A response to Bleha’s Down to the Wire by Philip J. Weiser, along with a rebuttal by Bleha. Abstract:
Like monetary policy and antitrust regulation, telecommunications policy is a major driver of economic growth rarely debated in public. During the last presidential campaign, for example, issues related to the United States’ technological leadership were either marginalized or ignored altogether. By highlighting the importance of this overlooked topic, Thomas Bleha ("Down to the Wire," May/June 2005) performs an important public service. Unfortunately, in criticizing Washington’s approach to the issue, he misidentifies the challenge and offers a problematic solution.The essence of Bleha’s argument is that under President George W. Bush, the United States dropped "the Internet leadership baton," allowing Japan to "pick it up" and guide broadband innovation.