Technology Not Part of Bush’s Speech

Conn Carroll / January 28, 2008

According to eWeek’s Roy Mark, the word “Internet” has never appeared in a State of the Union address by George W. Bush. Nor has the word “broadband.” Or “digital.” Or “spectrum.” “Technology” has only appeared about a dozen times in the seven previous speeches, reports the online journal. The President kept these streaks alive tonight.

Now, it’s not like Internet policy should trump the Iraq war or entitlement reform as a topic of interest. But it’s also not like the field is devoid of important policy issues: from the threat of network neutrality regulation to Internet taxation to the (just-begun) auction of $10 billion worth of new radio spectrum, there’s plenty that could have benefited from presidential nod in the right policy direction. “This has been an administration that has been largely missing in action” on these issues, said Adam Thierer, a former Heritage analyst and now a fellow at the Progress and Freedom Foundation.