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Black Caucus Prepares To Boost Tech Focus
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-TX, the new chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, is planning a high-tech summit in the first quarter of 2001 in her home district in Dallas.
Johnson, whose district includes the headquarters of Texas Instruments, has been in charge of high-tech policy for the black caucus for several years and is planning the summit to boost the caucus's overall focus on high-tech policy. She plans to invite well-known high-tech leaders and staff from the congressional committees who oversee technology issues to the summit. The agenda will include discussions of education, intellectual property and telecommunications.
"What we thought this might do is get a flavor of how industry people feel and solidify our thoughts on how to proceed legislatively," Johnson told National Journal's Technology Daily. She hopes to work with Texas TechNet to help her organize the high-tech summit.
Silicon Alley's Bottom Line Trumps Policy
Globix Chairman and CEO Marc Bell is struggling in his effort to create a New York branch of the lobbying group TechNet. "People are more focused on staying in business" than focusing on policy, Bell said.
The New York high-tech community, which is known as "Silicon Alley," has been hit hard by the dot-com shakeout. Despite various groups' efforts to create a New York lobbying group, attempts so far have failed. Bell said he is going to keep trying to create a TechNet office, but he does not expect to launch the branch until next summer at the earliest. "A lot of people are interested in policy. It's just a matter of getting them focused," Bell said.
Meanwhile, the Legal Times has released its list of most influential lobbyists in Washington, and its high-tech lobbying elite includes: Doyce Boesch of Boesch & Co., whose clients include Lucent Technologies and Oracle; Kevin Curtin, who represents Comsat and Verizon; Ronald Plesser of Piper Marbury Rudnick & Wolfe, who represents America Online and PSINet; David Rudd of Hooper Owen & Winburn, who represents BellSouth and PanAmSat; and Christine Varney of Hogan & Hartson, who represents DoubleClick and the Online Privacy Alliance.
Cheney, Telecom Group Tap Senate Liaisons
Vice President-elect Dick Cheney has tapped Ziad Ojakli, a top Senate leadership staffer, to serve as his Senate liaison. Ojakli previously was the chief of staff to the late Republican Conference Secretary Paul Coverdell, R-GA, who was the Senate's liaison to the Bush campaign.
Like Cheney, a former House member, Ojakli spent some time in the House, serving as administrative assistant to Rep. Mark Souder, R-IN. He also worked for former Sen. Dan Coats, R-IN. Ojakli worked on some high-tech issues, particularly related to education policy, when he worked for Coverdell.
The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) has named Lori Sharpe as its Senate director for congressional affairs. Sharpe is a former deputy chief of staff to Sen. John Ashcroft, R-MO, and will begin her duties at CTIA in January. Sharpe worked for Ashcroft for five years before joining CTIA.
"Lori is well respected by her colleagues on both sides of the isle. In the Senate she has proven her ability to successfully navigate the legislative fjords," said Steve Berry, CTIA's senior vice president for congressional affairs. "We are extremely fortunate to have someone of Lori's background, experience and expertise."
McDonald And Mason Will Head FEC
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has named Danny McDonald as chairman and David Mason as vice chairman for 2001.
The Federal Election Campaign Act requires that the chairman and vice chairman be of different political parties and states that a member serve as chairman only once during a six-year term. McDonald, a Democrat served as vice chairman in 2000. Before his initial appointment in 1981, the Sand Springs, OK, native served as general administrator of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. He also previously had been secretary of the Tulsa County Election Board.
Mason, a Republican, became an FEC member in 1998. Before that, he was a senior fellow in congressional studies at the Heritage Foundation. Mason has worked over the past year to spearhead the FEC's policy on the Internet and campaign law.
You Can Go Home Again
Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Neal Lane will return to Rice University in January 2001, the White House said. "I have had the privilege to serve in the Clinton-Gore administration for over seven years and now am excited to be coming home to Rice," Neal said in a statement.
Lane became the OSTP director in 1998, after serving as director of the National Science Foundation. At Rice, he will be a professor in the department of Physics and Astronomy. He also will be a senior fellow at the Baker Institute and work with the Clinton presidential library on conveying the administration's accomplishments in science and technology.
Executives Bolt Cisco, Microsoft
Gary Daichend, the second most powerful executive at Cisco Systems, quit unexpectedly last week, prompting CEO John Chambers to take a more direct hand in the Internet router company's day-to-day operations, according to the Financial Times. Cisco said Daichend left for personal reasons.
The departure means that this year Cisco has lost its only two executive vice presidents. Donald Listwin, who had been in charge of corporate marketing and service-provider businesses, left to run Openwave, a mobile data company formed from the merger of Phone.com and Software.com.
Meanwhile, Joachim Kempin, a Microsoft senior vice president, is leaving his high-profile job as manager of Microsoft's relations with computer makers, reported The Wall Street Journal. Kempin, a 17-year Microsoft veteran will move this summer into a job overseeing "special projects" for Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, company officials said.
His replacement will be Richard Roy, general manager of the company's German subsidiary. Roy will not assume his new responsibilities until July 1, the start of Microsoft's fiscal year.
Giving Right Up To The Last Minute
Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers and Dell Computer founder Michael Dell are among the high-tech donors that sent large checks to the political parties in the waning days of the campaign.
Dell and his wife, Susan, gave $250,000 to the Republican National Committee on Sept. 21, according to FECInfo, a campaign information Web site. Chambers gave $100,000 to the Republican National State Election Committee, according to The Washington Post. And Thomas Siebel, chairman and CEO of Siebel Systems, gave $500,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Democrats also benefited from the spree of late contributions. William Hambrecht, a co-founder of the investment firm Hambrecht & Quist, gave $250,000 to the Democratic National Committee, and high-tech philanthropist Stephen Kirsch gave the DNC $500,000, according to FECInfo.
Tech Firm Housed Bush Transition Team
Bobbie Kilberg, president of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, found the transition headquarters President-elect George W. Bush's team called home the past several weeks.
Kilberg, who was a White House staffer under Bush's father, former President George Bush, found space in DreamLabs, a new technology incubator in McLean, for the transition team while they waited for the Florida recount to be resolved and for the keys to the official Washington, DC, transition office to be made available. DreamLabs leases the building from West Group Properties, one of the area's biggest real-estate developers.
 | - by Bara Vaida |
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