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Sillicon Valley, Sillicon Alley and Microsoft too!
One traditional economy government relations firm that is aggressively making the push into the new economy is Denny Miller McBee Associates (http://www.dennymillermcbee.com/index.htm). The firm has long handled lobbying in the defense industry, but recent picked up several new tech clients, including a few owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, Cray Computers and the NetCoalition, an association of some of the nation's best-known Internet companies. "We are trying to move aggressively into the high-tech and biotech industries…we recognize where the growth is," said principal Steve McBee. Among the Paul Allen companies are ClicktoLearn.com, NetSchools, Apex.com, Beyond.com and Cybersource.com. "This is an incredibly interesting time because technology is move faster than policy…and there is a lot of education that needs to be done," McBee said.
Hewlett Packard's director of federal public policy and former Palo Alto, CA, mayor Gary Fazzino was named as the company's top policy strategist last week. Officially, his title is now director of corporate government affairs, replacing Bob Kirkwood who retired after several decades at the company. Fazzino plans to hire another lobbyist to focus on federal affairs in DC. Hewlett Packard was among the first high tech companies to open an office in DC, long before the explosion of the Internet in 1995 and the industry gained a high profile in Washington.
Another company expanding offices is DoubleClick, New York's largest Internet firm and among the nation's biggest Internet advertising companies. They are looking to add a Republican lobbyist to their staff to complement Josh Isay, former chief of staff to Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, who came on board in January.
National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-VA, traveled to New York to meet with technology leaders in downtown New York, also known as Silicon Alley. A group of high-tech executives are working with other high-tech leaders in the Northeast to create an East Coast version of TechNet, according to Patrick Comer, chief of staff at GovWorks.com. "We will reach out to TechNet but we want to get our resource base defined," Comer said. TechNet is Silicon Valley's bipartisan lobbying group and has done much to raise the profile and political power of the region's businesses. "We made the pitch to Silicon Alley" that Republicans support high-tech, Davis said of the trip. At the meeting, he passed out a voting guide that was put together by the Information Technology Industry Council which demonstrates the GOP leadership voted 100 percent for high-tech issues ITI's member companies focus on.
Last Thursday, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-OR, spoke to members of CapNet, the DC region's high-tech lobbying group where he discussed China trade, digital signatures and H-1B visas. At the discussion, Wyden expressed confidence that permanent normal trade relations with China and digital signatures legislation would pass the House and Senate. He also detailed his ideas on lifting H-1B visas. "Sen. Wyden detailed his ideas regarding the H-1B visa process and his advocacy of lifting the visa cap permanently with the agreement from U.S. companies to increase their investment in education and go through a 'one-step' certification process to ensure the company requesting the visa has gone through 'exhaustive measures' to search for a U.S. worker to fill the position," CapNet Federal Affairs Director Tim Hugo said in a statement. Executives from America Online, Network Solutions Inc., COVAD Communications, Intel Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, ZillaCast.com, Dittus Communications, Sony, Fedcenter.com, Dyer Ellis & Joseph, and CapUNET, Zurich Financial Services, and COMPTIA attended the session, hosted by the law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.
Ahead of the FTC privacy report that was released this week, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-VT, chairman of the Senate Privacy Task Force, Sen. John Kerry, D-MA, chairman of the Democratic Steering and Coordination Committee on Thursday hosted a briefing on online privacy featuring Tatiana Gau, America Online's vice president for integrity assurance, Mike Nelson, IBM's director of Internet technology, and Marc Berejka, Microsoft manager of federal affairs. Approximately 30 Democratic staffers attended the meeting to discuss the implications privacy legislation may have on the Internet, e-commerce and the privacy policies of leading companies like AOL, IBM and Microsoft.
'Tis the season for fundraising in Silicon Valley as the November election is drawing closer. Last Saturday, Sen. John Kerry, D-MA, attended a fundraiser held at the home of Novell CEO Eric Schmidt. About 20 or 25 executives were invited to meet Kerry and discuss policy. On June 1, House Science Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-WI, is heading to the Bay Area. On June 23, Vice President and presidential aspirant Al Gore is scheduled to attend a Democrat National Committee luncheon in Palo Alto and then a larger fundraising dinner for the DNC in San Francisco. He follows presidential candidate George W. Bush, who is attending a Republican National Committee fundraiser to be hosted by Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers on June 19. At the end of the month, TechNet, the region's bipartisan lobbying group, tentatively is working on another fundraiser for Sen. Spencer Abraham, R-MI, who is in a tough re-election fight against challenger Rep. Debbie Stabenow, D-MI.
House Science Committee Deputy Press Secretary Meredith Windsor announced that she has left the Hill to move to New York to work for Burson-Marstellar, handling corporate press relations. "Having lived in Washington my entire life, I am greatly looking forward to the new experiences and new challenges this move will bring," Windsor said. Other recent staff departures include Ray Fitzgerald, who was project director at the committee, and is now the legislative director for Rep. John Shimkus, R-IL, and Melissa Murray, who was staff assistant and left to handle public policy for the American Association of Engineering Society.
The American Electronics Association will honor Sen. Robert Bennett, R-UT, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-OR; Rep. Thomas Davis, R-VA, and Rep. James Moran, D-VA, at their third annual High-Tech Legislator Hall of Fame Awards Tuesday evening. Bennett and Wyden last year successfully shepherded Y2K legislation through the Senate as did Davis and Moran in the House. All four members also have actively supported a number of other high-policy initiatives including digital signatures, cybersecurity and an increase in H-1B visas.
Other lobbying firms that recently picked up new high-tech clients include Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand whose new client is Portland, OR-based Commercial Information Systems. The firm was hired to lobby on personal privacy policy, according to recent lobbying filings with the Senate. Podesta.com was hired by the Interactive Gaming Council; the Ickes and Enright Group was hired by HiSynergy Communications, and Michael Lewen Co was hired by the NetCoalition.
FCC Commissioner William Kennard announced changes in some of the top slots at the telecom agency. Dorothy Attwood has been appointed senior legal adviser in the Office of the Chairman. Ari Fitzgerald has been promoted to deputy bureau chief of the International Bureau. Clint Odom has been tapped to replace Fitzgerald as legal adviser for wireless and international matters in the chairman's office. Roderick Porter has been asked to take a temporary leave from his current position as a deputy bureau chief of the Intenrational Bureau to serve for six months as deputy chief of operations in the Consumer Information Bureau. Additionally, Susanna Zwerling has been named assistant bureau chief for planning and communication in the Mass Media Bureau. She had been special counsel to Mass Media Bureau Chief Roy Stewart.
FCC Commissioner Gloria Tristani has announced changes at the agency. Rick Chessen, Senior Legal and Legal Advisor on mass media and cable issues, will be resigning his post. He will be replaced by William J. Friedman. Friedman is currently in private practice in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Deborah Klein has been appointed Interim Legal Advisor for mass media and cable issues.
 | - by Bara Vaida |
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