Say what you want about Hillary Clinton, but if she is to be elected into the White House, she has ambitious tech plans for the country, according to a 14-page leaked memo.
Clinton’s “technology and innovation” agenda aims to bring high-speed broadband cable internet to every American household by 2020. She also plans to re-examine encryption and law enforcement access to encrypted devices, support the FCC on net neutrality, and work with Silicon Valley on examining surveillance methods, patent reforms and Uber driver treatment.
Bringing high-speed internet to every household will be no small task. Given there is, as of July 2015, around 130 million homes in the US, and factoring in existing infrastructure, just what exactly qualifies as high-speed broadband internet?. By definition it’s “services that provide bit-rates considerably higher than that available using 56 kbit/s.”
By scaling internet access out for all American households, Clinton has also said she will try to break the broadband monopolies, such as AT&T, to lower prices and allow competitor like Google Fiber to get their foot in the door.
Facilitating law enforcement access to encrypted devices might be difficult as well, given the recent history Apple and the FBI have over the mass shooting in San Bernardino. As recently as December 2015, Clinton stated she would like to see law enforcement officials and tech companies work together toward a solution.
To date, Clinton has raised $2.7 million from Silicon Valley donations, with Obama’s 2013 re-election campaign getting more than $13 million. With her support for net neutrality this figure should rise. In comparison, Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has only managed to raise $22,000 from Silicon Valley donations.
Source: Raw Story | Image via Getty Images
Editor"s note: This article was amended after publication to correct the spelling of Hillary Clinton"s first name.