Background on Technology

Technology and Infrastructure Issues in the 2024 election cycle:

Technology and Infrastructure Issues in the 2020 election cycle and earlier:

Electric Vehicles

• TRUMP: New roads, bridges & tunnels, plus high-speed rural internet. (Feb 2020)
• BIDEN: Install 550,000 charging stations on all new highways. (Dec 2019)
• PENCE: Invest in our roads and ports, but without raising taxes. (Jan 2016)
• HARRIS: All electric cars and school buses by 2045. (Sep 2019)

• PRO-Electric Vehicles:Most plug-in owners charge at home over 80% of the time. But there are people who can't charge at home and so they rely on the country's growing public charging infrastructure to revive their vehicles. (Car and Driver). There are now 21,876 electric charging stations in the nation, That figure is still dwarfed by the number of gas stations in the U.S.--well over 100,000. (Consumer Reports)
• ANTI-Electric Vehicles: The Driving America Forward Act introduced by a small, bipartisan group, would protect and even expand the tax credits currently enjoyed by buyers of electric vehicles--tax credits that President Trump, as part of his 2020 budget, has pledged to end. (NRDC)

Autonomous Vehicles

• PRO-Autonomous Vehicle standards: As the technology for autonomous vehicles continues to develop, the number of states considering legislation related to autonomous vehicles has gradually increased. (NCSL 2020) The Federal Autonomous Vehicle Policy includes no new rules or regulations--only guidance--for states. Many witnesses from the autonomous vehicle industry described the potential for significant negative impacts if a patchwork system to determine vehicle requirements emerged. (NCSL 2017)
• ANTI-Autonomous Vehicle standards: The U.S. Department of Transportation released 'Automated Vehicles 4.0' [policy report]. "AV 4.0 will ensure American leadership in AV technology development by providing unified guidance for the first time across the Federal government for innovators and stakeholders," said Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. (DOT)

Humans to Mars?

• TRUMP: America will put first woman on moon, & flag on Mars. (Aug 2020)
• BIDEN: NASA has cancer expertise: they know most about radiation. (Feb 2020)
• PENCE: Send pioneers to Mars, by any means necessary. (Feb 2020)

• PRO-Mars: NASA's human lunar exploration plans under the Artemis program call for sending the first woman and next man to the surface of the Moon by 2024 and establishing sustainable exploration by the end of the decade. The agency will use what we learn on the Moon to prepare for humanity's next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars.
• ANTI-Mars: "We find that even without budget constraints, a Mars 2033 orbital mission cannot be realistically scheduled under NASA's current and notional plans," the report states. "Our analysis suggests that a Mars orbital mission could be carried out no earlier than the 2037 orbital window."

Cybersecurity

• TRUMP: Artificial Intelligence initiative: invest in the future. (Feb 2019)
• TRUMP: Proportional response to eliminate cyberattacks. (Oct 2016)
• BIDEN: Internet is new public space; make it a force for democracy. (Nov 2011)
• PENCE: Cyber-warfare is new tool of US enemies. (Oct 2016)
• HARRIS: Cybersecurity crucial to protect elections & infrastructure. (Apr 2019)
• NEWS: Latest statements on Cybersecurity from presidential candidates and political pundits

• PRO-Cybersecurity strategy: White House National Cyber Strategy:
  • Defend the homeland by protecting networks, systems, functions, and data;
  • Promote American prosperity by nurturing a secure, thriving digital economy and fostering strong domestic innovation;
  • Preserve peace and security by strengthening the ability of the United States -- in concert with allies and partners -- to deter and, if necessary, punish those who use cyber tools for malicious purposes; and
  • Expand American influence abroad to extend the key tenets of an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure Internet.
• ANTI-Cybersecurity strategy: The Trump administration is actively undoing the progressive cybersecurity policy of past administrations. The role of the White House Cyber Coordinator was eliminated by John Bolton. Former secretary of state Rex Tillerson removed the Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues. The White House's 2018 budget zeroed out funding for the biggest digital evidence training center in the country. (Wired mag.)
• Artificial Intelligence: The pace of adoption for AI and cognitive technologies continues unabated. With this growth comes strain as existing regulation and laws struggle to deal with emerging challenges. Governments are moving to ensure that existing laws, regulations, and legal constructs remain relevant in the face of technology change. (Forbes)
• Stuxnet: Stuxnet is a computer worm that was originally aimed at Iran's nuclear facilities and has since mutated and spread to other industrial and energy-producing facilities. The original Stuxnet malware attack targeted the programmable logic controllers (PLCs) used to automate machine processes. [Ed.: Stuxnet was a successful cyberattack by the U.S. and Israel against Iran].

Space Force

• TRUMP: Space Force: sixth branch of the armed services. (Aug 2018)
• BIDEN: NASA has cancer expertise: they know most about radiation. (Feb 2020)
• PENCE: Adversaries have weaponized space; solution is Space Force. (Mar 2019)

• PRO-Space Force: The U.S. Space Force is a military service that organizes, trains, and equips space forces in order to protect U.S. and allied interests in space and to provide space capabilities to the joint force. Unfettered access to space is vital to national defense. Space affects almost every part of our daily lives and is fundamental to our economic system. (DOD)
• ANTI-Space Force: U.S. military services emphasize offensive weapons and decisive lethal operations. It is not clear that the same attitude is optimal for space operations. We should attempt restraint wherever possible in weaponizing space, which serves the U.S. military best as a region for creating and transmitting data rather than fighting. (Brookings)

Social Media in politics

• TRUMP: Repeal internet privacy rules: let companies sell ad info. (Apr 2017)
• BIDEN: WikiLeaks founder is a high-tech terrorist. (Dec 2010)
• PENCE: Voted YES on allowing telephone monopolies to offer Internet access. (Feb 2002)
• HARRIS: Same rules for everyone; Twitter should shut down Trump. (Oct 2019)
• NEWS: Latest statements on Internet from presidential candidates and political pundits

• ANTI-Social Media censorship: Social media platforms are private companies that are free to set their own content policies. But internet service providers are not liable for what other people post on them. They can't be sued for allowing false content on their sites or for running false political ads. (ABA)
• PRO-Social Media censorship: Most Americans believe that social media companies censor political views that the platforms consider objectionable. Nine out of 10 Republicans said it was somewhat likely that social media companies curtail objectionable political views. (Rollcall)
• The US Department of Justice filed a landmark lawsuit against Google that accuses the tech giant of illegally holding monopolies in search advertising. The government alleges that Google violated antitrust laws to act as a "gatekeeper" to the internet: the company unlawfully blocked out competitors by reaching deals with phone makers to be the preset, default search engine on devices. (C|Net)

Technology Issues in 2016 election

• Edward Snowden: In March 2013, Edward Snowden, released over 100,000 documents from the National Security Agency (NSA), exposing a massive program of domestic surveillance of U.S. citizens. When the U.S. government filed charges, Snowden fled to Russia, where he is seeking asylum in Latin America. As with Julian Assange, opponents claim that Snowden breached national security; supporters claim Snowden exposed illegal federal activities.

• WikiLeaks: refers to a website run by a libertarian technophile Julian Assange. Beginning in 2006, WikiLeaks got hold of millions of classified government documents that he and his organization believed should not be kept secret from the public. Many of those documents were posted on the WikiLeaks website.

  WikiLeaks became internationally known in April 2010 when it released a classified video of an airstrike in July 2007 in Baghdad, showing two Reuters journalists being killed, after the pilots mistakenly thought the men were carrying weapons, which were in fact cameras. After the mistaken killing, the video shows U.S. forces firing on a family van that stopped to pick up the bodies, constituting a war crime. (The video was obtained from Pfc Bradley Manning, who was sentenced in 2013 to 35 years in prison for disclosing the classified video). Assange has been under criminal investigation ever since.

  The WikiLeaks documents offer an unprecedented look at the American diplomatic process—from 1966 to cables written as recently as November 2013. Julian Assange is a hero to progressives who believe in open government and oppose secrecy; in the mold of Daniel Ellsberg and Mike Gravel, who revealed “The Pentagon Papers” about Vietnam.

• ICANN: The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has managed the Web's domain-name system under contract with the U.S. government for more than a decade--but the Los Angeles-based nonprofit has worked to transform itself into a global organization free of U.S. ties. European Union officials backed the globalization effort, which intensified with Edward Snowden's leaks about the NSA's sprawling surveillance programs. The United States has always played a leading role in overseeing the management of .com and other domain names, but the administration announced Friday night that it will give up its oversight when the current contract expires in fall 2015. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, last month proposed establishing "a clear timeline" for globalizing ICANN and the duties it performs under the U.S. contract. Exactly who would regulate the Web's back-end is unclear, but the decision already has sparked backlash among some in the GOP, who warn it could allow the United Nations or authoritarian countries to step in and seize control of the Web.

• SOPA and PIPA: refers to two bills before Congress in 2012 on Internet regulation. SOPA, the House's Stop Online Piracy Act, has 28 sponsors, and PIPA, the Senate's Protect IP Act, has 40 sponsors. Proponents claim the bills would better protect electronic copyright (“IP”, or Intellectual Property); opponents argue that SOPA and PIPA would censor the Internet. Internet users and entrepreneurs oppose the two bills; google.com and wikipedia.com held a "blackout" on Jan. 18, 2012 in protest.

• EMP: refers to “electromagnetic pulse” which is caused by a nuclear weapon detonated at high altitude, which would shut down electrical power and electronic devices over a large area.

• Net Neutrality is the principle behind an “open Internet”: that Internet service providers may not discriminate between different kinds of online content. In the view of its proponents, Net Neutrality guarantees a level playing field for all websites and Internet technologies. Proponents of Net Neutrality include Internet content providers such as Yahoo.com, eBay.com, and Amazon.com. In the view of its opponents a free market should allow content providers to guarantee speedy delivery of their data by paying an extra fee. Opponents include hardware providers such as AT&T and Comcast, plus conservative and libertarian think tanks such as Americans for Tax Reform and the Cato Institute.

Infrastructure Issues

• TSA: The Transportation Security Administration was created in 2001 in response to the September 11 attacks.
• NEWS: Latest statements on Privacy from presidential candidates and political pundits The TSA began the airport requirements of full-body scans; body pat-downs; limiting liquids; removing shoes; and banning sharp objects in luggage. Civil libertarians claim that all of the TSA procedures invade personal privacy while adding little to actual security.

• Since 1982, part of the federal gasoline tax revenues has been earmarked for mass transit expenses. Just over 15 percent (2.86 cents of the 18.4 cent per gallon) of the federal gasoline tax has been set aside for mass transit since 1993. That money is used to "construct and improve subway, light rail and other mass transit systems, purchase buses and make other capital improvements." Some politicians complain that Northeastern states with large mass transit networks have historically claimed a disproportionate share of those mass transit dollars.

• In 2008, Barack Obama backed proposed legislation for a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank. Obama suggested that the Bank would borrow $60 billion to invest in infrastructure over 10 years, while leveraging “up to $500 billion” of private investment. It would invest in high-speed trains to provide an alternative to air travel, energy efficiency, and clean energy, among other kinds of public infrastructure. The Bank would complement existing federal programs to fund infrastructure, such as the Highway Trust Fund or State Revolving Funds. It would invest primarily in surface transport infrastructure, which is likely to include highways, mass transit, and high-speed rail. Obama repeated the call in Sept. 2010, but no legislation resulted.

• The "Big Dig" refers to Boston's Central Artery/Tunnel Project--much of which was done during Mitt Romney's Governorship--which converted an elevated highway, I-93, into a 3.5 mile tunnel through central Boston, and added a third tunnel under Boston Harbor to Logan Airport. The original cost of the project in 1998 was proposed at $3 billion; it grew into a $22 billion project by the latest 2012 estimate. In addition to several construction deaths, a motorist was killed when a section of ceiling collapsed in 2006, attributed to inappropriate glue to hold up the concrete ceiling. The project was also plagued by water leaks for several years, attributed to failure to meet contract specifications.

• High-speed rail is common throughout Europe and East Asia, but has only one line in the United States, the Acela line from Boston to New York City and Washington DC. President Obama made high-speed rail a goal in January 2009, but no projects are underway as of 2013. High-speed rail projects are proposed in California, Pennsylvania, Texas, and elsewhere. A Florida high-speed rail project was approved by the state legislature in 2009, but canceled by Governor Rick Scott in 2011; a replacement was proposed as of 2012.

• Infrastructure investments are divided into two categories: “hard infrastructure” and “soft infrastructure.” “Hard infrastructure” refers to physical structures such as roads, bridges, or mass transit. “Soft infrastructure” comprises human capital and related institutions, such as community colleges, temporary markets, and communication systems. Most political discussions of infrastructure investment focus only on “hard infrastructure.”

Computer and Internet Usage

• 68% of all American households use computers.
• 250 million Americans use the Internet regularly; plus another 2 billion elsewhere.
• The 'World Wide Web' (with graphics and browsers) began its exponential growth in 1993.
• 600 million web sites are currently available (as of 2013); growing by about 200% per year.

Internet Issues

• Internet access in schools: 78% of schools have access
• Internet access in classrooms: 27% of classrooms have access; lower in poor & minority schools.
• 'E-rate': refers to a $2.4 billion FCC fund, to set up Internet access for schools and libraries.
• Internet Sales Tax: There is currently a 3-year moratorium on taxing Internet sales while the issue is being studied. Advocates say that lack of a sales tax will hurt local businesses (who are taxed).
• 'Digital Divide': refers to good Internet access among middle- and upper-income people, with poorer access, if any, among lower-income people, especially in schools. Generally, discussing the 'Digital Divide' means favoring subsidies for better Internet access in urban schools.
• 'E-Government': refers to providing government services on-line, or in general to computerizing government functions.

Older Technology Issues

• Napster: Napster allows downloading music for free across the Internet. In July 2000, a judge ruled that Napster breached copyright and ordered them closed.
• Human Genome Project: The entire human genetic sequence is being recorded in a 15-year project begun in 1990.
• Y2K Bug: (or 'Millenium Bug'): Many computers interpret the year 2000 as 1900. The primary political issue concerns the liability for damages caused by Y2K-based computer problems.
• Triana Satellite: Proposed NASA satellite (rejected by Congress in 1999) which would broadcast live Internet pictures of the entire earth from high orbit.
• V-Chip: A TV device (implemented by FCC, 1999) which allows filtering shows via a TV rating system.

Microsoft Lawsuit

• Microsoft vs Netscape: The federal Dept. of Justice sued Microsoft under anti-trust law for monopolistic practices against the Netscape browser and other software products. The case began 10/97; testimony ended 6/99; in 11/99, the court found that Microsoft has acted illegally as a monopolist; in April, Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ruled that Microsoft's "predatory" behavior warrants sanctioning Microsoft or possibly breaking up the company. The justice Dept. proposal calls for Microsoft to be split into two companies -- one with its operating system business (Windows holds 85% of the market) and one with its Office software (Word & Excel hold 90% of the market).
• Under President Bush, the Justice Department withdrew its lawsuits to break up Microsoft, and negotiated a settlement instead in Autumn 2001.
• Microsoft vs Java: Sun Microsystems sued Microsoft for selling a 'polluted' version of its Java program (a common Internet language) that only runs on Microsoft Windows. The case began in Oct. 1997; Sun won a breach of copyright decision 5/99; oral arguments for the appeal begin 6/99.
• Intel vs FTC: The Federal Trade Commission sued Intel, the manufacturer of the Pentium chip (which with Windows comprises the 'Wintel monopoly'). The case was settled in 3/99; Intel is now prohibited from withholding technical information as a means of compelling license agreements.