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Podesta Ponders Future WH Tech Challenges
When asked what the greatest technology challenges for the next administration will be, John Podesta, White House chief of staff, said it is policy related to global warming and genetics. "I think that one will be dealing with climate change — we still believe that you can create economic incentives to provide energy-efficient cars and appliances to really invest in renewable resources, et cetera," said Podesta, during a briefing with Internet-based press last week. "And then I think the other thing is going to be coming to grips, both in a positive and in a negative way with results of the human genome project — both in the great promise that it has for improving health care, etc., and then great social policy challenges that it has on privacy and genetic discrimination, etc." When he asked if he though privacy would be a challenge, Podesta said, "Privacy with regard to who we are, kind of our financial records, our medical records, et cetera, are things that I think can be worked out and balances can be found."
Preston Padden, Walt Disney's executive vice president for government relations, squared off with George Vradenburg, America Online's senior vice president for global and strategic policy, Monday at an American University forum on AOL's acquisition of Time Warner. Padden chided AOL for changing its position on open access and charged that the merger would create a monopoly bottleneck limiting consumer's access to information. Vradenburg, obviously angered by the comments, retorted that the only reason Disney was arguing against the merger was because it did not have an Internet strategy. "That is their Internet strategy — to argue against this merger," Vradenburg said.
Gregory Slayton, president and CEO of ClickAction, an e-mail marketing company, sent a personal e-mail to Republican supporters asking them to e-mail their friends and urge them to become "eChampions" for Texas Gov. George W. Bush. eChampions are volunteers that agree to help Bush by using the Internet. People who sign-up at www.echampions2000.org will get biweekly e-mail updates on the state of the presidential election from the National Republican Committee. eChampions are asked to forward the e-mail to friends and family.
Cita Furlani was named director of the National Coordination Office for Computing, Information, and Communications. She replaces Kay Howell, who served as the NCO director since December 1997, leading the Federal Interagency Information Technology Research and Development program through a period of growth and helping to increase its prominence as a centerpiece of the President's 21st Century Research Agenda. The NCO coordinates meetings between private and public sector to discuss basic research and development funding needs of the high-tech industry. Furlani is currently the acting deputy director of the Advanced Technology Program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, providing leadership for ATP's portfolio of over 200 projects that advance high-risk, high-impact technologies.
Besides chastising Federal Aviation Administration administrator Jane Garvey for security lapses at her agency, members of the House Science Committee had some unsolicited advice for Garvey last week. Rep. Vernon Ehlers, R-MI, suggested once the agency improves and secures its computer systems, Garvey invite the best hackers in the world to compete in a contest for who can break into the FAA's computer systems. "I suggest once you make the system as secure as possible you offer $25,000 to any hacker that can break into your computer systems, provided they tell you how they did it. That should bring about some interesting research," Ehlers said during the hearing.
Jason Catlett, president of Junkbusters.com, will be honored Tuesday by the New York Civil Liberties Union with a Lasker Callaway Award. The award is given individuals, groups or organizations that have made significant and lasting contributions to civil liberties. The other winner of this year's award is the Brooklyn Museum of Art, which exhibited artwork Mayor Rudolph Giuliani found offensive and he threatened to penalize the museum. Catlett was honored for leading the opposition to DoubleClick's plan to link online and offline shopping habits, which many saw as a potential violation of privacy. Catlett was also instrumental in publicizing Intel's inclusion of an identifying "Processor Serial Number" in its Pentium III processor chips. The PSN provided any Web site desiring to track visitors with a link to the visitor's off-line name and address, as well as e-mail and e-commerce information, according to the Civil Liberties Union.
Bill Belt has been appointed the Telecommunications Industry Association's director of technical and regulatory affairs. He will be in charge of coordinating activities for TIA's Wireless Communications Division. Prior this new position, Belt held a variety of wireless communications management positions, including nine years at AT&T Wireless Services and four years at the Federal Communications Commission.
James Glassman, host of the Web site TechCentralStation.com, will host the first Internet "straw poll" on the presidential race and technology issues in general. "This presidential election has enormous implications for the future of technology and the new economy. We are at a crossroads; we can choose to go in the direction of innovation and advancement or more government litigation and regulation," said Glassman.
Last week, Deutsche Telekom said, Christian Hoening, the chief financial officer of its T-Online Internet unit, has quit. Hoening's departure had been widely expected as part of a restructuring of the company. Hoening had headed the finance department since January. Rainer Beaujean, head of board member support in Deutsche Telekom's finance division, has been proposed as Hoening's successor, Telekom said in a statement.
The Charlotte Observer reported on North Carolina's Attorney General Mike Easley efforts to end its break-up bid of Microsoft. After joining the Justice Department in recommending a far-reaching and radical proposal to break up Microsoft, Easley was inundated with hundreds of letters in opposition to the government's case against the software company. Easley, who is a candidate for governor of North Carolina, said he wasn't convinced "a massive [Microsoft] breakup is necessary."
Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, is stepping down from the company's board. Allen and Richard Hackborn, another longtime director, disclosed in proxy materials filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that they won't seek re-election to Microsoft's board. Their tenure ends at the company's annual meeting on Nov. 9, when the company plans to reduce the size of the board to six from eight members.
Chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices said that it named former Motorola executive Robert Rivet as senior vice president and chief financial officer. For three years prior to joining AMD, Rivet served as senior vice president and director of finance of the Semiconductor Products Sector of Motorola, AMD said in a statement. Rivet will replace Francis Barton, who will remain at AMD to assist Rivet during a transition period, the company said.
Seth Merritt, who has been the online communications coordinator for People for the American Way, has left PFAW to take a position as the online community manager at TechRocks. Formerly the Rockefeller Technology Project, TechRocks helps advocacy groups more effectively use the Internet.
Leslie Kaplan, left her job as senior manager of grassroots and political activities at the American Chemistry Council to head up corporate accounts for Internet political tools provider, Issue Dynamics.
 | - by Bara Vaida |
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