WASHINGTON, DC — Anyone still wondering how a McCain presidency might affect the technology with which the Republican candidate has demonstrated an astounding lack of familiarity should have found some answers in the technology policy the McCain campaign released August 14th.Long on support for H-1B visas (which allow “guest workers” to remain in the U.S. as long as they are employed in certain specialty occupations), permanent research-and-development tax breaks, lowered capital gains taxes and free-trade agreements and short on support for so-called “net neutrality” initiatives, the policy paints a picture of the Arizona Republican as a friend to big business and unregulated competition but not so much a pal of end-users or rank-and-file workers.
McCain’s network neutrality position — which favors allowing broadband service providers to determine the fate of network traffic over regulation to ensure all traffic is treated equally — is somewhat of a concern for the technoscenti.
“John McCain does not believe in prescriptive regulation like net neutrality,” according to the policy statement, which is available on McCain’s website, JohnMcCain.com. At nearly 3,000 words, it’s a daunting read. “Rather, he believes that an open marketplace with a variety of consumer choices is the best deterrent against unfair practices.”
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, on the other hand, has promised to impose net neutrality regulations. Net neutrality would create “a level playing field for whoever has the best idea,” he noted in October 2007. He has yet to contradict that statement. Obama also has vowed to appoint a Federal Communications Commission chairman who supports net neutrality and plans to name a chief technology officer to his White House staff.
McCain also supports so-called “foreign guest workers.” According to the McCain tech policy, “Hiring skilled foreign workers to fill critical shortages benefits not only innovative companies, but also our economy. For every foreign worker hired, corporations generally hire five to 10 additional American workers.” The policy does not mention what research supports that notion, but it ties the notion closely to tax breaks for R&D by pledging “an immediate boost to capital expenditures and reward [for] investments in cutting-edge technologies [by allowing corporations to deduct expenses within the year they are incurred]…. The additional investment stimulated by such expensing will drive economic growth.” McCain’s plan incorporates an additional R&D tax credit equal to 10 percent of the amount a company spends on wages.
On the positive side, McCain opposes new state and local taxes on the Internet or wireless services, according to the tech policy statement. He also supports tax incentives for service providers that offer reduced-rate high-speed connections to low-income families.
