What will President Obama’s State of the Union mean for the Internet?
January 20, 2015
In his State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama will be putting forward a number of programs that could change the web in profound ways. Here’s what you can expect to hear about:
- A community broadband war is coming: President Obama’s new broadband plan includes federal programs that would provide training, technical support, loans, and more to underserved areas. What’s gotten the most attention, though, is his call to end or modify 19 state laws that make building municipal networks harder.
- Will President Obama mention net neutrality?: There’s not much more the President can do at this point, but it’s possible he’ll make a last-ditch appeal for reclassification in his speech.
- The cybersecurity arms race heats up: The Administration's answer to recent hacks has been "information sharing", building new systems and requirements that will encourage companies to share threats on their network as they become apparent. President Obama's threat-sharing proposal improves on CISPA by proposing new privacy guidelines, but that measure hasn't been enough to satisfy critics.
- More data privacy rules: President Obama is interested in more protections for sensitive consumer data, asking Congress to give companies firmer rules about when they have to notify customers about these hacks (a 30-day deadline) and to criminalize "illicit overseas trade in identities".
- Anti-hacking laws might get even worse: President Obama has already announced new revisions to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, one of the most hated laws in the tech world.
- The wild card: There’s always the chance the President will throw in something unexpected, whether it’s NSA reform or more net neutrality rabble-rousing.
What will President Obama’s State of the Union mean for the Internet?