Since the addition of Joe Biden to the Democratic Presidential ticket, some in the IT industry have expressed fears that Obama’s progressive IT policy would be hampered. Biden, long a supporter of domestic FBI spy technology and the RIAA’s legal tactics, was expected to drastically alter Obama’s less restrictive views. Such fears may have been confirmed this morning as Versionista picked up on sweeping changes published after September 17 that have significantly blunted the Obama technology plan.
The vast changes in stated policy covers hundreds of words. While having added much in regards to math, the sciences and technology’s role in the US economy, key sections regarding net neutrality were excised from the plan. The initial stance on net neutrality offered concrete terms about what a neutral net stood for:
- Freedom to access content, applications and attach personal devices.
- The right to receive simple and honest information about service plans.
- A complete ban on the two-tiered pricing structure which privileges sites that can afford to pay an ISP to deliver a site more quickly to visitors.
The last point is the most contentious issue in the ongoing debate regarding network neutrality. While ISPs believe that it is acceptable to allow privileged delivery speeds for sites and firms with the money to pay, the Obama campaign once refuted this notion well, saying:
Because most Americans only have a choice of only one or two broadband carriers, carriers are tempted to impose a toll charge on content and services, discriminating against websites that are unwilling to pay for equal treatment. This could create a two-tier Internet in which websites with the best relationships with network providers can get the fastest access to consumers, while all competing websites remain in a slower lane. Such a result would threaten innovation, the open tradition and architecture of the Internet, and competition among content and backbone providers.
Such stances are now gone, having been diluted into the preamble which states that the Obama campaign is simply in favor of a net neutrality. The Obama campaign’s prior statements on privacy have also been reduced. Where the website once specifically called for reductions in domestic surveillance, civilian databases, the accessibility of e-health records, and reduced cybercrime, the campaign now calls for an ambiguous strengthening of the law.
It is disappointing to see that the Obama campaign now offers vague declarations instead of concrete positions on key issues that are in the minds of technology enthusiasts. One wonders why the changes were made, who had the influence, and what the vagaries mean for a plan that was once a shining example of a progressive IT policy.
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