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Status Report On Key Internet Legislation
HardLogic writes: "Business 2.0 is running descriptions and status updates on five key high-tech bills that are currently before Congress, including the 'PNTR for China bill,' 'American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act,' 'Internet Nondiscrimination Act,' two broadband bills, and the 'Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act.'" It's nice to see that legislation doesn't all fall into the grey and hazy zone after the initial public furor, too.
...for lifting that submission off my site verbatim without crediting the person who wrote the words (aka me).
Not the world's biggest deal, but it would have been a nice gesture...
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The name of this one sent up my bullshit alarm right away.
From the article:
" One of the most pressing problems facing the Internet is the shortage of high-skilled workers. And since those workers can be found abroad, many high-tech companies are desperate to see Congress pass legislation that issues more special permits,or H-1B visas, so they can bring those workers to the United States. "
This a huuuuge load of BS. American companies want cheap labor to bring over indenured servants who spend 14 hours a day in their cubicle pounding it out for the man. Sacraficing their one and only youth in order not to be deported.
There is no IT labor shortage. There's a lack of cheap IT labor.
The bill to that needs to pass is one that creates better comsumer protection from companies trying to use the DMCA to limit consumer choices.
PNTR China Act - China has a nasty habit of starting up bulldozers and mowing down people who think freely. Why are we, a allegedly democratic part-of-the-free-world country supporting this?
Trade with the Chinese offers a much better hope of improving the human rights situation there than does economic isolation. The Soviet Union fell in large part because of the citizens' exposure to Western films and music. As trashy as our entertainment may be, it showed them that they don't *have* to live under poverty and oppression.
Also consider that trade between nations strongly improves relations between the countries, and drastically reduces the chances of the two countries being involved in armed conflict against each other. Countries who depend upon each other are less likely to bomb each other. It may be cheesy to repeat this, but no two countries that have a McDonald's have ever been at war.
I'd rather have China as a trading partner than an enemy.
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Does anyone not see a reason to just attach an admendment to the infamous 'US Code Title 47 Section 227'? ... In case you been in the dark for a long time, this is the measure to stop/prevent fax-spamming.
..Er...Well, put in any type of line (Or lack there of, eg: wireless)...
Let me take an important clip here:
2) The term ''telephone facsimile machine'' means equipment which has the capacity (A) to transcribe text or images, or both, from paper into an electronic signal and to transmit that signal over a regular telephone line, or (B) to transcribe text or images (or both) from an electronic signal received over a regular telephone line onto paper.
As far as I can figure from reading the act, that's basicly the only section that would need to be changed. I think it would just need to expressly say computers and/or any electronic form of communication. Also kill off that 'regular telephone lines' and
If anyone read this act, what are your opinions in just shaping that to make spam illegal...Now.. Not in 5 years.
Hell, I'd like to sue the sender for 500$ per transmission. The only part I really don't care for, is you need to tell them to stop sending the stuff to you. Faxing, that could be pretty easy, but ususally sending a 'remove' to a spammer magicly gets you on a 100 more lists. I'm pretty sure some bright people (Note, I didn't say politicions. I think they lack that 'bright' edge..=]) could come up with a wording that would make email users happy, and spammers scared.
Then again, in this day in age where everyone sues a company making a product, not the person mis-using it. Maybe we should just sue the people who make mass-mailing programs? =]
Heavens to betsy, there's discrimination on the internet!?!? Hurry up and pass this bill! Oh, this is about internet sales taxes? There should be criminal penalties for the way lawmakers name these p.o.s. bills. Really, they should just give me a guillotine let me have at it every year when the Congressional session ends. Then there'd be some changes, boy I tell you.
All kings is mostly rapscallions. -Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Now is the time we need to get out there and either show support or opposition to these bills. I don't have major problems with any of them (Well, except for one...), and any qualms I may have are minor.
The bill regarding H1-B visas is likely to be the trickiest to pass, and not only because of the silly additional rider that the Dems seem to want to tack onto it. There is obviously a sore lack of IT professionals in many places in the US (notably in the Washington DC area, of all places) and they need to be filled. We can debate about the merits of training new professionals and focusing high school students on these careers, but that doesn't fix the problem now. this bill won't fix it either, but it does give companies another tool with which to do so.
One of the more interesting asides about these bills regard the moratorium in internet taxes. the story states that states are "losing" money on taxes. This strikes me as funy because that money doesn't belong to the state, and never did. they aren't actually losing anything. I'm a great advocate on lowering our taxes and I think this bill is only good for the internet in general, and consumers and businesses. It's the kind of free and unrestricted trade that's really necessary, not only between the US and other countries, but between states.
The broadband bills may well become interesting, especially if the Tauzin bill becomes the one that will likely pass. As is happening more and more, markets are opening in for varieties of internet service providers, though only a few companies actually control the hardware that gets to consumers (telephone lines, cable lines, etc.). This could get interesting if the owners of these lines (right now, the phone companies) decide to take a stand on having first shot at the market ebcause they own the lines. Other companies are likely to cry foul, much like as happened with long-distance telephone service. This could shape who is available to provide broadband service, and how much it will cost in most areas. The Moynahan bill is unnessecary, IMO, because business really don't ned government incentives to get into the broadband business. there are quite a few chomping at the bit to do so already, and the government really does need to stay out of it as much as possible, again IMO.
My biggest problem is with the bill estending permament MFN status to China. We've had many problems with them, on human rights issues, trade and business issues, and, most lately, their walking away with nuclear secrets issues. It seems strange to me that we'd be willing to throw them this large a bone even though they've basically thumbed their noses at us through each issue we've had with them. I more favor a tough stand against them. The US is capable of backing up its talk, when it wants to, and now should be one of those times.
The upshot of all of this is that it's imperative, whether you support or oppose these measures, that you make your opinions well known to your representatives. Call them, write letters, and make your voice heard. it's the only way to ensure that you matter to them.
Every year, Congress has to decide if China gets "most-favored nation" treatment for trade purposes. Unfortunately, most years China is doing something obnoxious, oppressive, or both, and there's a big fight in Congress over renewal. This bill means the US gives up on nagging China about its lousy human-rights record.
This is the "200,000 more H-1 visas with the indentured servitude feature" that the less-responsible part of the high-tech industry wants. Terrible idea. Allowing those people in as permanent residents would be better; then they could change jobs. On an H-1 visa, you can't quit and stay in the U.S. Drives wages down.
A giveaway for telcos that don't want to deal with competition in local toll calls. The DSL thing is in there just to make it look like there's some public benefit.
A weak anti-spam act. Preempts state laws. No "ADV:" tag required. The DMA approves. Enough said.