What Tech Can Expect from a Tech-Savvy President - BusinessWeek

The team advising Obama on tech policy offers a hint about what may be in store. Obama's nominee for chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates everything from telecom policy to television content, is Julius Genachowski. He's an advocate of upgrading broadband access and "Net neutrality," or barring network operators from discriminating against traffic based on its source or content. An old Harvard Law School chum and fund-raiser for Obama, Genachowski is a former venture capitalist and was FCC chief counsel under former Chairman Reed Hundt, another Obama adviser who remains influential on Net competition issues.

Obama advisers also include Blair Levin, who served in the FCC under Hundt, too. Levin razzed the Bush FCC for raising the cap on ownership of TV stations to 39% of the national audience—just high enough to accommodate News Corp. (NWS)

In the Senate, Commerce Committee Chairman John "Jay" Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) has already fired warning shots at the telecom companies, saying he will press for tougher regulation. Pivotal players in the House include Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey (D-Wis.), who is pushing for massive investments in broadband infrastructure to stimulate jobs. Representative Rick Boucher (D-Va.) is the new chairman of the subcommittee on communications, technology, and the Internet, which oversees broadcast and telecom industry rules.

What Tech Can Expect from a Tech-Savvy President - BusinessWeek