Save Access

from: Technology Daily

McCain: Telecom Bill Not Dead Yet

By Heather Greenfield

(Wednesday, September 20) Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told technology company leaders that a major telecommunications bill is not dead and could see Senate floor action in a lame-duck session.

"I do not see a scenario where we can pass a bill through Congress this session," McCain added, referring to the regular session before the election. He spoke before more than 500 executives from the Northern Virginia Technology Council.

As for network neutrality, the controversy holding up the bill, McCain showed support for arguments on both sides of the issue. Net neutrality backers oppose a plan by high-speed Internet providers to create online speed lanes and give faster service to preferred content providers.

McCain said he is concerned about censorship and discrimination by broadband providers. "I think non-discrimination in addition to the government's hands-off approach to the Internet has made the Internet what it is, and I don't have to tell you what it is," he said.

He said he doubts innovations like Internet telephony or instant-messaging would have developed without the freedom people now have.

But McCain said he also understands net neutrality opponents' need to prioritize data. He said he ultimately would like to see the potential problems of discrimination among content providers eliminated through more competition among broadband providers.

The problem now, he said, is that most consumers have a choice of only one or maybe two broadband providers. If the dominant provider steered search-engine traffic to Microsoft because of faster service there than Google, a consumer may not be able to just switch companies.

Given the lack of competition now, he said he plans to "continue to champion the rights of localities" to offer their own broadband networks.

McCain drew applause twice during his remarks, once for mentioning the need to increase H-1B visas for highly skilled workers. He earned the longest applause when he explained his "honest difference" with President Bush about rules against torture and when he discussed a letter from retired Gen. Colin Powell saying that the United States is losing its moral authority in the world because of the White House's stand on the issue.

"It's not about al Qaeda, it's about us," McCain said.

Several audience members nodded when McCain expressed frustration over the delay in renewing the research and development tax credit this year. "We ought to make the R&D tax credit permanent rather than holding you up for campaign contributions every two years," he said.

McCain ended with an appeal to the crowd to help stop the rise of online child pornography. He said the testimony at a hearing this week on the matter was "chilling" even for someone like him who has "been around the world and seen a lot of things."

He challenged techies to reserve part of their day to considering how child pornographers and users can be tracked and how to stop the proliferation of material. "You know how the technology works," McCain said. "You know how they cover their tracks."