Hillary Clinton is expected to discuss her tech objectives during a visit Tuesday with Galvanize, a startup incubator. | AP Photo Clinton to unveil tech agenda In a 14-page draft of Clinton’s technology platform, obtained by POLITICO, she wades into some of the most pressing issues facing Silicon Valley.

Hillary Clinton is preparing to release a "technology and innovation" agenda as soon as this week that strongly defends net neutrality, calls for a special commission to study encryption and commits to bringing broadband to 100 percent of U.S. households by 2020.

In a 14-page draft of Clinton’s technology platform, obtained by POLITICO on Monday, the presumptive Democratic nominee wades into some of the most pressing issues facing Silicon Valley, from the future of surveillance to the treatment of Uber drivers. And she lays out her broad belief that new tools and services — from fitness trackers to self-driving cars — will “not only boost economic growth, [but] it will lead to immeasurable social benefits” in areas like health, education and energy.


Clinton's agenda strongly backs the FCC's net neutrality rules, designed to ensure internet providers treat all web traffic equally, and she pledges to "defend these rules in court and continue to enforce them” if elected president. The telecom industry has promised to appeal a recent decision by a federal court upholding the FCC's order.

The Democratic candidate also sets an ambitious goal to bring affordable, high-speed internet service to all U.S. households by the end of her first term, citing the success of the White House’s efforts on this front over the past seven years, and pledges to back internet freedom efforts worldwide.

And her platform supports the creation of a special commission to study whether law enforcement should have greater access to encrypted devices and communications — a frequent tension point between the FBI and tech giants like Apple. Previously, Clinton has called for a “Manhattan-like Project” to review the issue.

Clinton is expected to discuss her tech objectives during visit on Tuesday with Galvanize, a startup incubator based in Denver. The Clinton campaign declined to comment on the appearance or her broader tech policy platform.

The draft agenda spans a wide array of tech and telecom policy matters — from suggestions on wonky topics, like how to hang telephone cables on poles, to more pressing questions about the future of cybersecurity. It stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump, who has said little on tech policy — but devoted plenty of rhetoric to slamming Silicon Valley’s top companies and executives.

Many of Clinton's proposals correspond with initiatives she championed while secretary of state and priorities advanced during the Obama administration. But her platform also offers up some new ideas, like the appointment of a chief innovation adviser, who would aim to “reduce federal regulatory barriers” that face startups and larger tech companies, helping them ensure new medical devices, for example, can come to market more quickly.

Clinton would support dedicating new federal funds to research the world of digitally connected devices known as the Internet of Things. Her platform would also have federal agencies research how they can use such technologies to save money and improve their work.

And in broad strokes, it wades into the battle over the rights and benefits that should be afforded to Uber or Lyft drivers and other workers in the gig economy, who are not technically full-time employees. Generally, Clinton would call for a “high level working group of experts, business and labor leaders” to review the issue.

Many of the document’s proposals would get a welcome reception in Silicon Valley — such as Clinton’s support for patent reform, a priority for tech giants that have looked to ward off a tide of "patent troll" lawsuits in recent years.

Clinton also endorses the continued existence of the U.S. Digital Service, the troop of federal IT experts created under Obama to prevent digital failures like the one that engulfed HealthCare.gov. And, in a nod to "netroots" internet activists, she affirms her opposition to bills like the Stop Online Piracy Act, a now-dead copyright bill that drew a massive online protest in 2012.