Technology companies can rejoice now that the Democrats have taken over Congress, since the 110th Congress could be the most technology-friendly in history. One reason is that Nancy Pelosi, the next
Speaker of the House, hails from San Francisco. A year ago, she unveiled an "innovation agenda" that called for broadband access for all Americans. Nothing ever came of it, but something may in the
future.
Pelosi is friendly with Silcon Valley Democrat Anna Eshoo, whose constituents include Steve Jobs, David Filo and Hewlett-Packard. Bill Archey, President of the American
Electronics Association, the largest technology lobbying group in the U.S., says, "to use a Silicon Valley term, [the Democrats] tend to get it."
Which means that Net neutrality is
likely to be resolved. The battle between content providers and telecom giants now skews in favor of consumer-advocacy groups and Web publishers, that believe failure to regulate telecom ISPs would
stifle innovation. John Dingell, D-Mich., will head the committee on the subject, and Pelosi herself is also a staunch supporter of the measure.
It is, however, unsure where the Dems
stand on the issue of digital copyright, as many of their biggest contributors come from Hollywood. Some want to help the entertainment business circumvent the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
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