Since it seems set that [mc_name name=’Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)’ chamber=’house’ mcid=’R000570′ ] will be the next Speaker of the House, it’s worth looking at where he’s stood on the big tech policy issues, to know what we’re dealing with going forward. Republicans are generally much better than Democrats on tech issues, but there are always exceptions, and weak points.

Net Neutrality: [mc_name name=’Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)’ chamber=’house’ mcid=’R000570′ ] has been on our side, against government regulation of the Internet. “The so-called “net neutrality” amendment to last week’s telecommunications bill would have brought unprecedented regulation to the internet, which is why I opposed it.”

Comprehensive Patent Reform: Again, [mc_name name=’Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)’ chamber=’house’ mcid=’R000570′ ] is on the mainstream conservative side, opposing the grab bag bill that died this Congress.

Radio: [mc_name name=’Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)’ chamber=’house’ mcid=’R000570′ ] unfortunately backed the Local Radio Freedom Act, a bill that protects a special copyright carve out for broadcasters, one that you or I don’t have the luxury of taking advantage of.

Sales Tax: [mc_name name=’Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)’ chamber=’house’ mcid=’R000570′ ] sits much where I am on this matter. He agrees with the idea that we need to do something about the sales tax base, to keep states from having to raise other taxes and match the old revenue streams (or even cut taxes). However he opposed the Senate’s bill in the past as too broad and problematic. At the time I thought it was a gross overreach.

SOPA: Another Internet bill that was a gross overreach, one that RedState took the lead in defeating when we drew a line in the sand with members we’ve gotten along with in the past. [mc_name name=’Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)’ chamber=’house’ mcid=’R000570′ ] never backed it.

In conclusion, Ryan’s been good on 4 of these 5 major issues we’ve faced. He showed weakness in one cronyist carveout, but he’s been strong in the face of others. We can do better, but we can do a whole lot worse.

Photo by Tony Alter on flickr