Obama’s VP Pick – Bad for Online Community?

This is a very interesting angle to the 2008 Presidential Race.  John McCain could potentially get a leg up on the tech-savvy community by going after Barack Obama’s running-mate Joe Biden for his past Senate voting record against Net Neutrality.

According to CNET, “On Net neutrality, Biden has sounded skeptical. In 2006, he indicated that no preemptive laws were necessary because if violations do happen, such a public outcry will develop that ‘the chairman will be required to hold this meeting in this largest room in the Capitol, and there will be lines wandering all the way down to the White House.’ Obama, on the other hand, has been a strong supporter of handing pre-emptive regulatory authority to the Federal Communications Commission.”

In multiple cases, Joe Biden has also sided with the FBI, Hollywood, and the RIAA regarding Copyright law.  In fact, according to CNET, “Biden was one of only four U.S. senators invited to a champagne reception in celebration of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act hosted by the MPAA’s Jack Valenti, the RIAA, and the Business Software Alliance…”

This is an issue that could have long-term repercussions in the online industry, even the affiliate marketing and online advertising industries could eventually feel the shockwaves.  If Biden starts pushing Bills to side with everyone but the little guy, who’s going to be next?  Affiliate Marketers?  Online entrepreneurs?  It’s a scary thing when you start to mess with Net Neutrality (which I am a big supporter of).

We need to take action to make sure that the free internet stays free in the years to come, especially as it becomes more and more a part of our daily lives and our livelihood.  You can read the more at Adotas and CNET.