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Since you’re reading this blog, you’re most likely interested in technology. You probably work in the tech industry, or understand the value of technology infrastructure in the life of our country. I wanted to pass on some great analysis that Lawrence Lessig did of John McCain and Barack Obama’s technology policies as one particularly relevant point as we choose our next president.

Lessig took a look at John McCain’s technology platform, which he released on 8/14. While the platform touted McCain’s experience on the Senate’s Commerce, Science and Technology committee, he found it wanting in many ways.

First, Lessig points out that over the last 8 years the US has plummeted from 5th in the world in broadband penetration to 22nd. Compared to the rest of the world, we have less broadband access today than we did 8 years ago.

This a stunning setback for a country that likes to think it sets the standard for a technological citizenry. MeCain has been at the helm of congress in regards to policies that have brought this reversal about, so Lessig looks for anything in the platform that might reverse this trend.

He finds nothing. But not only does he find nothing to help with this current problem, he finds no acknowledgment of the problem at all. McCain wishes to continue the policies that lead us to this place:

• He wants tax cuts for business to help spur innovation.
• He wants low income people to get more access to broadband by subsidizing companies to make this happen.

Lessig points out that these proposals have one thing in common–they drive money to the largest Internet companies. And there are now basically two major Internet providers in the US–a consolidation that the US government has been complicit in while John McCain was head of the Technology committee. It didn’t have to be this way.

France didn’t do this. Lessig compares Paris, where you can get 200mbps Internet, telephone service and TV for $45/month to San Francisco, where $90/month will get you those services, but with 1/10th the speed for Internet.

Lessig calls our policy a “failure” and posits the solution is net neutrality. He suggests that you think about the internet as you think about phones. Should your phone provider decide which numbers you can call? Should they be able to listen in on your convervsations and lower the quality depending on what you’re talking about? No provider should get to pick who I get to connect to.

Network operators want more control, they want the Internet to look more like cable TV where you don’t get to choose.

Net neutrality says the internet is like the phone system–you get to call anyone and say anything, as long as it’s legal. Attach whatever devices as long as they aren’t harmful.

Obama’s policy is distinctly different from John McCain’s as it proposes a new direction for how the country uses technology. He recognizes that the last 8 years have been failed policy. He realizes we need a CTO for the country, that we need to use technology to make government transparent.

We have a clear choice in this election when it comes to technology. Should we continue to funnel money to Comcast and fall farther behind the rest of the world, or should we try a new direction based on openness and innovation. I think the better policy is clearly Obama’s plan, and I suggest that if you want more information you check out his plan online and compare it to McCain’s.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 at 2:06 pm and is filed under Civics, Technology. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.