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McCain to issue technology policy (Updated) - August 14, 2008

Republican presidential candidate John McCain, under fire as a self-professed Luddite, is slated to release his comprehensive technology policy today, according to an article in today's Wall Street Journal. As of this morning, the policy statement was not available on McCain's campaign Web site, but the Journal had apparently been briefed on its contents. From what it reported, the statement will contain few proposals you wouldn't have guessed if you've followed the campaign at all. :

• Expand the H1-B visa program for foreign guest works;

• Reduce corporate tax rates and keep the capital gains tax rate at its current 15%, which isn't really a technology proposal per se, but standard stuff for any GOP plan related to the economy;

• Congress should not get involved in writing rules for the Internet. Net neutrality conflicts should be dealt with by the FCC (music to Kevin Martin's heart);

• A 10% tax credit on R&D wages.

The unsurprising mélange is the result of "months of work," according to the Journal, by various McCain advisers, including former HP CEO Carly Fiorina, former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, former FCC chairman Michael Powell and Cisco CEO John Chambers.

UPDATE: OK, the policy statement is now out and it's a bit more nuanced than it appeared from the WSJ report. Among the highlights:

• While the Internet has provided tremendous opportunity for the creators of copyrighted works, including music and movies, to distribute their works around the world at low cost, it has also given rise to a global epidemic of piracy. John McCain supports efforts to crack down on piracy, both on the Internet and off (just not in his campaign ads).
  

• Intellectual property protection is increasingly an issue for U.S. innovators operating in the global economy. John McCain will seek international agreements and enforcement efforts that ensure fair rewards to intellectual property.

• Focus on policies that leave consumers free to access the content they choose; free to use the applications and services they choose; free to attach devices they choose, if they do not harm the network; and free to chose among broadband service providers.

• Strive to ensure that Administration appointees across the government have adequate experience and understanding of science, technology and innovation (that would certainly be different).

• Continue to encourage private investment to facilitate the build-out of infrastructure to provide high-speed Internet connectivity all over America. However, where private industry does not answer the call because of market failures or other obstacles, people acting through their local governments should be able to invest in their own future by building out infrastructure to provide high-speed Internet services.

The full policy statement is here.
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