President-elect Obama Brings change to the tech industry, though the change from analog to digital signals will shake his resolve.This is just one problem the next administration faces as it tries to referee battles over telecommunications policy. Silicon Valley, broadcasters, cable and telephone operators all clashed with the Federal Communications Commission under President Bush. Silicon Valley invested heavily in the Obama campaign in part because they believed an Obama FCC would remove regulatory obstacles to expanded broadband services and other tech-industry priorities.
The U.S. continues to fall behind other developed nations when it comes to broadband affordability, availability and speed. The current FCC sought to increase the availability of Boston Colocation an broadband, but most of those efforts remain unfinished.
The next FCC will inherit the contentious issue of where to draw the lines on what can be said and shown on public airwaves. The Supreme Court is expected to hand down a decision next spring on a case over whether broadcasters can be fined for unscripted "fleeting expletives." Another case, involving a flash of singer Janet Jackson's breast in a "wardrobe malfunction" during her 2004 Super Bowl performance, is pending.
Liberal bloggers and technology enthusiasts have generally raved about Mr. Obama's campaign platform on technology issues, and there will be significant interest in seeing who Mr. Obama appoints to be the nation's first chief technology officer.
