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GOP Gets Intuitive About New Economy
by Bara Vaida
Rep. Gerald Weller's New Economy Republicans had "great member turnout" at the group's first technology policy meeting, said general counsel Dave Miller. More than a dozen members attended the breakfast, hosted by Intuit, to discuss government competition in the high-tech sector, added Bernie McKay, Intuit's vice president of government affairs.
"It's very important for the high-tech sector to be in dialogue with policymakers on both sides of the aisle if we are going to see the emerging new economy grow and succeed," said McKay, who also has attended New Democrat Network events on high-tech policy.
McKay said the GOP group discussed no specific legislation at the event; rather, they held a roundtable discussion about efforts at the Postal Service and IRS to compete in the e-commerce market. Weller, R-Ill., formed the New Economy Republicans in the summer. It aims to organize meetings between Republicans and high-tech executives. About 60 lawmakers have joined.
The Next Privacy Frontier
Peter Swire, former President Clinton's chief privacy counselor, has joined the international law firm of Morrison and Foerster as a consultant to its privacy practice. Lauren Steinfeld, who was the associate chief counselor at the Clinton White House's Office of Management and Budget, also joined the firm as a privacy consultant.
"Privacy has become a front-page media issue. ... Hence it is essential that we be able to advise our clients on the full range of medical and other privacy issues," said Richard Fischer, of Morrison and Foerster's Washington office.
As for Clinton himself, he opened a new post-presidential office in Harlem on Monday -- and his headquarters just happens to be located in Harlem's high-tech district, according to the New York Software Industry Association (NYSIA). "The district offers affordable, pre-built, pre-wired office space for getting down to business uptown," NYSIA said in an e-mail inviting its members to attend Monday's party in Harlem.
Follow the Money
Chances are good that Swire and Steinfeld are financially better off in the private sector. But Mark Weinberger and Bruce Mehlman are among the top aides who abandoned large private-sector salaries to join the Bush administration, Influenceonline reported.
Mehlman, an assistant Commerce secretary, left behind the $196,000 he made at Cisco Systems over the past 16 months, the publication said, while Weinberger, the assistant Treasury secretary for tax policy, abandoned a $2.15 million salary and partnership at Ernst & Young's national tax practice. Mehlman's new salary is in the $120,000 to $125,000 range, the report said, and Weinberger is earning roughly $125,000.
In adminstration news, meanwhile, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination of James Ziglar to head the Immigration and Naturalization Service. And the Senate Commerce Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday on the nomination of Nancy Victory to head the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
News From The Trade Groups
Joe Rubin, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's congressional affairs director, is assuming the duties of Rick Lane, who was the chamber's previous e-commerce and Internet technology director. Lane left the chamber a few weeks ago to become vice president of government affairs at News Corp.
Rubin will continue in his current role while also becoming the e-commerce director because the Chamber has decided not to directly replace Lane. "The chamber felt this addition was something I could do. High-tech issues will continue to receive the exemplary focus that they received with Rick," said Rubin. Before joining the chamber, Rubin worked on the House Judiciary Committee for Rep. George Gekas, R-Pa.
In other trade association news, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) has renewed its contract with President and CEO Robert Sachs through Dec. 31, 2004. His initial contract had been scheduled to run through July 31, 2002. Before joining NCTA, Willner was a principal of the Boston-based Continental Consulting Group.
The FCC's New Telecom Crew
The FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau has made a couple of staff changes, including the naming of Joel Taubenblatt as the legal adviser to bureau chief Tom Sugrue. Taubenblatt previously was a senior staff attorney in the agency's Commercial Wireless Division. He joined the FCC in July 1996.
Catherine Seidel also will join the bureau as associate chief and chief of staff. She previously was the chief of the Enforcement Bureau's Telecommunications Consumers Division. And Kelly Quinn will join the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's Auctions and Industry Analysis Division as its deputy chief. She was a legal adviser in the bureau chief's office.
Elsewhere at the FCC, Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy has appointed Stacy Robinson as her legal adviser for mass media issues. Robinson has worked at the law firms of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, & Flom, Alston & Bird, and Wiley, Rein & Fielding.
People, Politics And Technology In California
The California Voter Foundation (CVF), a nonprofit group that has put comprehensive political information on the Internet, has promoted Saskia Mills to the position of executive director. Mills had served as CVF's managing director since joining the staff in 1998.
Mills also is the chief editor of CVF's Web site and has led several of the organization's projects, including The State-by-State Directory of Election Information created for Web White & Blue 2000, CVF's "Follow the Money" projects and, most recently, The Archive of Campaign Promises.
In other California personnel news, Ed Hearst, the vice president of global trading at Commerce One and former senior counsel at the House Commerce Committee, has been named by California Gov. Gray Davis to serve on a Bipartisan Commission on Internet Political Practices. Previously, Hearst was a senior attorney at the FCC, a senior adviser at the State Department and an attorney at Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue.
The state commission, whose members receive no salary, will examine various issues involving campaign activity on the Internet and recommend appropriate legislative action.
Meanwhile, NetDay, a nonprofit educational technology group based in Irvine, Calif., announced that Nasdaq stock market Vice Chairman Alfred Berkeley is joining its board. Berkeley became Nasdaq's president in 1996 and was promoted to vice chairman last year. Before that, he was the managing director and senior banker in Alex, Brown & Sons' corporate finance department.
They 'Get' The Internet
The new electronic newsletter Congress Online last week praised Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Rep. Brad Carson, D-Okla., for their efforts in using the Internet. The Congress Online Project, a joint research project of the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) and George Washington University, produces the newsletter.
The Congress Online project aims to improve the electronic communication between lawmakers and the public. Leahy's Web site was praised for being accessible to the disabled, while Carson's won accolades for its online town hall. The House Republican Conference's GOP.gov was highlighted for its Internet features.
The Technology Road Tour
The Information Technology Industry Council invited a group of senior Hill staff to listen to IBM and Motorola executives discuss their latest wireless products last Friday.
The two companies demonstrated their "Bluetooth" products, such as cell phones, laptops, personal digital assistants, headsets, cameras and printers. Bluetooth is two-way transmitter technology on a microchip that enables devices to communicate using short-range radio waves.
On Tuesday, meanwhile, TechNet is scheduled to hold an evening reception in Seattle to introduce the group to area high-tech executives. TechNet cofounder and venture capitalist John Doerr and TechNet CEO Rick White are scheduled to attend, according to the group's schedule.
Also this week, Al From, the Democratic Leadership Council's president and CEO, is scheduled to meet with TechNet members in Silicon Valley on Wednesday morning.
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