Politics Presidential 'Robocalls' Breed Confusion In Electorate by Michael Martinez      The presidential race is a bit uglier now that candidates are openly attacking each other. But many voters are still being confused by the stealthy assaults on candidates that come directly into their homes through automated telephone calls.      Such "robocalls" have become a permanent part of campaign culture. A Pew Research Center for the People and the Press study conducted before the early presidential contests in Iowa and New Hampshire this month found that roughly four out of five voters received automated calls.      Many of the calls are from the campaigns themselves and are considered to be constitutionally protected political speech. The calls that are raising the most hackles, however, are the attack calls being placed by outside groups that sometimes cannot be identified.      Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker this week asked the FCC to investigate robocalls bashing a Democratic member of his state's congressional delegation who has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. Barack Obama, Clinton's chief rival in the race, asked Baker to probe the calls because they criticize Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., for not supporting Obama's campaign.      The Obama campaign also recently took issue with calls to Nevada voters that repeatedly used his middle name, "Hussein," and accused him of taking money from lobbyists. Clinton won the caucuses in that state, which were last weekend.      Clinton also has been peeved by the robocalling phenomenon. Campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle put Clinton's team on notice before the New Hampshire primary about a wave of anti-Clinton calls in the Granite State.      Such negative calls have been a bipartisan problem. Republican candidate Fred Thompson, who dropped out of the race this week, complained about calls targeting him in the run-up to the Jan. 19 South Carolina primary. He publicly asked GOP opponent Mike Huckabee to stop the calls, which contained positive information about the former Arkansas governor.      Huckabee, whose candidacy got a huge lift from an early victory in Iowa, has distanced himself from calls orchestrated by an Internet-based group called TrustHuckabee. He said during a radio interview this month that he "wished they would stop" and suggested that the calls be outlawed.      Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are examining ways to shield voters from intrusive and deceptive calls. The House Administration Elections Subcommittee held a hearing on the matter in December. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., has said she is considering crafting a measure to restrict political robocalls.      There already has been a flurry of state activity on the issue. Some proposals involve expanding "do not call" lists against unwanted telemarketing to protect consumers from campaign calls.      William Raney, an attorney who represents the American Association of Political Consultants, said many of the state-level proposals will open hornets' nests of constitutional issues because of how they would restrict political speech. He hopes Congress will advance a bill to establish reasonable standards to protect voters from abuse.      "A lot of those states might find themselves in court immediately," Raney said.

Politics Obama Video Hints At Power Of Online Substance by Heather Greenfield      Its success goes against conventional Internet wisdom, but a 34-minute videotaped speech posted on YouTube by a presidential campaign has gone viral, with nearly a half-million views.      Some online consultants and bloggers see the video's popularity as a sign that candidates can successfully use video-sharing sites to bypass the media with substance, not just edgy campaign advertisements.      In the speech at the Atlanta church of Martin Luther King Jr., Democrat Barack Obama discussed what he called the nation's moral deficit. Obama said America has an empathy deficit -- "a deficit in the ability to recognize ourselves in others ... and recognize we are all tied together."     Video      He gave as examples of a disconnect the existence of unequal schools and of unequal pay between CEOs making more in 10 minutes than workers in an entire year.      A commenter who responded to the video said Obama has inspired him to be a first-time voter. He said if more people heard Obama speak at length rather than in short ads and sound bites, "then the presidential race wouldn't be a contest."      "If a candidate has something to say and has a good message, which clearly Obama does, it can go much more viral than Web ads," said Republican online consultant Michael Turk, who until recently worked for former GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson.      Turk said that before posting Thompson's 14-minute announcement speech on the Web, he had to respond to critics who thought a message wouldn't be watched if it was longer than three minutes. But Thompson's announcement had 135,000 views.      "Compelling is compelling regardless of what the length is," Turk said.      Micah Sifry, who at techPresident has monitored how many YouTube views candidate videos get as part of a measure of support, said the recently high views on lengthy videos shows that voters are hungry for content not offered by the mainstream media. "The Internet fills a vacuum for a lot of people," Sifry said.      Sifry said a comparison of candidates' YouTube views over the past week shows an 11 percent increase in views of Obama's postings, compared with 7.5 percent and 5.8 percent respectively for his Democratic rivals, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards.      On the Republican side, only Ron Paul matches Obama in the number of YouTube video views, with 11 million over the campaign. Republican Mike Huckabee ranks second at 5 million.      But YouTube views could reflect voters' search for information. The past week indicates that John McCain and Mitt Romney had the biggest increase in views among Republican candidates, with 9.5 percent and 7.4 percent, respectively.      Julie Barko Germany, director of the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet at George Washington University, said online campaign directors see YouTube as a way around the media and a way to talk directly to both supporters and undecided voters. She added, however "that campaigns will continue to value YouTube not as a way around the media but as a way to get the media's attention."

Telecom Rep. Markey Pursues Deal On Wireless Regulation by David Hatch      Rep. Edward Markey is contemplating wireless telecommunications legislation that would feature tough consumer protections and a reduced regulatory role for states. The idea could win critical backing from the wireless association CTIA, multiple sources said.      If the legislation comes to fruition, it would be the second significant telecom-related measure that Markey, D-Mass., is working on this year and could signal a strategy of pursuing targeted bills addressing key priorities. He also is drafting a measure designed to prevent telecom and cable companies from treating content over their high-speed Internet systems unequally.      Sources cautioned that the wireless discussions are in an early stage and that Markey might abandon the idea if he cannot win sufficient support. The tentative plan is to craft a compromise that would give carriers something they want -- the pre-emption of state regulation -- in exchange for endorsing new consumer protections.      While the FCC already oversees wireless rates, state authorities increasingly have sought to regulate cellular telephone contract terms and conditions to better safeguard consumers. The wireless industry, fearing a patchwork of state restrictions, is seeking federal pre-emption to ensure that carriers are subject to uniform, nationwide regulations.      "The FCC would be the entity to establish any regulation on the industry," CTIA spokesman Joe Farren explained.      In exchange for a reduced state role, mobile providers would support protections like reducing the fees that carriers charges for breaking contracts, establishing minimum service quality, and requiring more detailed disclosures about wireless coverage.      Several carriers already have taken voluntary steps on some of those fronts, including recent announcements about lowering early-termination fees. But the watchdog Consumers Union complained Tuesday that Verizon Communications is the only major carrier to actually have reduced the penalties, even though AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile have promised to do so.      Markey's office was not immediately available for comment, but a draft of the Energy and Commerce Committee's 2008 policy agenda obtained by Technology Daily notes that one or more hearings will be held on the "state of the wireless industry."      The agenda also reveals that legislation addressing the nation's transition to digital television in early 2009 will be pursued "if needed" and that a bill on "FCC reform" stemming from a committee investigation of the agency's practices is being contemplated.      A source close to the discussions about Markey's possible wireless bill said CTIA is reserving judgment until it sees a final version.      In September, Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and John (Jay) Rockefeller of West Virginia offered legislation designed to strengthen consumer rights regarding wireless contracts. CTIA panned the bill, complaining that it is unnecessary and could lead to higher rates. The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners applauded it for allowing states to apply enhanced penalties and handle new regulatory problems that arise.      CTIA also backs legislation that would completely eliminate state regulation of mobile providers, a measure that NARUC considers a consumer nightmare.

International Techies, Global Leaders Focus On Fighting Poverty by Andrew Noyes      Several of the world's top technology executives joined political leaders Friday in vowing to make 2008 a banner year for fighting global poverty. The pledge came amid talks at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.      Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Jordanian Queen Rania and Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua issued the joint statement.      If governments and corporations "don't begin to get back on track" with a series of goals outlined at the conference eight years ago, "we will fail," they said. Halving poverty by 2015 is one such goal. "We know we will only succeed if governments, the private sector, faith groups, civil society and [nongovernmental organizations] work together," they said.      Other so-called Millennium Development Goals range from halting the spread of HIV/AIDS to providing universal primary education. "To take a concrete step forward, we must take this from a moral compact to legally binding contracts," said rock musician and philanthropist Bono, who also signed the declaration.      The pledge built on the theme of a keynote that Gates delivered Thursday, during which he called for "creative capitalism" as a new approach for businesses to tackle poverty and diseases. He described how firms could "stretch the reach of market forces to bring the benefits of science and technology to everyone."      Gates urged business leaders to have their top thinkers devote time to solving problems faced by the world's poor. Companies' self-interests can be harnessed to enhance the lives of those in need while making money through tapping uncharted markets, he said.      Chambers echoed that sentiment at a Friday session that was webcast, explaining how the networking firm's technology training academies have helped 2.5 million students. Cisco realized its "obligation to give back," he said. "It's not just the right thing to do, it's good for business."      Standard Chartered Bank chief Peter Sands said companies that truly succeed in benevolence leverage their existing capabilities and infrastructure, as Chambers described. "It has to be something where you can make a sustainable impact," he said.      China Mobile Communications Chairman Wang Jianzhou discussed how his firm's rural outreach helped "bridge the digital divide." "We cover 97 percent of the population in China, [and] about 700 million live in rural areas," he said.      "Companies are now choosing their causes according to their core business values and seeing where they can have a value added," Queen Rania said. Government leaders are beginning to understand "that we need companies not just for their resources but for their resourcefulness."      Brown agreed that governments have realized their limitations and are embracing private-sector partnerships. For example, 50 years ago, telecommunications networks in many parts of the world were run by the public sector, but companies have taken the lead and exponentially expanded services, he said.      "I don't believe we'll ever meet the [development goals] unless there are private-public partnerships, [so] we better get those partnerships working pretty quickly," Brown said.

Intellectual Property Intellectual Property And Trade In An Ideas Economy by Heather Greenfield      A new report on the idea-based economy offers recommendations on how to preserve the nation's advantage in intellectual property and trade.      Robert Shapiro, a former Clinton administration official and now chair of the NDN Globalization Initiative, released the report during a conference call with reporters Thursday afternoon. It outlines how the idea-based economy and globalization have been the real foundations of economic prosperity.      "The idea-based economy is not a metaphor but a reality," Shapiro said.      He noted the shift of business value from physical assets like equipment, land and buildings to intangible ones to prove his point. Shapiro said that in 1984, the market value of physical assets of the top 150 U.S. public companies was 75 percent of the total value of their stocks. But by 2004, that total was down to 36 percent of the value of the stocks.      Shapiro said the value of American companies now resting on intangible assets like intellectual property is partly due to technological development and partly the result of globalization. "Economies don't usually change that much in 20 years," he said.      What it means for employees is that those who can operate in a high-tech environment are more valuable, and those who can't see their demand decline, he said.      Shapiro said the economic downturn is a good time to not just talk about the economic stimulus package that Congress is considering but what ultimately will be good for the economy in a downturn or an upturn.      Other experts also are offering their ideas for the economy as the government looks at action to avoid a recession. Compete America noted in a news release this week that visas and green cards for highly skilled foreign workers could help the economy.      The National Association of Manufacturers on Friday released an audio/video program that features a Heritage Foundation official speculating on the economic stimulus package that President Bush may offer in his State of the Union address Monday. NAM and Heritage shared their own ideas. Toward the end, the nine-minute video advocates lower corporate tax rates and a repeal of the estate tax.      One idea that Shapiro will be advocating is for the government to pay more attention to the value of ideas -- especially as it seeks patent reforms.      "The U.S. government hasn't given a high priority to intellectual property rights," he said. "They tend to approach it as a special-interest issue for movie studios and pharmaceutical companies. This is a matter that goes to the fundamentals of the U.S. economy now."      Shapiro described the current patent legislation as "an aggregation of technical changes from particular industries" and said it needs a more holistic approach that promotes innovation.

Today's Feature: Executive Summary Democratic-backed language to regulate the Bush administration's anti-terrorism spying activities failed to get enough votes for Senate adoption this week.

E-briefs On The Hill:   Three measures about electronic spying were introduced this week as the Senate debated changes to a 1978 surveillance law. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., sponsored two bills, S. 2541 and S. 2566, that would extend the Protect America Act for 30 days beyond Feb. 1. The law updates the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and allows the government to anti-terrorism wiretaps without warrants. In addition, Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., introduced legislation that seeks to clarify the definition of a "state secret." The measure, S. 2533, also aims to provide oversight of the executive branch when it invokes the state-secrets privilege, which often has been used in wiretapping suits to shield classified, sensitive information. In the House, meanwhile, California Republican Duncan Hunter filed a bill, H.R. 5124, that would provide for double-layered, 14-foot reinforced fencing along the southwest U.S. border. Campaigns:   Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards announced an online fundraising record Friday. Edwards reported raising $3 million online so far this month -- more than it raised in the entire fourth quarter last year. "Our campaign relies on the support of regular Americans, and with their support we can bring real change to America," senior adviser Joe Trippi said. He said most of the online donations will be eligible for federal matching funds. The announcement gives an idea of what to expect in the fourth-quarter fundraising numbers for Edwards. The Federal Election Commission will post that information for all the candidates Jan. 31. Just an hour after the campaign announced the fundraising record so far this month, it sent an e-mail to supporters asking for help breaking that record. The candidate heads to the primary in his home state of South Carolina on Saturday.

President -- John Fox Sullivan, 202-739-8468 Editor in Chief -- Louis Peck, 202-739-8481 Editor -- K. Daniel Glover (bio) Assistant Editor -- Theresa Poulson Senior Writers -- David Hatch (bio), Heather Greenfield (bio), Andrew Noyes (bio) and Aliya Sternstein (bio) Special Correspondent -- Chris Strohm (bio) Staff Writer -- Michael Martinez Senior Business Affairs Manager -- Chris Hamby Business Affairs Associate -- Anne TeBeest Advertising Sales -- Alex Treadway National Journal's Technology Daily is published every weekday, except holidays, by National Journal Group Inc., 600 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20037.   ©2006 by National Journal Group Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or transmission in any form of this product by any means—from a retrieval service or any other electronic form or from a photocopy—in whole or part without permission is strictly prohibited. National Journal Group makes no representations or warranties with respect to and is not responsible for the content of World Wide Web sites linked to by this publication but not controlled by National Journal Group. Please read the details of our Privacy Policy. Editorial: 202-266-7197 Fax: 202-266-7094 Subscription Inquiries: 202-266-7264 Customer Service: 202-266-7230 or 1-800-207-8001