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Celebrating The Internet Year Ahead
The Congressional Internet Caucus kicked off another legislative year with a combination cocktail party and technology demonstration on Valentine's Day. Numerous lobbyists, journalists, high-tech executives and lawmakers attended.
Reps. Bob Goodlatte, R-VA, and Rick Boucher, D-VA, and Sens. Conrad Burns, R-MT, and Patrick Leahy, D-VT, the caucus' co-chairmen, welcomed the crowd and listed the group's high-tech speakers for the year. They will include AOL Time Warner Chairman Steve Case, World Wide Web developer Tim Berners-Lee and eBay CEO Meg Whitman.
The caucus also plans to have forums on privacy, broadband and wireless technology policy. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell spoke briefly at the event. He promised a "clean" regulatory environment and joked that he had not realized Burns was a "router" — a reference to the amount of traffic in and out of the room to say hello to Burns.
New Committee Leaders
House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner Jr., R-WI, has appointed Congressional Internet Caucus Co-chairman Goodlatte to serve as vice chairman of the newly titled Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property Subcommittee. Rep. Howard Coble, R-NC, remains the subcommittee's chairman.
In his new role, Goodlatte is likely to weigh issues such as whether the Digital Millennium Copyright Act should be reconsidered in light of the legal challenges posed by the popularity of Napster and other Internet music sites.
Other chairmen of Judiciary subcommittees include: Jeff Flake, R-AZ, at the Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee; Melissa Hart, R-PA, at the Constitution Subcommittee; Asa Hutchinson, R-AR, at the Crime Subcommittee; and Chris Cannon, R-UT, at the Immigration and Claims Subcommittee.
In other subcommittee news, House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert, R-NY, has named Rep. Vernon Ehlers, R-MI, as chairman of the newly formed Environment, Technology and Standards Subcommittee. The ranking member will be James Barcia, D-MI.
Michigan Republican Nick Smith, meanwhile, has been reappointed chairman of the Subcommittee on Research (formerly known as the Subcommittee on Basic Research). Texas Democrat Eddie Bernice Johnson will continue as the ranking member of that subcommittee.
Meanwhile, the Engineering Deans Council of the American Society for Engineering Education has honored Boehlert for his "outstanding contributions to national engineering and science policy, research and education." In presenting the award, Council Chairman Stephen Director, dean of engineering at the University of Michigan, called Boehlert's appointment as chairman "good news for us in the university."
Trading Places
U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Zoellick has selected Peter Davidson as a new general counsel. Davidson currently is a senior executive at Qwest Communications and used to work as the general counsel at the House Republican Conference. He is also a former general counsel for House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-TX, according to Inside U.S. Trade.
In other foreign-policy personnel changes, President Bush nominated William Howard Taft IV to be a legal adviser to the secretary of state. He currently is a partner with the law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobson in Washington. Taft has served in several positions within the federal government, including as the United States' permanent representative to NATO from 1989 to 1992 and as deputy defense secretary and general counsel of the Defense Department during the Reagan administration.
Elsewhere in the administration, Jim Dyke has been named the new head of communications at the Commerce Department. Dyke has been a lobbyist at Quinn Gillespie and Associates since the firm was organized in January 2000. During his time at the firm, he worked on getting legislation through Congress to eliminate the Spanish War-era telephone tax, which was dubbed the "Tax on Talking."
Changes On The Lobbying Front
Adrien MacGillivray, senior vice president for government relations and communications, is leaving the Electronic Industries Alliance to become director of public relations at Freddie Mac, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. "During her two years at EIA, Adrien has contributed to our success in increasing EIA's visibility and influence," EIA President Dave McCurdy wrote in an e-mail. "She developed a strong public relations strategy for EIA [that] included EIA's successful grassroots program, a political contribution strategy and implemented a targeted legislative strategy."
Elsewhere on the lobbying scene, EMC has hired Timur Eads and Keith Salisbury as lobbyists for appropriations legislation related to information technology, and bills related to information storage and information assurance, according to lobbying documents filed with Congress. EMC is one of the world's largest makers of information storage systems. Richard Egan, chairman of EMC, was a member of Bush's high-tech task force during the 2000 presidential campaign, and Egan was one of several business executives who served as advisers to Bush's Commerce Department transition team after the election.
Meanwhile, Paul Nash, a legislative assistant to Sen. Tim Johnson, D-SD, and minority staff director to the Senate Banking International Trade and Finance Subcommittee, is leaving Capitol Hill to become a director of federal affairs for Verizon Wireless. Nash served as deputy finance director to Johnson's 1996 race against then Sen. Larry Pressler, R-SD. He has served as Johnson's telecommunications and banking aide since 1997. "It's an exciting time to be joining a major player in the industry," Nash said in an e-mail.
Finally, Stuart Eizenstat has joined the Washington office of the law firm of Covington and Burling as a partner and head of its international practice, according to Tech Law Journal. He previously was deputy secretary of the treasury in the Clinton administration. Recently, he worked tax issues related to the Foreign Sales Corporation.
Herbold Retires From Microsoft
Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Bob Herbold is retiring and will be replaced Rick Belluzzo. Belluzzo, who served as Microsoft's new president, previously was CEO of Silicon Graphics and before that was the executive vice president of Hewlett-Packard. Herbold will continue to serve Microsoft in a part-time capacity, representing the company in industry, government and customer activities.
CompTel Names New Telecom 'Champions'
The Competitive Telecommunications Association (CompTel) has named several new inductees to its "Champions of Competition Hall of Fame" in recognition of their world to build or define competition in the telecommunications industry.
CompTel recognized: Sens. Ted Stevens, R-AK, and Ernest Hollings, D-SC; Rep. Edward Markey, D-MA; former Rep. Thomas Bliley, R-VA; MCI co-founder William McGowen; Judge Harold Greene; former Justice Department antitrust chief William Baxter; WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers; Simplexity co-founder Alan Peyser; and Roy Wilkens, the CEO to McLeod USA Network and Data Services Operations CEO.
 | - by Bara Vaida |
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