In a new report, Engine Advocacy and Tusk Ventures have graded U.S. Senate candidates on important issues related to technology and the IoT like Broadband Access, and Intellectual Property & Data Security. And the grades are not good.
This is the second “Grading the Candidates on Tech” report card from the pair of companies, and this time they looked at the positions that candidates are taking on key issues facing startups and the innovation economy. Twenty-two candidates were rated based on their level of support, understanding, and familiarity with technology and the priorities of the nation’s startup community. The grades are designed to reflect the candidates’ positions, and they show that there are no overall leaders and all but four candidates received an “incomplete” on a key issue. The grades also revealed, according to the report, that many have failed to outline or champion any tech policies throughout their political careers.
Troublingly, data security and privacy were the most ignored issues due mostly to the lack of unbridled advocacy in supporting reforms to U.S. government surveillance laws.
A few highlights:
Margaret Hassan, current New Hampshire Governor and Senate candidate, received the highest ranking in the telecom category for pursuing initiatives to expand broadband access for K-12 public schools and supporting net neutrality.
Senator John McCain, Republican Senator of Arizona, earned the lowest grade for Intellectual Property protections because he opposed the America Invents Act and co-sponsored PIPA, a bill that would have stifled Internet freedom and innovation by forcing tech companies to police their own users.
Russ Feingold, former Wisconsin Senator, is the only candidate who opposed the expansion of governmental surveillance under the Patriot (News - Alert) Act when the bill was first introduced in 2001 and has argued for hardened encryption standards.
Senator Mark Kirk, Illinois Republican made high-skilled immigration and STEM education key policy issues during his time in Congress and co-sponsored the I-Squared Act to accommodate more talented, high-skilled foreign workers.
“The conflict between regulators and technology companies is nothing new, but today's politicians are more distant from the tech sector than ever,” said Bradley Tusk, founder and CEO, Tusk Ventures. “The key issues highlighted in this year's report card have implications on not only millions of jobs in this country, but also on innovation that is helping to drive our economy. It's important for voters to make an informed decision at the polls and keep the pressure on Congressional leaders to take legislative action after the election.”
Click here for the full report card and analysis.