Edwards, Huckabee Support an Open Internet, McCain Waffles

More 2008 presidential candidates are making an open and neutral Internet a part of their platform, while others prefer fence sitting, perhaps fearful to upset one of Washington's most entrenched and moneyed corporate lobbies.

As reported earlier, Democratic candidates, including Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, Christopher Dodd, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson, have staked out their support for Net Neutrality. They were joined recently by GOP candidate Mike Huckabee, who last week told a collection of bloggers that Net Neutrality must be preserved.

Meanwhile, another GOP candidate, John McCain, failed to commit one way or the other. In a calculated response, McCain told an interviewer: "Anything that impinges on the ability for people to have access needs to be considered very carefully. I worry about the consolidation of the pipes, but I will let the market and technology decide what happens."

McCain then added: "When you control the pipe you should be able to get profit from your investment."

After his many years on the Senate Commerce and Energy Committee, you'd have thought this candidate would have come up with a more decisive position.

Edwards Out Front On Spectrum

Edwards today upped the ante, calling upon the Federal Communications Commission to use the upcoming auction of public "spectrum" to make the Internet more affordable, accessible and open to everyone.

In a letter sent today, Edwards urged the federal agency to "seize the chance to transform the Internet and the future" by requiring that as much as half of the soon-to-be-available public airwaves be reserved for open access.

This spectrum would open the newest Internet platform to new entrants and innovators and allow them to prove themselves in the market by offering better products to consumers.

Edwards also asked the FCC to require that anyone who wins rights to use the public airwaves should not "discriminate among data and services and to allow any device to be attached to their service."

The FCC should be extremely guarded against handing over our wireless Internet to the same network giants that are acting in bad faith to stifle competition and innovation on wired lines. (Click here to take action on this issue).

These companies, including AT&T, Verizon and Comcast, have already stated their desire to become the Internet's gatekeepers -- to not only control your access to the Internet's "pipes" but also your ability to connect to content that travels through them.

Access to communications technology deserves a prominent place, alongside healthcare, education and taxes in the public discourse in the run-up to the 2008 elections. If our country's next leader can't help get more Americans connected to fast, open and affordable Internet, we all stand to lose.

We all should challenge each candidate to take a stand on issues of neutrality, openness, access and affordability.

It's good to see today that at least one of them is already taking the lead.