[Commentary] As bad as it is that Sen John McCain (R-AZ) isn't familiar with, and doesn't use, a computer for even little things, that's just a symptom of something far more serious. Use of a computer and the Internet is one thing. A whole different level of awareness are the elements and philosophy that go into making an economic and technological policy that govern how everybody else uses computers and the Internet. Unfortunately, his broad policy history isn't simply one of being oblivious. It would be actively harmful to our economy and our standing in the world because it would chill competition and innovation at least as much, if not more, than the misguided policies we have now. It's a history of siding largely with the big telephone and cable companies, of opposing an Open Internet. The more control over Internet access the big telecom companies assumed, the lower our rankings. We once had a good policy, but little by little it was taken out by former Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell, hand-picked for the FCC by McCain. With it went the competition McCain wants, so now most people have at most two choices for real Internet service, rather than the dozens we had 10 years ago. That's McCain's view, contradictions and all. Talk about deregulation and free markets, do nothing to enable competition, help the big guys. We've seen what direction that type of thinking has taken us. Perhaps if McCain were more Internet-literate he would have seen that.
