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NAB Nabs Another Top Hill Staffer
by Heather Greenfield
When lobbying about the pending telecommunications bill, it cannot hurt to have on staff a key attorney who helped write it.
That is exactly what the National Association of Broadcasters now has in Kelly Cole. NAB has hired the majority counsel to the House Energy and Commerce Committee as a vice president of government relations.
"She brings expertise on the issues and obviously relationships with both Republicans and Democrats on the committee that oversees broadcast legislation," said Dennis Wharton, executive vice president of media relations for NAB. "We think she'll be a terrific addition to this bipartisan team."
Panel Chairman Joe Barton, R-Texas, said Cole's "commitment to public service, her policy expertise and professionalism, and her can-do attitude made us proud of her. We were lucky to have Kelly for six years, and I know she will make her mark at NAB."
The latest hiring comes just a week after NAB announced it would add Mildred Webber, as a senior vice president for government relations. Webber was most recently the deputy chief of staff for House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo.
Wharton said the group is filling its government relations department and plans to have two more people than the department had under former president Eddie Fritts. He said NAB also is hiring former Rep. Max Sandlin, D-Texas, who used to be on the House Ways and Means Committee, as a consultant.
Wharton said the goal of new NAB President David Rehr is to hire a strong, bipartisan government relations team. More staff announcements are planned.
No More E-Mail: Music To Moby's Ears
Moby sent an e-mail to friends and fans saying he will not be e-mailing again -- at least for the rest of the year.
The musician, who has joined a broad coalition lobbying for equal treatment of content on high-speed Internet networks, said his decision to forgo e-mail is an experiment that may be a disaster -- or make him more sane.
In an e-mail provided by Gawker.com, Moby said: "At present I receive between 200-400 e-mails a day. And I check online news around 15 times a day. So, for the rest of the year, I'm turning off my e-mail and I'm not going to use the Internet. Yes, that sounds nuts, I know. If you want to get in touch with me, you can call me or visit me or send me a letter."
The announcement received several comments, including one pointing to the irony that a techno-music producer would shun technology.
Sen. Kennedy Announces Support Online
Sen. Edward Kennedy announced his support for network neutrality in a friendly place that has been advocating for the concept -- the Internet.
The Massachusetts Democrat posted his position on equal treatment of broadband content at The Huffington Post and at the YouTube video-sharing site. He said it is important to keep the Web free of content gatekeepers and open to innovation.
Cable and telecom companies have announced plans to create speed lanes on the Internet and charge some content providers more for faster service. While the companies have promised not to slow traffic on other sites, the worry of Kennedy and others is that Internet users will gravitate toward faster sites and create a business climate where the next YouTube or other startup could not afford to compete.
"I support net neutrality because I believe it's needed to protect the innovative spirit that has always characterized the Internet and represents the essence of democracy," Kennedy said. "Our strength and progress as a nation depends on this spirit of freedom and openness -- and it's our duty to protect it. We need to do more to ensure that all Americans have equal access to the Internet and that it remains free from discrimination and anti-competitive behavior."
ITAA Adds Members
Apple Computer, Avaya and Cisco Systems have joined the Information Technology Association of America.
"These companies share ITAA's vision for America's continued leadership as the world's innovation headquarters," ITAA President and CEO Phil Bond said. "We are gratified that ITAA's record of success warrants the participation of such household names."
ITAA Chairman David Sanders, the president of commercial solutions at Perot Systems added: "We look forward to their participation in our public policy, networking and business-development endeavors. These significant additions clearly reflect the new leadership provided by Phil Bond."
Meanwhile, ITAA communications director Charlie Greenwald is now acting vice president for communications. Greenwald joined ITAA more than two years ago, coming from American Management Systems in Fairfax, Va. Greenwald replaces Bob Cohen, who has handled communications for ITAA for 17 years.
Lawmaker's Telecom Role Wins Award
The Walter Kaitz Foundation, which promotes diversity in the executive suites of the cable television industry, presented a diversity advocate award to Rep. Hilda Solis last week.
Solis, D-Calif., sponsored a "build-out" amendment to telecom legislation that would have required telephone companies entering into the video marketplace to serve all consumers, regardless of race and ethnicity. Although it was unsuccessful, she has vowed to continue to pursue the goal as Congress considers changes to telecom law.
"As the first Latina appointed to the Energy and Commerce Committee," Solis said, "I want to expand employment opportunities in the telecommunications industry, and to ensure equal access and services to the latest technology for all Americans, including groups of color."
The MacArthur Foundation, meanwhile, has announced its 2006 fellows, and the list includes some people with technology backgrounds. Each fellow in the "genius awards" program receives $25,000 a quarter for five years to use as they choose.
Among this year's recipients are: James Fruchterman, a technologist modifying cutting-edge tools to create affordable devices that aid the visually impaired and others underserved by traditional commerce; Luis von Ahn, a computer scientist working to address problems related to Internet security and functionality; and Edith Widder, a deep-sea explorer inventing technologically innovative devices for observing and collecting data from the ocean's depths.
Microsoft Officials Tapped For Justice Board
Microsoft's Martin Pastula, the U.S. justice and public-safety partner business manager, has been elected to the board of the Integrated Justice Information Systems Institute. Pastula will use his experience during his nine years at Microsoft to help the institute get state and local governments to develop better ways of sharing information using computer technology.
Pastula spent four of the last nine years managing Microsoft's work with the state of California. He was instrumental in leading the development of various programs on behalf of the state's Justice Department. The projects included a statewide integrated narcotics system, a sex-offender database and the Cal Gang tracking system.
The institute was founded on the principal that public/private partnerships can foster the sharing of information for justice systems and the integration of those systems.
Quote Of The Week
"Why, in short, doesn't the FBI just Google the two names? Surely in the Internet age, a 'reasonable alternative' for finding out whether a prominent person is dead is to use Google (or any other search engine) to find a report of that person's death."
-- From a court ruling about an FBI argument that it could not determine whether a prominent person involved in a 25-year-old probe was alive and should have privacy protections.
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