Last week the Innovation Technology and Information Foundation released a report comparing the expected policies and platforms of President Barack Obama, Governor Mitt Romney, and the Republican and Democratic parties in a number of areas including broadband, special access, and spectrum. Here is a summation of the findings in the report.

On broadband, specifically a digital infrastructure, President Obama has promoted a robust wireless and wireline broadband infrastructure capable of supporting an enhanced electrical grid, health care, and education. The Romney campaign has not articulated a position on the nation’s digital infrastructure.

The Obama Administration would like to see high-speed wireless capability within reach of 98% of Americans. The Romney campaign has not taken a position on expanding high-speed wireless access, but current FCC members agree with Democrats on the issue of modernizing the Universal Service Fund mechanism to support access to broadband.

In the area of special access, the Democratic majority on the FCC supports suspending deregulation of special access, while Republicans want to see deregulation continued.

Republicans and Democrats agree that the USF should be modernized so that rural and underserved households receive greater access to broadband services.

Republicans are opposed to the FCC’s net neutrality rules that were imposed in December 2010. Democrats, including the President, have been steadfast about removing the rules. While Democrats would like to see net neutrality rules not applied to wireless services, Republicans want the same forbearance for both broadband wireline and wireless services.

Can we really say we see any surprises?

Seems like presumptive Republican Party presidential nominee Willard M. Romney has a ways to go to catch up with incumbent Barack H. Obama in terms of a social media presence, according to Investors.com. Mr. Romney allegedly has 251,000 followers on the micro-blog platform, Twitter. On the social networking behemoth, Facebook, Mr. Romney has 1.6 million “friends”.

Mr. Obama is doing better on both platforms. Mr. Obama has allegedly 14.6 million disciples on Twitter while his Facebook acquaintances number approximately 26 million.

It’s not surprising that Mr. Obama would have a commanding lead in the social media world. He has shown his preference for connectivity via technology ever since entering the White House and making arrangements for a special Blackberry that would allow him to stay connected while keeping people with ill will at bay.

Also given Mr. Obama’s relative youth and being a member of a minority demographic that makes disproportionate use of cellphones and Twitter, not only should we find Mr. Obama to be a proponent of social media use, but we should also expect him to exploit it to its fullest.

It’s not to say that Mittens can’t catch up. At this juncture it’s about how you leverage those social media resources versus how many Twitter followers are making you feel like Jesus.

The Federal Reserve isn’t the only agency that gets hamstrung by a dual mandate.

In its effort to provide wireless carriers with greater access to spectrum, the Obama Administration and the FCC fell prisoner to a “dual mandate.” First, there is the duty to get a national resource into the hands of those placing highest value on it. Second, there is the desire to fill federal coffers.

The second mandate has squelched the first. Signaling that there would be so many restrictions on carriers getting spectrum kept dampened efficient transfer of this resource to wireless carriers.

Allowing spectrum to go to the highest bidders while taking the handcuffs off of mergers is the Administration and FCC’s best bet.

The Wall Street Journal reported last Saturday about President Obama’s discomfort with the Stop Online Piracy Act. Seems even if it passes Congress, Mr. Obama will veto it.

Is the Obama Administration saying it’s more concerned about protecting content delivered by rogue web sites? If what is currently on the books was effective against infringement on American copyrights, would this legislation have been brought forward? What alternative legislation has the Obama Administration offered?

Just a couple of hours ago, President Barack Obama gave the Republicans and Americans a taste of the power of social media. In remarks regarding the standoff between House Republicans and everyone else it seems, President Obama asked voters to comment on what we could use $40 a paycheck on. According to the White House, quite a few of us vented.

According to Mr. Obama, over 30,000 people left comments on Facebook or Twitter. That’s about 2,000 people per hour, said Mr. Obama. Mr. Obama also encouraged citizens to leave comments at Whitehouse.gov.

For those of us without broadband, can we afford to be left out of this important exercise in democracy?