Biden Versus Palin: The Tech Debate

Sen Joe Biden (D-DE) has positioned himself as an advocate for children's Internet safety and combating Web predators, while also drawing fire for some controversial stances on piracy and copyright issues. He's considered a friend to the recording industry, having sponsored several bills that would go after file-sharing networks hosting copyrighted or illegal material. He co-chairs the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus (IAPC), a group founded in 2003 that is intended to secure strong international copyright laws as well as the enforcement of those laws. Gov Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) has signed several tech-related bills into law since taking office. In the past two years, she has signed bills that: ban drivers from watching TV, video, or other programming while driving; and facilitate intrastate, online wine shipments. More notable, however, are the projects Gov Palin rejected. She rejected $300,000 for the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program, a program intended to increase the number of indigenous Americans who pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. She opposed a $25,000 food bank computer upgrade and refrigeration improvement and $30,000 for EMS technology equipment in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Five of those schools received funding at reduced levels, including $17,000 for computer lab printers and a video camera at Bayshore Elementary, $30,000 for iMac computers and related software at Bowman Elementary, $117,500 for computer lab equipment at Hanshew Middle School, $40,000 for projectors and laptops at Muldoon Elementary, and $40,000 for a computer lab upgrade at Oceanview Elementary. But Gov Palin opted to cut about $2.2 million in funding at those and other schools for things like LCD projectors, security system upgrades, educational software, software licenses, laptops for teachers, equipment upgrades, computer labs, and smart boards. School wireless initiatives also made it to Palin's veto list. The governor rejected wireless access projects in five school districts, ranging in price from $10,000 to $32,000. The governor also cut funding from $5 million to $2.5 million for the Alaska Consortium for Digital Learning, which had planned to use the money for phase two of a student laptop program.