How the Presidential Candidates Stand on Technology
From broadband speeds to patent reform, lots of important technology issues face the United States. Here's your guide to how the presidential candidates view the major questions.
Erik Larkin, PC World
Health care. Iraq. The economy. All of the presidential candidates have ready-made talking points and stump speeches that detail how they, as president, would handle these important issues.
The Oval Office's approach to tech matters may not be as critical as solving the health care crisis, but such issues are still important. We dug around to discover where candidates stand on major tech questions, searching through their policy statements, Web sites, interviews, and other available information. Some have extensive plans; others, perhaps tellingly, hardly mention tech at all.
The main issues most of the candidates address are:
Broadband access: As the Internet becomes ever more integral to our daily lives, we're slipping behind other developed nations in the speed and ubiquity of broadband access --down to fourteenth place, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Net neutrality: Several of the large companies that control the Internet are considering giving priority to some data over other types, in some cases charging extra for preferential treatment.
Privacy and security: Some threats to privacy are indisputable--nobody supports identity thieves or companies that handle private data sloppily. But the situation isn't as clear-cut when the government is monitoring communications in an attempt to find terrorists.
Innovation: As other nations start to catch up to in technological prowess, the United States has to consider whether the government should play a role in sparking research and development.
We know what the candidates say about these issues, but we'd like to hear what you think as well. Take a moment to fill out our survey, and we'll report on the results soon.
Democratic Candidates
Finding out where the two remaining Democratic candidates stand on tech wasn't hard. Both have a list of technology concerns and promises on their respective Web sites, and various interviews, speeches, and other sources make their positions clear.
Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York)
On access: Proposes a "Connect America" plan to use federal tax incentives to encourage broadband deployment in underserved areas. The plan also proposes financial support for state and local broadband initiatives.
On Net neutrality: Supports Net neutrality , and cosponsored Senate legislation to "require all broadband providers to treat all Internet traffic equally."
On privacy and security: Opposes the Bush administration's use of warrantless wiretaps and e-mail and phone record collection in pursuit of terror suspects. In one 2006 speech she said, "At all levels, the privacy protections for ordinary citizens are broken, inadequate and out of date... If we want to protect our safety and our privacy, we need clear guidelines and we need to get smart about technologies."
On innovation: Proposes to increase the research budgets at the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy's Office of Science, and the Defense Department by 50 percent over the next ten years. Proposes a 50 percent bump for the National Institutes of Health budget over five years, and to double it over ten years. Says she will triple the number of National Science Foundation fellowships and increase each award by a third.
Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois)
On access: Promises to treat broadband as an essential, universal service: "We have ensured that every American has access to telephone service and electricity, regardless of economic status, and [he] will do likewise for broadband Internet access." Also says he will "demand a review of existing uses of our wireless spectrum" and "create incentives for smarter, more efficient and more imaginative use of government spectrum."
On Net neutrality: "Barack Obama strongly supports the principle of network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet." Also supports patent and copyright reform to "promote civic discourse, innovation and investment while ensuring that intellectual property owners are fairly treated."
On privacy and security: Opposes Homeland Security wiretapping , and "would adhere to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) rules for the surveillance of any Internet and telephone communications, and would establish strict procedures for the use of any PATRIOT Act powers, especially national security letters." Says he will "strengthen privacy protections for the digital age," requiring that parents have the option of receiving parental-controls software (though Obama's site doesn't specify who would supply the software), and increasing the FTC enforcement budget to combat international Internet crime.
On innovation: Proposes doubling federal funding for basic research and making the Research and Development tax credit permanent.
How do you stand on technology issues? Fill out our survey, and we'll report on the results soon.
Republican Candidates
Judging by their Web sites and available information, the Republican candidates as a whole don't place as much emphasis on technology issues as their Democratic counterparts do. Few make much, if any, mention of tech concerns on their campaign sites, and some have been largely unaware of issues such as Net neutrality. Here's what we were able to find.
Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas)
On access: Sponsored the Southern Governors Association resolution in 2001 that supported "legislation and regulations that will speed the deployment of broadband, [and] high speed Internet networking throughout the nation."
On Net neutrality: In response to a blogger's question about Net neutrality, he said, "The Internet is a highway and we don't restrict highways to 18-wheelers ... if it's a car, an SUV, or a truck, you use the same highway." However, the blogger, Kevin Tracy, writes that Huckabee was unfamiliar with the issue before the question, and based his answer only on Tracy's description.
In general: Writes in his 2007 book, From Hope to Higher Ground, "Read the Bible more; blogs less."
Senator John McCain (R-Arizona)
On access: Acknowledges a "growing gap between the haves and the have-nots in America" when it comes to Internet access, and says "there's lots of ways that you can encourage corporations" to act in their own self-interest, with tax benefits and other credits to improve access.
On Net neutrality: Opposes government regulations enforcing Net neutrality. At a technology conference, he said, "When you control the pipe, you should be able to get profit from your investment."
On file sharing: Said that we need to reform copyright laws, but that the effort needs to be carefully thought through because "some in Congress don't understand the complexity of these issues." And when asked if people should be jailed for illegal music downloads, he said, "I can't see myself doing that, unless of course they listen to some of the abominable music that tops the charts today."
On privacy and security: Expresses strong support for combating terrorism, but says that "When companies provide private records of Americans to the government without proper legal subpoena, warrants, or other legal orders, their heart may be in the right place, but their actions undermine our respect for the law." In 2000, he cosponsored the Consumer Internet Privacy Enhancement Act to improve online-consumer privacy. Says that he and his wife have been identity theft victims, and that every company has to maintain security policies to deal with the ID threat and provide notice to consumers when data breaches happen.
On innovation: Proposes to make the Research and Development tax credit permanent.
Representative Ron Paul (R-Texas)
On broadband access: The National Journal quotes a Paul spokesman as saying that when it comes to broadband access, the digital television transition, and competitiveness, "Rep. Paul does not think the federal government has a role in any of these issues. They should be left to the free market."
On Net neutrality: In a recent Tech Crunch interview, Paul said that Net neutrality is "something that I have an open mind to."
On file sharing: A spokesperson told the National Journal that "Paul thinks the federal government's role in combating file-sharing should be limited."
On privacy and security: Has come out strongly against government surveillance without warrants. On his site, he says "Recent revelations that the National Security Agency has conducted broad surveillance of American citizens' emails and phone calls raise serious questions about the proper role of government in a free society ... We must drastically limit the ability of government to collect and store data regarding citizens' personal matters." Regarding identity theft, he says "there is definitely a responsibility for government to be involved."
On innovation:Paul told TechCrunch that "the federal government has no legal responsibility or authority to [help improve math and science education] ... We need more local control. We need the families and parents in charge and I think we would solve a lot of these problems."
Former Governor Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts)
On fairness: The National Journal quotes a Romney spokesperson as saying that Romney believes "we should strengthen intellectual property protections generally, including streamlining the patent application process and making patent lawsuits less burdensome."
On privacy and security: The 352media group's new issue site lists him as supporting Homeland Security wiretapping. On his Web site, Romney proposes a "One-Strike and You're Ours" policy with "new, tougher federal penalties for first-time offenders who use the Internet to sexually assault children, including stiff mandatory jail time to be followed by lifetime tracking by Global Positioning Satellite (GPS)." Also says he will work with companies to ensure that all new computers ship with optional parental-control software filters.
On innovation: On his Web site, he says "it is time to invest substantially in technologies related to power generation, nanotechnology, and materials science." However, while that section of the site is still accessible with a direct URL, it is no longer reachable through site navigation.
How do you stand on technology issues? Fill out our survey, and we'll report on the results soon.
Other Resources
Democratic Candidate Web Sites
Republican Candidate Web Sites
Analysis Web Sites
National Journal's Campaign 08 Tech Profiles: Details on each candidate's tech-related legislation (where applicable), supporters, and positions.
TechCrunch Tech President Primaries : Extensive coverage of the candidates' positions on tech issues, including direct interviews with some of the candidates. The site also offers its endorsements of one Democratic candidate and one Republican candidate based on their tech positions.
TechPresident.com: Excellent bipartisan site with a wealth of information. It grades each candidate's tech policies under "Resources."
Politico.com : More political news, video, and analysis than you can shake a mouse at. Includes links to each candidate's Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube site. Be sure to check out its imaginative and fun interactive map of the political blogosphere.
Ontheissues.org: Tracks candidate quotes and positions on all kinds of issues, from abortion to health care to infrastructure and technology.
CNet candidate interviews : Questionnaire responses on tech issues from Clinton , John Edwards , McCain , Obama , and Paul.
352media.com: This interactive site allows you to select your positions on a variety of issues to see which candidates agree with you. Requires Internet Explorer.
Glassbooth.org: Rate 14 issues in order of importance in this interactive quiz to discover which candidate comes closest to your views.