce Chair, he supported the mass consolidation in the industry. He also consistently voted the wrong way on whether entrenched competitors should be forced to lease their lines. ”
Obama: B. “His big proposal is to take money currently used to subsidize rural phone use and, instead, use it to subsidize rural broadband use. This could be helpful. But if the markets aren’t made competitive beforehand, it could also end up as little more than another subsidy to the same giant companies that have served us so poorly.”
H-1B McCain: B+. “Though his immigration policies shifted during the Republican primary, he has been a long proponent of allowing in more high-skilled technology workers.”
Obama: C. Obama has said, “I will support a temporary increase in the H-1B visa program as a stopgap measure until we can reform our immigration system comprehensively.”
Green tech: McCain: B. “He wants to invest $2 billion annually for research into clean coal, and he wants to offer a $300 million prize for developing an advanced battery technology.”
Obama: A. “He calls for an investment of $150 billion over the next decade in clean energy. He wants to extend tax credits for clean energy producers, and he has proposed an annual 410 billion investment in a Clean Techhnology Venture Capital Fund. Like McCain, he favors a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions. ”
Net neutrality: McCain: D. “According to his technology plan ‘John McCain does not believe in prescriptive regulation like net neutrality.’ ”
Obama: A. From Obama’s tech plans: ” Barack Obama strongly supports the principle of network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet.”
Spectrum: McCain: B. “McCain has, sensibly, long opposed giving away the airwaves. … The bad news is that he hasn’t said anything good on spectrum since the beginning of the primaries. He is also worryingly close to (and almost always sides with) the telecom industry, which is packed with spectrum offenders. ”
Obama: B. “He has been reluctant to take a stand on the white spaces, perhaps because he fears a fight with the National Association of Broadcasters. He did, however, take a very good position in his interview with Arrington, declaring his support for all the right goals and then specifically criticizing the most recent auction.
