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Grilling The Presidential Wannabes About Tech Policy
By Theresa Poulson
Reprinted from Monday's PM Edition of Technology Daily
None of the Democratic presidential candidates will know until Monday evening which voters' questions they must answer in the CNN/YouTube debate. But there were dozens of technology-related questions in the mix that CNN journalists reviewed.
Internet maven Jeff Jarvis, for instance, submitted a video question about ensuring high-speed Internet access for all Americans. And one computer programmer used the tools of her trade to make a computer-generated character who asked how the candidates would protect her vocation from becoming a lost art in the United States because of outsourcing and H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers.
More videos posed questions about outsourcing jobs to other countries, immigration and a proposed guest-worker program.
On the telecommunications front, "The Resident" from New York City asked candidates for their positions on network neutrality, a concept to describe regulation aimed at ensuring equal treatment of broadband content. Other questioners wondered about the regulatory impact of net neutrality.
Sarah from Atlanta asked how the Democrats plan to strengthen U.S. leadership in science and technology, while Tim Miller from Massachusetts questioned the distribution of research and development spending. Another person asked about China's growth as an economic power.
Kyle Hogan from Boston asked if candidates will promote the use of technology and e-learning in education. Others wanted to know the candidates' views about the No Child Left Behind Act or increased funding for the 2002 education law.
Melissa Compagnucci from San Luis Obispo, Calif., noted recent controversies over the lack of paper receipts to audit electronic votes and asked: "If I can go to any state and get the same triple grande non-fat no-foam vanilla latte from Starbucks, why can't I go to any state and vote the same way?"
Depending on what questions make the CNN cut, voters also could be asked about:
-- The anti-terrorism law known as the USA PATRIOT Act, and protecting constitutional freedoms while fighting terrorism;
-- Executive privilege, presidential "signing statements" and passport delays;
-- Digital privacy;
-- Broadcast "indecency," and regulating talk radio and the media;
-- Copyright law;
-- Campaign and lobbying reform;
-- And the political impact of online video and technologies.
Some questioners had a little fun at the expense of the candidates. One asked Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois for his opinion of the "Crush on Obama" video, which features a pretty model pledging her allegiance to Obama. Another poked fun at the "I Feel Pretty" mash-up featuring John Edwards primping before the cameras.
Then there are the questions that promote YouTube, the video-sharing site at the center of the debate. Rick Seno from Plano, Texas, asked if the candidates had heard of YouTube before the debate. And Steven Marcus wondered all the way from Murcia, Spain, "If you were elected president, would you be interested in continuing your relationship with the people through YouTube?"
Posted by Andrew on July 23, 2007 04:14 PM | Permalink
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