McCain Adviser/Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman Silent On Campaign’s Opposition To Net Neutrality»

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/15/mccain-net-neutrality/


McCain Adviser/Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman Silent On Campaign’s Opposition To Net Neutrality»


It’s been widely reported that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is a self-admitted “illiterate” when it comes to computers. But some have suggested that he could still put forward sound technology policy because he surrounds himself with tech-savvy advisers, such as former Hewlett-Packard chairman and CEO Carly Fiorina and former eBay president and CEO Meg Whitman.

But it’s unclear how much he is listening to them. Yesterday, McCain finally released his technology platform. (Until this time, “technology” was not even listed in the Issues section of his campaign website.) His plan supposedly focuses on innovation, but in reality, it often repeats McCain’s previous non-innovative positions, such as his opposition to net neutrality:

When Regulation Is Warranted, John McCain Acts. John McCain does not believe in prescriptive regulation like “net-neutrality,” but rather he believes that an open marketplace with a variety of consumer choices is the best deterrent against unfair practices.

snip//

Whitman has stayed silent about McCain’s opposition to net neutrality, and apparently, McCain is refusing to listen to Whitman as well. In 2006, McCain sided with the telecom industry and voted against legislation sponsored by Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) that would have prevented broadband providers from creating a pay-for-play system. McCain sided with the telecom industry and voted against this bill.

Update: It turns out that it is Whitman vs. the McCain camp on another technology issue – whether consumers should have legal protections for their privacy when surfing online. The new McCain privacy statement says that the market and “self-regulation” should protect our privacy. But Whitman testified in Congress in 2006 supporting a federal statute to protect privacy.

[Doremus]

1. Fiorina and Whitman, ugh.

I seem to recall reading something a while back about Fiorina's dismal record at HP. She spun off the printer division to concentrate on computers, or was it vice versa. Anyway, it didn't turn out well.

As for Whitman, she rode the ebay crest when a blindfolded monkey could have turned in record profits. Ten years later, when competition and market forces required some actual management skills, she bailed with her billions.

Figures McCain would surround himself with faux talent like this.