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Alexander Invests In Tech, MIT Looks Into Crystal Ball
Former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, R, has made a significant contribution into what may be the wave of the future in Internet technology and e-commerce with an investment in Nashville-based 21e Web Network.
"I think the governor would say that 21e is a strong company, and the governor does add a tremendous amount of credibility to 21e," said 21e Network’s founder Rick Davis. "But he said he got involved in the company because it was so strong in the first place."
Davis founded the company last year with the hopes of creating a full-functioning, interactive broadcasting network on the Internet that "looks, feels and acts like TV" but is brought to users by means of broadband technology. Saying that as it stands the Internet is not as entertaining as it could be, Davis is depending on broadband technology to create the "new frontier" in Net entertainment. The public will embrace it, he predicted.
"Broadband customers are looking for content to enjoy," Davis said. "If you have a broadband connection you don’t want to see a stagnant Web site."
And to help capture the content is Alexander, who will aid in recruiting board members and companies to provide the network with programming for the venture. Davis said the short-term cost of the network is expected to fall in the $25 million to $50 million area.
If all goes as planned, next spring users will be able to purchase products as they appear on the screen with a simple click while watching their favorite programs.
Also joining 21e’s team are Bill Hagerty and Ken Wright formerly of cable operator Intermedia Partners as the company’s chief operating officer and chief technology officer, respectively. FYI, the name stands for 21st century e-commerce network.
At the National Press Club’s "Morning Newsmakers" Tuesday, James H. Keyes, the new chairman of the National Association of Manufacturers, spoke about educating policymakers, the public and the media about technology’s impact on the economy. "To continue the economic success we’ve been enjoying, to maintain high levels of productivity and product quality, we need public policies at the federal and state levels that support what I like to call the Four T’s of economic growth — lower taxes, advanced technology, expanded trade and continuous workforce training," he said. Keyes also spoke about key issues that will remain at the top of association’s agenda, including a more effective employment visa program with higher caps for highly-skilled foreign workers, a permanent R&D tax credit, patent law reformation, modernization of export control laws on all high-tech products, and polices that promote e-commerce. "On most of these issues support from the administration is the needed ingredient," Keyes said.
When the Office of the President's National Science and Technology Council set out to staff its committee on science, it dipped straight into the reserves of the National Science Foundation. NSF Director Dr. Rita Colwell has been named one of the committee’s chairs, and Deborah Crawford, a staff associate at NSF’s Office of Integrative Activities, has been tapped to fill the position of executive secretary of the committee.
After a two-year hiatus from SBC Communications, Timothy McKone has boomeranged back to the company as vice president of congressional affairs. Serving as the executive director of federal relations, lobbying on telecommunications issues from 1993-1997, McKone's new title means that he will be handling SBC's Capitol Hill efforts, reporting to Robert Ferguson, SBC’s president of federal relations. Previously, Ferguson was a partner at Davis, Manafort, where he handled accounts for the United States Telephone Association and Comsat. Prior to that, McKone worked for the 1996 Bob Dole presidential campaign and the GOP convention of the same year.
Exploring the intricacies of communications law is his specialty, and now Randy May will apply it to his new position as senior fellow and director of communications studies at the Progress and Freedom Foundation. May will oversee the program, which is designed to explore policies associated with the deregulation of the telecommunications industry and its relationship to the reformation of the Federal Communications Commission. May served as a partner with Sutherland, Asbil and Brennan in DC, and prior to that represented TV networks and broadcasters in communications-related issues.
Well-versed in the complexities of technology and telecommunications policies and issues, Marc Brailov has been appointed the manager of public communications for the American Electronic Association. Brailov brings with him a multitude of communications management experience having worked with MCI, the National Cable Television Association and the Computer & Communications Industry Association.
According to Dan Bart, vice president of standards and technology at the Telecommunications Industry Association, Jesse Russell has left "big shoes to fill." After existing under the leadership of AT&T’s Russell for more than a decade, TIA’s Wireless Communications Division has elected a new leadership. Motorola’s Jim Caile and Nortel Networks Peter MacLaren have been appointed the division’s new chairman and vice chairman, respectively, after Russell notified TIA that he did not wish to be nominated for another term due to new responsibilities at AT&T. In other TIA news, Susan Hoyler has been promoted to director of technical and regulatory affairs, and will be handling intellectual property rights requests.
You can run for president when you hit the ripe old age of 35, but when it comes to forward thinking, that's just too old at MIT. Looking ahead into the new millennium, MIT's Technology Review undertook the task of predicting the most important young innovators of the 21st century.
Among those making the list of 100 were Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen, EarthLink’s Sky Dayton, Michael Robertson of MP3.com and Jerry Yang of Yahoo.
According to John Benditt, editor-in-chief of Technology Review, each met the criteria — under 35 years old and having the potential to make important contributions to the technology industry. But what made 35 the golden number?
"We wanted to pick people less than 35 because we didn’t want to talk about the past," Benditt said. "They had to be old enough to do their work over the next two or three years, but old enough so that you can judge their past accomplishments."
The panel of 24 judges included Silicon Valley venture capitalist John Doerr, 3Com executive Bob Metcalf, along with three Nobel prize winners and the heads of the countries' two leading tech universities — Caltech and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Review chose young hopefuls from five areas: hardware, software, the Web, biotech and material science. On November 4, the publication hosted a day of events to honor the tech communities’ best and brightest.
But the list should not be taken as gospel.
"It’s very difficult. We don’t claim that we picked the top 100 young innovators," Benditt cautioned. "We picked those from whom you will hear again. They will make a significant contribution to the future of technology."
From the founders of National Journal’s Hotline comes FreedomChannel.com. Doug Bailey and Roger Craver launched the non-profit Web site Monday, which uses broadband technology to provide video-on-demand coverage of the 2000 elections. The site will feature issue statements on pertinent matters by presidential, congressional and gubernatorial candidates. Advocacy groups, political parties, political action committees and policy organizations are also encouraged to participate. Also available on the site are links to the candidates Web pages, daily campaign news briefs and candidate biographies. Among the site’s sponsors are Yahoo! and the Freedom Foundation.
Shortly after a controversial and costly investment in a high-tech company, San Jose Mercury New columnist Chris Nolan has resigned. The "Talk is Cheap" columnist has filed suit for sexual discrimination, retaliatory firing and unequal pay with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, according to Reuters. Covering the ins and outs of the computer industry since 1997, Nolan was suspended in July after The Wall Street Journal reported that she made $9,000 from investing in the Internet company Autoweb.com at an insider’s price compliments of Dean DeBiase, the company’s chief executive. While Nolan maintained that the Autoweb executive was an old friend and that she had no intention of writing about the company in future columns, the Merc transferred her to a lower paying position saying that the murky dealings appeared to be a conflict of interest. Reuters also reported that Nolan has accepted an offer from The New York Post to write a column on Silicon Valley beginning December.