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Where There's The Digital Divide, Irving's Not Far Behind
Newly-minted Department of Commerce alumnus Larry Irving spoke to a group about the digital divide and his future plans. At an all-day conference organized by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Irving, who held an undersecretary post, keynoted a luncheon on his most recent specialty: the digital gap.
After joking about how his life has changed (no longer receiving a steady paycheck), Irving said that he left at the right time — "after something (he) really cared about got published." Admitting that "Falling Through The Net: Defining The Digital Divide" put him on the telecom industry's radar screen, Irving also informed the audience of his latest endeavors.
In addition to starting up Irving Information, a consulting firm that will provide international e-commerce advice, he mentioned his interest in forming the No Divide Coalition. The goal of the cooperative would be to lower the cost of technology for those who cannot currently afford it. Irving said he would formally announce the program by year’s end.
Also speaking at "Resolving The Digital Divide: Information, Access, And Opportunity," were Keith Fulton, director of technology programs and policy at the National Urban League, Paula Bagasso, director of information technology research at the Tomas Rivera Policy Center in California, and attorney James Casey of Morrison & Foerster. Casey gave a lively lecture on remedying the digital divide.
"We have to define the divide. What the hell is it?" he asked. "Money drives the Internet. Money drives the area. We need to figure out a way to make it affordable. You don’t have to figure what they’ll do with it. They’ll do that. You just need to give them access."
After six months as the public affairs director at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Mary Hanley is leaving to don the role of chief operating officer at Infotech Strategies, a small e-commerce consulting and PR firm.
"I had a wonderful time there, I was sorry I hadn’t gone there sooner or been there longer," she said. "It was a great six months."
Hanley was planning on leaving NTIA when she was asked to help Larry Irving design and launch a few projects, including that little report called "Falling Through the Net: Defining The Digital Divide." Hanley noted the importance of marketing and designing the report and recalled her shock when the printers got the coloring of the report incorrect. Instead of dark blue, the cover was supposed to have lighter, brighter colors. New ones will be issued soon, in addition to 3,000 that have already been distributed.
"I brought it to people’s attention that we should do more. That’s why it looks the way it does. We wanted people talking about it and digging deeper into the statistic," she said.
Now, Hanley is taking on a new role managing Infotech Strategies’ 16 person staff.
"I left the public sector just for the new challenge," she said. "I had been in the public sector for all of my career and this was just a wonderful opportunity to use some of my skills that I used there as part of a new high-tech world that is so exciting. I still have a public side and I still care."
Hanley tapped Ranjit deSilva, with whom she worked on the digital divide report, to serve as the acting public affairs person. Greg Rohde, who was nominated Irving's replacement but is still awaiting confirmation, will most likely appoint a permanent public affairs person.
Keeping his word that he intended to fill high-ranking positions with equally qualified individuals, Commerce Secretary William Daley has appointed John F. Sopko deputy assistant secretary of commerce for export enforcement in the Bureau of Export Administration. As the highest-ranking employee at the BXA’s Export Enforcement division, Sopko will oversee the implementation of export control laws and investigations into any violations. Sopko most recently served as the Commerce Department’s chief counsel on special matters, handling a wide range of legal issues and representing a number of governmental agencies. "John has the vision, leadership to lead Export Enforcement into the new millennium," Amanda DeBusk, assistant secretary for export enforcement, said in a statement.
Silicon Valley's Rep. Tom Campbell, R-CA, has decided to consider a shot at running for the Senate. Campbell is to announce Tuesday that he is forming an exploratory committee to position himself for running against Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, in November 2000. Campbell, 47, is considered a moderate Republican who is pro-choice and fiscally conservative, according to newspaper reports. The exploratory committee will allow Campbell to raise funds while stopping short of declaring his candidacy. Campbell was a constitutional law professor at Stanford University and first won election in the San Jose area in 1988. According to the Los Angeles Times, Campbell wrote the successful 1996 initiative that established California's open primary system and helped him win connections to Silicon Valley donors. Campbell was criticized by some in Silicon Valley for his vote in 1998 to support two articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton and was expected to face a tough re-election bid for his House seat because of that vote, the LA Times said.
The Department of Justice is losing its point man on matters involving crimes of the computer kind. After eight years, Scott Charney is leaving his post as chief of the computer crime and intellectual property division to work at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Charney developed the unit in 1991, which as a sign of the times has grown from a five-person shop to a 23-person staff.
Compaq Computer CEO Michael Capellas rounded up high-tech execs in the Lone Star State last Tuesday to promote a relatively young lobbying group. Lloyd Benson III, chairman of the Houston Technology Center; Andrew Busey, CEO of Living.com; Robert Hatcher, an attorney with Vincent & Elkins; and Tom Fornoff of Human Code joined Capellas for a breakfast meeting to recruit members for Technology Network's Texas "node," TechNet Texas. Roberta Katz, president of TechNet, Silicon Valley's bipartisan lobbying organization, attended the breakfast held at Compaq headquarters outside of Houston, to talk about the importance of building relationships with elected officials on the national and state level. The Texas legislature won't meet again until 2001, as it only meets every two years. TechNet Texas has yet to determine what issues it intends to focus on. In September, at the formal launch of TechNet Texas, Katz also said TechNet is considering opening satellite offices in the Rocky Mountain area, Route 128 in Massachusetts, the Pacific Northwest and Southern California.
Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers and his wife hosted a fundraiser for Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-CA, at their home in Los Altos Hills Saturday, Oct. 23. About 100 people came, committing to raising about $200,000 for Eshoo's 2000 campaign at the event organized in part by Technology Network. Eshoo has been active on WTO, digital signature and accounting issues in Congress, all of which concern the high-tech industry. Eshoo's district, which includes Palo Alto, is the home of many high-tech executives.
Tax man Mark Nebergall is heading a new lobbying group called the Software Finance and Tax Executives Council. Leaving his post as vice president of the Software & Information Industry Association, Nebergall now will attempt to protect electronic commerce from what he says are unstable federal tax code requirements. In other high-tech lobbying news, on behalf of small Internet firms, the U.S. Internet Service Providers Alliance has been formed to stop high-tech companies, such as the Baby Bells, from launching independent Internet access companies. President of the Commercial Internet eXchange Association (CIX) Barbara Dooley will serve as the group's acting director. CIX members include AT&T, MCI WorldCom and Sprint.
Minnesota's Jesse Ventura became the first U.S. governor to put his electronic John Hancock on a document, commencing Digital Signature Day. Ventura and Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer co-signed the document announcing the special day, which represents two years of work in the secretary’s office to make such technology possible. Enabling the technology are cryptographic smart cards created to store the digital signatures. The state’s agencies currently are using digital signatures, but the private sector will have to wait until November to try them out.
The acronym is the same, but the name is different. The United States Telephone Association has made a few changes, including a new leader and a new name. Proving that one word can make a world of difference, the group has changed its name to the United States Telecom Association. And with the change comes the appointment of senior vice president for government relations at Bell Atlantic, Thomas J. Tauke, as the association’s chairman. "I am pleased that Tom has taken up this challenge," said Roy Neel, USTA president and CEO. "I look forward to working with him as, together, we bring USTA into the 21st century." Tauke expressed his interest in taking on a greater role in the ever-changing industry. "Technology and the marketplace are transforming our industry. You just can’t find a plain old telephone company any more. Now our trade association must transform itself to better reflect the new face of the telecom industry," he said in a statement.
It was a big week for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which recently had the task of voting on board nominations. But it was an even bigger week for Louis Touton who was triple crowned the organization’s vice president, general counsel and secretary. Just in time for its first annual meeting in Los Angeles, Touton will be responsible for handling all of ICANN’s legal matters, starting November 1. "The members of the ICANN Board and I are extremely pleased that Louis joining ICANN," said interim chairwoman of the ICANN board Esther Dyson. "His professional credentials are impeccable, but in addition he is a pleasure to work with and has already invested a great deal of professional and personal time in understanding the challenges and work ahead for ICANN." Touton joins ICANN from bi-coastal firm of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, where he has handled intellectual property matters for high-tech clients after joining the firm in 1981. Proving his dedication to the cause, Touton waived his salary from ICANN for his first fiscal year of service ending June 30, 2000.
Intel and Microsoft are joining the Dow Jones industrial average, which will then boast four technology components. The two computer giants are the first Nasdaq stocks chosen by The Wall Street Journal for its 103-year-old market indicator. The changes announced Tuesday are the first since 1997. The two companies will join IBM and Hewlett-Packard. Shares of SBC, the country's biggest local phone company, also will be listed on the blue-chip index. The former Southwestern Bell is the nation's biggest deliverer of Internet access. Home Depot also is being added to the Dow, with the new group of four replacing Sears Roebuck, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Chevron and Union Carbide. The changes take effect Nov. 1.
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