Senate Minority Whip Harry Reid, D-NV, and co-chair of a Senate high-tech policy group, held several privacy forums with constituents during the Senate's break last week. One was held at the Community College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas, and the other with the Reno Chamber of Commerce. The forums focused on whether online businesses should allow consumers to opt-out of sharing or reselling personally identifiable information, what the financial industry is doing to prevent consumer identity theft of Social Security numbers, credit cards and bank account information, whether online businesses should provide notice to consumers of the collection and use of their personal information and what Nevada's businesses are doing to protect the states' consumers. Reid does not believe that privacy legislation will make it through Congress this year because of the complexity of the issue and because the industry should be given more time to implement its self-regulation plans. However, legislation could happen several years from now if businesses don't succeed in protecting consumers, a Reid staff aide said. Prior to holding the forums, Reid visited with several Texas high-tech companies, arranged by Texas TechNet, according to the bipartisan lobbying group.

Privacy issues also will be in the air at the Senate Democrat policy lunch on Tuesday. Members have invited Rhett Dawson, head of the Information Technology Industry Council, Dan Hoydysh, director of Unysis' Washington office, and Ken Kay, chairman of Infotech Strategies, to talk about the various legislative proposals on privacy, according to a Senate Democrat staff member. On Wednesday, privacy again is the topic when DoubleClick President Kevin Ryan flies into town to take part in a Forum on Technology and Innovation discussion on the issue. Also attending is Jason Catlett, CEO of Junkbusters.

Texas Gov. George W. Bush's campaign for president is getting a new high-tech guru to work on policy development. Tim Adams, managing director of the G7 Group in DC, has been working on high-tech issues for the campaign informally for the past year, but will join the campaign officially next month in Austin. Adams helped the campaign craft its high-tech council, which is led by Dell Computer founder Michael Dell and Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers. The Bush campaign also said it is reaching out to prominent Republican strategists in DC including Ed Gillespie, who has been a lobbyist for TechNet and was executive director of Americans for Computer Privacy, a coalition that successfully lobbied to loosen federal encryption controls. They also are asking for advice from Haley Barbour, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, who also has been lobbying Congress on behalf of Microsoft.

The Software and Information Industry Association has hired Ted Karle as its new electronic commerce lobbyist, to focus on Internet taxes, privacy, international trade and consumer protection. Prior to SIIA, Karle worked for the U.S. Internet Council as a government affairs associate. At the council, Karle worked on educational and outreach programs for federal and state legislators.

In the next several weeks, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-VA, and other House GOP high-tech leaders such as Rep. David Dreier, R-CA and Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-LA, are planning a trip to Silicon Alley in New York, to visit with the newly formed Silicon Alley Political Action Network. Headed by GovWorks.com CEO Kaleil Tuzman, the Network has been working to create a more unified New York high-tech policy community. So far companies involved include Kozmo.com, Flooz.com, Vault.com, AlleyCat News, The Endeavor Initiative, and MagicBeanStalk.com. "We're really excited to talk to this new group," said an NRCC staff member.

Twelve members of the moderate Republican group, the Republican Main Street Partnership, headed to Silicon Valley this week to participate in a jam-packed tour of high-tech companies and visit with executives including Alza Pharmaceutical CEO Ernest Mario, Xilinx President and CEO Wim Roelandts, ZapMe CEO Rick Inatome, Intel general counsel Tom Dunlap, eBay CEO Meg Whitman, TransAmerica Chairman Ken Derr and then visit Cisco Systems Network Academy. Members also were scheduled to participate in a lunch discussion with executives from Grassroots.com, OneDemocracy.com and Broad Daylight.com and attend a dinner hosted by the National Venture Capital Association. Members who were scheduled for the trip included Rep. Amo Houghton, R-NY, Rep. Judy Bigger, R-IL, Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-CT, Rep. Jim Walsh, R-NY, Rep. Charlie Bass, R-NH, Rep. Mike Castle, R-DE, Rep. Vern Ehlers, R-MI, Rep. Rick Lazio, R-NY, Rep. Fred Upton, R-MI, and Rep. Doug Ose, R-CA. The trip is being arranged in part by TechNet.

On April 26, Intel is hosting a roundtable discussion on trade and policy, and House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-TX, is the key speaker. Intel's No. 1 issue is getting Congress to pass permanent normal trade relations with China and the House GOP leadership has been supportive of its effort.

TechNet members are hosting several upcoming fundraisers including its annual political action committee dinner on May 11 that will take place this year at Oracle. Money raised goes to TechNet's bipartisan PAC which generally supports incumbent candidates who have promoted high-tech initiatives. Cisco CEO John Chambers will host a fundraiser on June 10 at his home for California Republican Assemblyman Jim Cunneen, the GOP nominee in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Tom Campbell, R-CA, according to Cunneen.

CapNet, the DC-area's regional high-tech bipartisan lobbying group, has hosted a number of trips to Northern Virginia companies for House members. Next month, it is focusing on the Senate. On May 2, CapNet will host a technology forum with Sen. Rick Santorum, R-PA, at the offices of Dyer, Ellis & Joseph and on May 12, will host a forum for Sen. Ron Wyden, D-OR, at Manatt, Phelps and Phillips. New Democrats in the Senate also have asked CapNet members to speak on high-tech issues for a members' policy lunch on May 23.

Jefferson Government Relations has hired former Rep. Gene Green's, D-TX, legislative assistant Walter Gonzales as a director, to lobby on telecommunications, technology and e-commerce issues. Among Jefferson's clients is AllAdvantage.com, an Internet marketing company, whose CEO Jim Jorgenson hosted a fundraiser for the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee. Jorgensen's wife Bridget owns the Summit Consulting Group, which will be taking part of its profit to donate to the Why Me Foundation, and other Jefferson clients, aimed at narrowing the digital divide.

America Online's Ted Leonsis and Proxicom's Raul Fernandez are hosting a dinner organized by the Northern Virginia Technology Council on Tuesday evening. The event is titled "NVTC's Techstravaganza 2000: The Sport of Technology. Leonsis and Fernandez own the Washington Capitals hockey team and are minority owners of the Washington Wizards. Other companies hosting the dinner include EDS, Morrison & Foerster, and ePresence.

Looking for a job? Priceline.com is searching around DC for a lobbyist to focus on e-commerce and patent issues. Cisco Systems is planning to open a European governmental affairs office, and Apple Computer is looking to replace a government affairs person who focused on state regulatory issues.

- by Bara Vaida