It's the Internet, Stupid

[Commentary] The good news is that presidential candidates are starting to talk about Internet issues. The bad news is that presidential candidates are starting to talk about Internet issues.

Since the 2012 election, the Internet has emerged as a widely discussed political topic. Advocates of an open and accessible Internet number in the tens of millions and include people of every political stripe living in every part of the United States. This growing community supports Net Neutrality, worries about government and corporate violations of their privacy, and believes the Internet is a crucial platform that everyone should be able to access at affordable prices. Whether you’re one of the more than 10 million people who protested congressional efforts to pass Internet-censoring copyright legislation or one of the millions who urged the Federal Communications Commission to adopt real network neutrality protections, you’re part of a growing political base that expects our elected leaders to support our rights to connect and communicate.

That’s a good thing, right? Here’s the problem. Presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle haven’t caught up with the rest of us. When facing intelligent questions about their views on important Internet issues, they just plain get it wrong most of the time.