Election Puts Tech and Movies On Opposite Paths

[Commentary] Two industries find themselves in different directions after the election. The Internet/tech industry is on the way up. The big content companies are at a crossroads, stuck in neutral while being buffeted by lots of competing forces. The Internet/tech industry won two important votes on Tuesday. The election of Barack Obama puts into play an ambitious and progressive technology policy agenda that starts off with "protect the openness of the Internet." The Obama/Biden plan also includes a goal of leading the world in broadband deployment through use of the Universal Service Fund, tax and loan incentives. Coincidentally, earlier on Election Day, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave the tech/Internet industry (along with its public-interest allies) another significant victory. The Commission overrode the protests of the broadcasting industry, Broadway, the National Football League and Dolly Parton to allow parts of the public's airwaves that exist between TV channels to be used for unlicensed purposes. These "white spaces" are not used, but the broadcasters put up their normal fuss about interference, as did the theatre and other interests, who were concerned that devices in the white spaces might interfere with wireless microphones, many of which operate illegally.