Elections & Lobbying News

FEC Adopts NPRM Regarding Political Activity on the Internet. (9/27/01) The Federal Election Commission (FEC) approved a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) at its September 27 meeting regarding political activity on the Internet. The FEC is the agency charged with enforcing the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), which regulates political contributions and expenditures. While the FEC had previously considered wide ranging regulation of political speech on the Internet, this NPRM merely proposes to permit certain personal political web sites, and to allow corporations and unions to put certain hyperlinks and press releases in their web sites.

Commerce Department Nominee Evans Headed for Quick Confirmation. (1/6/01) The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Donald Evans to be Secretary of Commerce on January 4. Senators praised Evans, and pledged their support.

Sen. Abraham Defeated. (11/8/00) Sen. Spencer Abraham, one of the most pro tech members of the Senate, lost his bid for re-election from the state of Michigan. Other Senators involved in technology issues who also lost include Sen. John Ashcroft (R-MO), and Sen. William Roth (R-DE). Meanwhile, votes are still being counted in Sen. Slade Gorton's (R-WA) race.

More Key Senate Race Results. (11/8/00) Other Senators who have been active on tech related issues won re-election to the Senate, including: Senators Hatch, Burns, Kohl, DeWine, Kyl, Snowe, Feinstein, and Lott.

Rogan and Bilbray Defeated in House Races. (11/8/00) Rep. James Rogan and Rep. Brian Bilbray were both defeated in close elections. Both have seats on the House Commerce Committee. Both had solid pro tech voting records. In addition, Rep. Rogan sat on the Courts and Intellectual Property Subcommittee, where he was a leading advocate of protecting copyrights and trademarks in cyberspace.

House Members Who Won In Close Races. (11/8/00) Several House members who have been active on technology issues were returned to the House in close elections. Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA), Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA), Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM), Rep. Steve Horn (R-CA), and Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) all faced serious opposition, and won with 55% or less of the vote.

More House Elections Results. (11/8/00) Most members of the House who have been active on technology related issues who sought re-election won their races easily.

Retirements from the House. (11/8/00) Several members of the House who have been active on technology related issues chose not to run for re-election. Several ran for other offices. Among these were Representatives Tom Bliley (R-VA), Tom Campbell (R-CA), Charles Canady (R-FL), Ted Pease (R-IN), and Bob Franks (R-NJ).

Status of Tech Legislation. (10/30/00) The Congress remains in session, with the outcome of many substantive, tax, and appropriations bills affecting technology still uncertain. Clinton is threatening to veto several key bills that include funding for the FCC, SEC, FTC, NTIA, and USPTO, and which are also the vehicles for passing many other tech related bills, including the FSC bill, a low power FM bill, a social security number privacy bill, a Hart Scott Rodino reform bill, and a porn filtering bill.

IRS Considers Regulating Internet Speech. (10/26/00) The IRS released a document stating that it is considering whether to issue guidance regarding the application of the Internet Revenue Code to various types of Internet communications by tax exempt entities. See, IRS notice.

Cisco Lobbyist Addresses High Tech Policy Issues. (10/20/00) Cisco lobbyist Bruce Mehlman gave an address to a FCBA luncheon in which he summarized high tech related policy issues that are current in Washington DC. He predicted that fight over spectrum for 3G wireless services, which will allow for mobile Internet access, will get ugly.

Kennard Blasts Broadcasters for Spectrum Squatting and Scant Elections Coverage. (10/11/00) FCC Chairman Kennard harshly criticized TV broadcasters for their slow deployment of digital television, and their failure to broadcast debates, other elections content, and free advertising. He stated that the broadcasters' slow conversion to digital TV constitutes "spectrum squatting". It prevents the FCC from auctioning their analog spectrum to providers of wireless services, including Internet access.

Congressional Democrats Release Tech Agenda. (7/20/00) House and Senate Democrats, and the Progressive Policy Institute, held an event on Capitol Hill to announce a high tech legislative agenda. See, summary of agenda.

Oracle Admits Hiring Investigators who Sought Trash of Pro-Microsoft Groups. (6/28/00) Oracle Corporation admitted on June 27 that it hired the private investigation firm with ties to the Clinton administration that attempted to pay janitors for the trash of pro-Microsoft public policy groups.

Rick Lazio's on Record on High Tech Issues. (5/22/00) Four term Rep. Rick Lazio, the likely Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from New York, has a voting record of support for high tech.

House Republicans Sign E-Contract. (5/11/00) House Republican leaders gathered on Capitol Hill to electronically sign their new e-contract. This high tech agenda renews and updates a previous e-contract. Like the previous version, it is based on broad principles, such as less taxes and regulation, rather than specific pieces of legislation. See, e-contract.

Economist Credits Gore with Retarding Broadband Infrastructure Development. (4/28/00) AEI economist Thomas Hazlett assessed the economic and political consequences of government regulation of communications at a conference in Washington DC on April 27. Among his conclusions were that the Cable Act of 1992 was a disaster for broadband infrastructure deployment, and that then Sen. Al Gore played a big role in passing the Act.

FEC Takes No Action Against Anti-Bush Web Site. (4/20/00) The Federal Election Commission released a letter which states that it will take no action against Zach Exley, the operator of a parodic and defamatory web site. A complaint was filed on behalf of the George W. Bush presidential campaign seeking to have Exley penalized for allegedly failing to file campaign expenditure reports, and other purported election law violations.

Commissioner Powell Accuses Chairman Kennard of Politicizing FCC. (4/19/00) FCC Commissioner Michael Powell accused FCC Chairman William Kennard of politicizing the Federal Communications Commission, and placing its independence and integrity at risk. The accusation concerns a political trip to California and New Mexico on Monday, April 17 by Bill Clinton, William Kennard, FCC Commissioner Gloria Tristani, and others. See, Powell Statement.

State of the Union Speech Short on High Tech Issues. (1/28/00) President Bill Clinton's speech to the Congress on January 27 on the "state of the union" addressed the e-rate and digital divide, and government spending on research, but little else pertaining the computer, software, Internet or communications industries.

Groups File Comments with FEC about Campaign Activity on the Internet. (1/13/00) EPIC, CDT, and other groups filed comments with the Federal Election Commission in response to its Notice of Inquiry regarding campaign activity on the Internet. They urged the FEC not to regulate freedom speech on the Internet.

Parties, Corporations, and Unions File Comments with the FEC. (1/13/00) Political parties, law firms, corporations, campaign consultants, and unions filed comments with the FEC regarding how the federal election laws should be applied to campaign activity on the Internet.

Citizens Urge FEC to Stay Away from the Internet. (1/12/00) The FEC has been inundated with emails from citizens opposed to FEC regulation of political speech on the Internet. The FEC solicited comments in November in a Notice of Inquiry regarding campaign activity on the Internet.

Presidential Candidate Forbes Gives Address on Privacy. (12/18/99) Steve Forbes, a Republican presidential candidate, gave a speech on Thursday, December 16, in Washington regarding what a Forbes administration would do to protect individuals' privacy. See, copy of speech.

FEC to Review Campaign Activity on the Internet. (11/8/99) The FEC is examining what kinds of political activity on the Internet it will consider to be campaign contributions or subject to reporting requirements. Meanwhile, several Senators introduced a bill that would exempt certain individuals' political web sites from FEC regulation.

Gambling Industry Congressional Campaign Contributions. (10/25/99) The political action committees of the major land based gambling casino companies are been big contributors to Congressional campaigns. For several years, the House and Senate have been considering the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.

FCC Orders Broadcasters to Accept Political Candidates' Ads of Non Standard Length. (9/9/99) The Federal Communications Commission issued an order on September 7 which requires broadcasters to accept advertisements from federal political candidates that are not of standard length. The decision opens the way for candidates to buy five minute slots. See, FCC Order.

Keyword Deception Is Common In Political Web Sites. (9/3/99) Keyword piracy in the web sites of Presidential candidates and other major political web sites is common. The practice, which sometimes leads to trademark lawsuits in the commercial world, is employed by the campaign web sites of Orrin Hatch, John McCain, and Dan Quayle.

Gore 2000 Web Site Uses HTML Source Code to Recruit Campaign Code Writers. (9/3/99) Only one major Presidential candidate uses comments in the HTML source code to communicate with visitors. The Al Gore 2000 web site has a message buried in the source code which encourages code writers to get involved in his campaign.

Clinton Chief of Staff Criticizes GOP R&D Plans. (9/2/99) Bill Clinton's Chief of Staff, John Podesta, gave a speech in Washington on September 1 in which he criticized Republican budget and tax plans. He accused Congressional Republicans of slashing R&D. John Podesta's allegations are contradicted by Clinton administration testimony at a recent House Science Committee hearing on R&D funding. The speech also prompted Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner to quip, "I am encouraged by the Administration’s sudden interest in science funding." See, Podesta speech.

Bush Forms Information Tech Advisory Council. (7/8/99) Texas Governor George Bush announced the formation of an Information Technology Advisory Council for his presidential campaign on Wednesday, July 7. The group is chaired by Michael Dell, and reads like a who's who list of high tech leaders.

House Republicans Announce E-Contract. (6/25/99) House Majority Leader Dick Armey and other Republican Representatives announced an "e-contract" on Wednesday, June 23. The document is a ten point plan for removing "the barriers to future innovation, competition, and growth" of high tech industry. See, the e-contract.

House Democrats Form High Tech Advisory Group. (6/13/99) House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt announced the formation of an Advisory Group on High-Tech Issues on June 10. The group will be chaired by Rep. Zoe Lofgren and Rep. Anna Eshoo, both from Silicon Valley.

Former Rep. Rick White Rejoins Perkins Coie Law Firm. (4/1/99) Former U.S. Rep. Rick White has rejoined the law firm of Perkins Coie as a partner in its Electronic Commerce and Internet Law practice section. White worked for Perkins Coie prior to serving two terms in Congress. White was one of the Congress's most active legislators on high tech issues, until he lost a close election last November to Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA).

State of the Union Address Slim on High Tech Policy. (1/20/99) President Bill Clinton read his annual "State of the Union" speech to the Congress on Tuesday night, January 19.  It contained little discussion of high tech policies.  However, it did touch on the Year 2000 conversion problem, privacy in electronically stored medical records, and terrorist threats to computer infrastructure.  See, copy of speech.

House Commerce Committee Organizes for 106th Congress. (1/8/99) The House Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over about half of the high tech related legislation, reorganized for the 106th Congress on Thursday morning, January 7.   Some of the most pro-tech members of the Committee have left, and been replaced.   The key chairmanships remain the same.

Congressional Scorecard 1998. (1/5/99) Tech Law Journal rated all 435 Representatives and all 100 Senators on their support for high tech in 1998. Five criteria were used (support for the encryption bills, Internet Tax Freedom Act, securities litigation reform, and H1B visa reform, and membership in the Internet Caucus.

Top Ten Senators in 1998. (1/5/99) Tech Law Journal picked its top ten Senators for high tech in 1998.  Conrad Burns (R-MT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Spencer Abraham (R-MI) topped the list.

Top Ten Representatives in 1998. (1/5/99) Tech Law Journal picked its top ten members of the House of Representatives for high tech in 1998. Rick White (R-WA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and Chris Cox (R-CA) topped the list.

High Tech Support Is Strongest in West and New England. (1/5/99) The average levels of support for high tech, as measured by the Tech Law Journal Congresssional Scorecard 1998, are highest in the west coast, mountain and New England states. Support for high tech is lowest in the "rust belt" states.

Party Affiliation and High Tech. (1/5/99) In 1998 Republicans in both the House and Senate had higher average levels of support for the high tech agenda than their Democratic colleagues.

Digital Divide in Congress. (1/5/99) Black and white legislators differ substantially their support for the high tech agenda.

High Tech Gender Gap in Congress? (1/5/99) Men and women in Congress have the same average high tech support score.  However, the average score for Democratic women is higher than that of Democratic men.

Urban, Suburban and Rural Variations in Support for High Tech. (1/5/99) Inner city and urban Representives tend to support the high tech agenda less than their suburban and exurban colleagues. Rural legislators are divided.

Age and Seniority Matter. (1/5/99) Younger and less senior legislators are more supportive of high tech than older and more senior legislators.

Advisory Panel Recommends Free Air Time for Politicians. (12/21/98) The President's Advisory Committee on Public Interest Obligations of Digital Television Broadcasters issued a 178 page report on Friday, December 18, which made many recommendations, including one that TV broadcasters, as well as cable, satellite, radio, and other video and audio programmers, give free advertising time to politicians.

Bob Goodlatte Named Co-Chair of Internet Caucus. (11/20/98) Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) has been named House Republican Co-Chair of the Internet Caucus.  He is the lead sponsor and advocate of the Safety and Freedom through Encryption Act (SAFE), HR 695.

High Tech Loses in Republican Leadership Contests. (11/19/98) The House Republicans elected new leaders on Wednesday, November 18. All candidates have been supportive of the computer and Internet industry. However, the strongest supporters of high tech were not picked.

Former U.S. Senator Brown Named to U S West Board. (11/3/98) Hank Brown, a U.S. Senator from Colorado until 1997, has been named to the Board of Directors of U S West, the telephone company which provides local phone service to most of the western United States, except California.

AT&T Picks Cicconi to Head Government Affairs. (7/28/98) AT&T has picked James Cicconi, of the Washington mega law firm of Akin Gump, to be Senior Vice President for Government Affairs and Federal Policy. Cicconi also served as a senior White House aide in the Reagan and Bush administrations.

California and Other States Hold Primary Elections. (6/3/98) Primary elections were held in eight states on Tuesday, including California. Incumbent Sen. Boxer (D-CA) and Minority Leader Daschle (D-SD) faced little opposition. No key players in legislation affecting the computer and Internet industry were defeated.

Y2K Candidate Gore Hypes Internet with Union Bosses. (4/29/98) Vice President Al Gore met with union leaders, and held a ceremonial online session with school children, on Tuesday to publicize his support for subsidized Internet access for public schools, and related programs.

Genentech Lobbyist Beier Joins Gore Staff. (4/9/98) Vice President Al Gore picked David W. Beier to be his new chief domestic policy adviser on April 2. Beier is a lawyer, former congressional staffer, and Genentech lobbyist, with ample experience in intellectual property issues, taxation, and matters affecting the biotech industry.

Fundraising by House Members. (2/25/98) Most members of U.S. House of Representatives who are active on legislation affecting the computer and internet industry have built large campaign warchests in advance of the 1998 elections. Fundraising leaders include Rep. Chris Cox (R-CA), with $871,891 on hand at the end of 1997, and Billy Tauzin (R-LA), Chairman of the key Telecommunications Subcommittee, with $819,725.