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Progress, Freedom And Fun In Aspen
by Randy Barrett
ASPEN, Colo. -- You could spot them a mile away at the Denver airport. Waiting at the gate for the short flight to here, the Washington policy wonks were busy on their Blackberries and laptop computers while bored, beautiful people lounged nearby wearing $1,200 cowboy boots.
Once in Aspen, the rich and fabulous headed for their manses while the policy elite headed for the St. Regis hotel to talk shop, backslap and wander about in loafers, sport coats and loud Hawaiian shirts. All had gathered for the Progress and Freedom Foundation (PFF) 2005 summit.
The confab opened Sunday with a soiree attended by such luminaries as Dan Caprio, deputy assistant for technology policy at the Commerce Department; Vonage CEO Jeffrey Citron; Kyle McSlarrow, CEO of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association; Sun Microsystems President Jonathan Schwartz; and former Federal Trade Commissioner Orson Swindle.
Also in attendance were up and comers like Makan Delrahim, formerly of the Justice Department and now at the Brownstein, Hyatt & Farber law firm; former Capitol Hill staffer Paul Martino, now a lobbyist with Alston Byrd; Michael Sullivan, a staffer for Sen. John Ensign of Nevada; and Adam Thierer, PFF's newest free-market wunderkind.
Between bites of smoked salmon and sushi, the policy A-list discussed golf swings, vacations, and weightier matters, including the Supreme Court's recent MGM v. Grokster decision that upheld copyright holders' rights in cyberspace.
"After five years of working flat out, I'm just enjoying a quiet August," said Mitch Glazier, chief lobbyist for the Recording Industry Association of America.
Patent Commissioner Makes It Official
Back in the sleepy, soggy capital that is Washington in August, John Doll has been named commissioner for patents. He has been the acting commissioner since April.
Doll comes from the ranks of the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). He previously served as deputy commissioner for patent resources and planning and as special assistant to the undersecretary. Doll was a group director from 1995 to 2005 in the technology center, where he examined patent applications for biotechnology, organic chemistry and pharmaceuticals.
He is also familiar with technology. Doll helped implement the agency's electronic patent-application processing system.
"John has excellent management skills combined with a dedication to outstanding service to the public and a focus on internal reform," PTO chief Jon Dudas said in a statement.
Chris Katopis, meanwhile, has left PTO for "a unique opportunity in the private sector." Katopis was deputy commissioner for external affairs.
In a note to congressional staffers, Katopis urged continued support for the agency: "Please remember to take care of the USPTO! It is a vital federal agency that enables innovation, creativity, economic prosperity and job creation. In fact, everyday you encounter hundreds of products and services that are possible because of patents or trademarks. Don't underestimate the importance of intellectual property and what it guarantees in our lives."
And Corynne McSherry has joined the Electronic Frontier Foundation as staff attorney for intellectual property, while Nicole Nguyen is the group's new membership coordinator. McSherry arrives from Bingham McCutchen, where she litigated intellectual property cases; Nguyen comes from the Haas School of Business at the University of California.
Executives Leave Troubled Telecom Firm
McCleod CEO Chris Davis and Chief Financial Officer Ken Murckhardt resigned their positions in mid-August. Davis will continue as chairman of the board.
The local telecommunications provider has defaulted on its debts and is now trying to restructure its finances. But McCleod investors likely will not see any upside.
"None of the restructuring alternatives under evaluation provide for any recovery for the company's current preferred or common stockholders," McCleod said in a statement. Even more ominous: "In addition, there can be no assurance that the company will be able to reach an agreement with its lenders regarding a capital restructuring."
Creditors have agreed to delay litigation until early September while McCleod tries to stay afloat by offering them company equity in exchange for payment.
McLeod, a competitor to the dominant Bell firms, provides phone and Internet services to business customers in 25 Midwestern and Western states. Many local competitors of the Bells are now scrambling for survival as federal regulations on the wholesale prices they pay to access Bell networks are ending.
Elsewhere in industry, Gregory Slayton has left the board of Borland Software. He was recently named the U.S. principal officer to Bermuda and was required to end all corporate affiliations.
From Congress To Consulting
Mike Rawson has been named vice president of business development and government affairs for GAGE business consulting.
Rawson was formerly a senior policy adviser on telecom issues for Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont. "Becoming a part of the top-notch strategic team at GAGE marks an exciting new chapter for me," Rawson said in a statement.
Also joining the firm is policy associate Jeff Johnson. He was at PACE-Capstone, a government relations consulting firm where he worked on homeland security, transportation and education.
A New Enterprise For Democracy Blogger
A co-founder of the Web log known as Democracy Project is now embarking on a journalistic project for the American Enterprise Institute. Winfield Myers is the new managing editor of The American Enterprise magazine.
The demands of the new job will keep Myers from posting at Democracy Project in the future. "Mostly, it's a matter of time: I just can't pull off so many commitments simultaneously," he wrote last week at the Web log, or blog. But he noted Democracy Project's work over the past year-plus, including its commentary on the still-unresolved debate at the Federal Election Commission about applying federal campaign-finance law to the Internet -- and possibly blogs.
Myers is not the only Democracy Project contributor with Washington ties. Earlier this year, Chief Operating Officer Brent Tantillo started work as the counsel and legislative assistant for education issues to Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo. Tantillo is still blogging for Democracy Project.
NIST Is Seeking Smart Security Cookie
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is looking for a new chief of its computer-security division. The hire will be responsible for overseeing 62 workers and 18 associate researchers. The division's fiscal 2005 budget is $27 million.
"The computer-security division has a longstanding role in leading the non-military establishments in cyber security by working effectively with industry, academia and federal agencies on IT system security and vulnerabilities, and promoting effective computer-security practices," the job announcement said.
Quote Of The Week
"The war between the music industry and consumers has been fought. We lost."
-- Warner Music Group Edgar Bronfman, speaking Monday at the PFF summit in Aspen.
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