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ICANN Co-Founder Goes To Google
by Ted Leventhal
Andrew McLaughlin, a co-founder of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, was named senior policy counsel to the Internet search engine firm Google earlier this month.
"He just recently came on board," said Cindy McCaffrey, a Google spokeswoman. McLaughlin and Google are still finalizing the parameters of his new position. "As many companies have a policy guru, he's our guy," McCaffrey said. "We are really looking forward to having him on board. He's the first person to come on board in this capacity."
McLaughlin, who is attending the World Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland, and could not be reached for comment by press time, is currently a fellow at Harvard University's Berkman Center for the Internet and Society. From 1995 to 1997, he was an associate at the Washington law firm of Jenner & Block and part of the legal team that successfully challenged the Communications Decency Act on Internet pornography. He later served as counsel to Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., during Waxman's investigation into the campaign-finance system.
After helping launch ICANN in 1999, McLaughlin became the first vice president, chief financial officer and chief policy counsel of the nonprofit organization responsible for assigning the Internet's unique identifiers. Although still a senior policy adviser to ICANN, McLaughlin has been at the Berkman Center since 2002, where he has led its efforts aimed at developing countries and taught courses at Harvard's law school.
Former Trade Official Named To Intel Board
Intel on Thursday named Charlene Barshefsky, a former U.S. Trade Representative and senior international partner at the Washington law firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, to its board. Winston Chen, a longtime Intel board member, will retire in May. Andy Grove, Intel's chairman, praised Barshefsky's "experience and knowledge of trade issues" as the firm considers international expansion "one of Intel's biggest opportunities and challenges."
MCI also named two additions to its board on Tuesday: Glenn Hutchins, a founder and managing member of the investment firm Silver Lake Partners; and Mark Neporent, chief operating officer, general counsel and senior managing director of Cerberus Capital Management. Their appointments take effect when MCI emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Telecom Crowd Sees Changes
Jon Beamer, government relations manager with the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), has left the association to join the government relations office of Lucent Technologies. "Jon was one of my best guys, and I hated to lose him" said Grant Seiffert, TIA vice president for external affairs and global policy, adding that he was "glad [Jon] is going to a great organization." A successor has not been named, and Seiffert said the post may not be filled in the short term with the presidential election imminent.
Meanwhile, FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein announced some staff changes on Monday, including the appointment of Scott Bergmann as the new adviser on wire-based telecommunications issues March 1. Bergmann will replace Lisa Zaina, who was named CEO of the Universal Service Administrative Company earlier this month.
Bergmann most recently was deputy chief of the FCC's division on competition policy after working as Adelstein's interim legal adviser from May through October of last year. Earlier, he was legal counsel to the Wireline Competition Bureau's chief on competition policy and high-speed Internet issues.
And Barry Ohlson, currently Adelstein's adviser on spectrum and international legal issues, will become the senior legal adviser. Ohlson is one of Adelstein's original staff members and previously served as chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's policy division. His private-sector experience includes four years at Winstar Communications as a senior director for regulatory affairs, as well as an associate at the Washington law firms McDermott Will & Emory and Keller & Heckman.
In other news, the White House on Thursday forwarded to the Senate the nomination of David Safavian of Michigan to be the administrator for federal procurement policy, and on Friday, John Young of Virginia was nominated to be deputy Defense undersecretary for acquisition and technology. The White House also forwarded the nomination of Clark Kent Ervin, who recently was named the Homeland Security Department's inspector general via a "recess appointment."
Lobbyists Focus On Various Tech Fronts
Homeland security and defense issues continue to be a hot topic for lobbying. Mehl Griffin & Bartek registered to represent MilSys Technologies on software systems for aircraft collision avoidance, unmanned aircraft control and cargo-container tracking.
Phillip Perry, a former general counsel at the White House Office of Management and Budget now affiliated with Latham & Watkins, registered to represent Lockheed Martin on "legal issues" surrounding the new federal law that is designed to encourage the development and rapid deployment of life-saving anti-terrorism technologies by limiting companies' liability risks.
Other issues also have sparked new lobbying registrations. Fleishman & Walsh, for instance, registered to represent PeopleSoft on "competition and antitrust issues." Oracle has proposed a hostile takeover of PeopleSoft, an Oracle rival in the software market.
Potomac Counsel registered to represent Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios on "copyright anti-piracy initiatives," and T.J. Petrizzo, Chris Long, Kerry Feehery, Josh Mathis and Kara Kernedy of the Petrizzo Group registered to represent Drugstore.com on federal "oversight of rogue Internet pharmacies and implementation of Medicare reform legislation."
Capitol Consultants registered to represent the technology consulting firm American Management Systems on "information technology procurement issues;" Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal registered to represent VP1 Technologies on "providing IT services, including Web site management;" and McBee Strategic Consulting registered to represent Software AG USA on Transportation Department appropriations.
Politicalmoneyline.com, meanwhile, reports that the liberal activist organization MoveOn.org was one of the first to file "electioneering communications" reports with the Federal Election Commission. The report shows that from Sept. 18, 2003, to Jan. 17, 2004, MoveOn raised $4.5 million and spent $53,546.96.
Major donors include financier philanthropist George Soros and Ohio businessman Peter Lewis, an activist for marijuana legalization. Each contributed $1,455,715. Steven Bing of California contributed $971,427; and Lewis Cullman of New York and Richard Foos of California, each contributed $100,000.
Colin Powell As Internet Snoop
Secretary of State Colin Powell has been going undercover and online to check the customer service provided by the department's webmasters, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Sources told the publication that Powell is a "24-7 techie" who loves e-mail, the Google search engine and TiVo, which he uses to record Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, one of his favorite TV shows. Powell reportedly wants State to have the best Web site in the government, and has created an anonymous e-mail account to send questions regarding content on the site. "He's checking response times," one source said.
Powell also recently showed his inexpensive digital camera to aides, suggesting that senior staff purchase their own so "when you travel, we can put your pictures up." Powell is proud of making the Internet available to more than 43,000 department computers -- and wants the technology to be used. He is rumored to have visited ambassadors' offices on overseas visits "to see if the computer is in use or being used as a hat rack," sources said.
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