Wireless' Place in the Presidential Race

Has the wireless-communications industry received much attention during the current presidential campaign season? That depends on whom you talk to. For the most part, the answer is no. Candidates are more likely to speak about tax cuts for working families than whom they would appoint as chairman of the FCC. And kissing a baby still counts for more votes than consulting your PDA in full view of journalists and the electorate.

Whether Vice President Al Gore or Gov. George W. Bush have technology on the tips of their tongues or not, the industry certainly is paying attention.

The next president will name a successor to FCC Chairman William Kennard next year, along with new panel members. Beltway insiders say Kennard could be up for secretary of commerce in a Gore administration. If Bush wins, Pat Wood, Texas Public Utilities Commission chairman, is a potential nominee for FCC chairman.

Ivan Seidenburg, Verizon Communications co-CEO & president, in an address to the National Press Club Sept. 25, said the candidates were not voicing their opinions on issues relevant to the telecommunications industry. He theorized that this was because both candidates agree on many such issues. An examination of candidates' Web sites, and published reports validates this theory.

Issues of relevance to the wireless industry are many. One is the shortage of engineers, which affects all tech sectors. According to the official Bush campaign Web site, Bush "supports a dramatic increase in the caps on H-1B visas for temporary, high-skilled workers."

Gore also favors increasing the cap, 115,000 this year, to 200,000 and would extend that increase for several years. The cap was met this year in March. Without increases, next year's cap could be met as early as January, experts predict.

The candidates differ, however, on how to accomplish the cap increase. Bush supports a bill focused on the H-1B issue. Gore supports the Clinton administration's view that an increase in skilled-worker visas should be coupled with an extension of amnesty to Latinos who entered the United States illegally as recently as 1986.

Access to wireless phones in rural areas is one point raised in Gore's 191-page platform. Under the category of "agriculture issues," the plan states, "Technology has brought the freedom of wireless telephones to many in rural America. Al Gore helped bring about a new revolution in wireless phones by delivering the deciding vote on our 1993 Economic Plan, which allowed the FCC to auction the spectrum needed to deliver this new phone service. Although this helped drive down wireless-phone prices by more than 40% in the last three years, rural Americans still need more affordable service and better coverage, and Gore is committed to helping bring it to them."

As wireless and the Internet converge, the issue of privacy gains importance. Both candidates claim to be leading the online privacy charge. Bush supports "opt-in" privacy guidelines, prohibiting contact with Internet users who do not expressly ask to be contacted. Gore's proposal on this count, an "Electronic Bill of Rights for Privacy," would inform consumers how and why their personal information was collected and empower individuals to block the transfer of that data to third parties.

Both candidates support the moratorium on Internet taxes, an issue affecting m-commerce. But again they diverge on process. Bush wants congress to extend the current moratorium up to five years. Gore doesn't support a specific time-frame extension. Gore calls for a permanent international "cyberspace duty-free zone."

When it comes to trade issues, Gore's platform states that the candidate, if elected, "would ensure that export controls are updated to avoid unnecessary restrictions on high-tech exports in sectors such as computers, telecommunications equipment, semiconductors and encryption software."

And speaking of equipment, the vice president's platform includes a pledge to "ensure that the tax code accurately reflects the rapid obsolescence of high-tech equipment."

In a section focused entirely on the telecommunications industry, Gore makes a laundry list of promises, most of which center around fostering competition.

"Since the passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, competition has helped create 230,000 new jobs and $30 billion in private investment, making the telecommunications industry an engine of America's economic growth," the platform states. The vice president also vows to "ensure that an adequate spectrum is available for `third generation' wireless services capable of providing voice, video and high-speed data."

On a more personal level, Gore is probably a bigger tech-head than Bush. It is well known that the vice president manages his personal information on a PDA. And although most voters by now realize that Gore did not personally invent the Internet, several technology professors and executives have acknowledged the vice president's important role in supporting the Internet and research that lead to its creation.

It has been reported that Gore is favored by Marc Andreessen, Netscape Communications co-founder. Similarly, Bush has a high-tech council of executives that includes John Chambers, Cisco Systems chief executive and Michael Dell, Dell Computer CEO.