Bush, Kerry Agree on P2P

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
Date: October 22, 2004 9:24:23 PM EDT
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Bush, Kerry Agree on P2P
Reply-To: dewayne () warpspeed com

 October 22, 2004
Bush, Kerry Agree on P2P
 By  Roy Mark
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3425321

 President Bush and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) may be highlighting their 
differences as their presidential campaigns hit the home stretch, but 
both apparently agree on at least one technology issue.

 The solution to copyright theft over peer-to-peer (P2P) networks is 
not to be found in regulating the technology, according to their 
responses to a Washington IT trade organization's questionnaire 
released Thursday.

 For the last two years, Congress has debated a number of proposals 
aimed at slowing the trade of pirated music through file-swapping 
networks, including measures that would essentially ban the technology 
itself.

 "Blaming the technology does not address the issue. We must vigorously 
enforce intellectual property protections and prosecute the violations, 
not the technology," Bush wrote.

 Kerry responded with, "I strongly support attacking bad behavior -- 
putting child pornographers behind bars and prosecuting individuals 
engaged in mass piracy. But, regulating technology should be a last 
resort to solving any content problem."

 Kerry also wrote he was "open to examining" whether legislation is 
necessary to guarantee consumers the right to make backup copies of 
legally downloaded music or transfer media to personal devices. Bush 
chose not to address fair use rights.

 The presidential candidates were given up to 250 words to respond to a 
dozen broad, open-ended questions posed by CompTia, a 20,000-member 
organization of electronics manufacturers, software developers, telecom 
and e-commerce companies.

 The format allowed the candidates to pick and choose, as well as duck 
and chuck, on Voice over IP (define), Internet access taxes, online 
privacy and cyber security.

 Bush, for instance, took the opportunity to call for further 
deregulation of the telecom market, particularly in regards to VoIP.

 "Internet telephony by its nature relies on technology that does not 
distinguish geographic borders," Bush wrote. "This requires us to take 
a hard look at the appropriate role of federal and state regulators 
with respect to a technology that may be more similar to e-mail than to 
regular telephony, at least in the way the signal is transmitted."

 Bush's comments came just two days after Federal Communications 
Commission (FCC) Chairman Michael Powell said he would push for an FCC 
vote as early as next month to declare VoIP an interstate service and 
not subject to state rules, regulations and taxes.

[snip]


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