Elizabeth Thiers, OTR
email: [log in to unmask]
homepage: http://www.bv.net/~john/bethsot1.html
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> From: Kelly Pierce <[log in to unmask]>
> To: Kelly Pierce <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Join the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee
> Date: Saturday, February 06, 1999 8:05 AM
>
>
>
> Disability organizations and other public interest groups can participate
> in what seems like the closed door dialogue on Internet issues in
> Washington by joining the congressional Internet caucus. let's not miss
> this opportunity.
>
> kelly
>
>
> From: Gary Ruskin <[log in to unmask]>
>
> -- Join the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee, and help
> shape Internet policy in Washington.
>
> According to its web page, the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory
> Committee is "a diverse group of public interest, non profit and
> industry groups working to educate the Congress and the public about
> important Internet-related policy issues." <http://www.netcaucus.org/>
>
> On January 21, the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee held
> its first meeting for the 106th Congress, which was attended by a sea of
> corporate and trade association lobbyists, but few members of the public
> or public interest groups. (Other than the Congressional Accountability
> Project, I saw only the Electronic Frontier Foundation, People for the
> American Way, and OMB Watch represented.) This is a problem. If the
> Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee is to help shape the
> congressional agenda on Internet issues during the 106th Congress, then
> it should not be composed nearly exclusively of corporate lobbyists.
>
> Here's what you can do: join the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory
> Committee, and participate in its activities. (If you don't have an
> organization, then form one and make yourself the president. Then join
> up.) At the January 21 meeting, several Hill staffers said that
> membership in the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee is
> open, and free.
>
> Internet policy is too important to be left in the hands of corporate
> lobbyists. Make your voice heard by Internet policy staffers and Members
> of Congress.
>
> Here's how to do it: following is a note from Lauren Frazier of Rep.
> Boucher's staff about the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory
> Committee. Rep. Boucher is a co-chair of the Congressional Internet
> Caucus.
>
> Subject: Letter Reminder
> Date: Mon, 1 Feb 1999 15:31:53 -0500
> From:"Frazier, Lauren" <[log in to unmask]>
> To:[log in to unmask]
>
> > Dear Members-to-be of the Advisory Board:
> >
> > This is a reminder of the letters we the co-chair staff requested from
you at our meeting on Thursday, January 21. We have only received about 11
letters-of-intent to date, and we believe that there were more than 11
interested groups at the organizing meeting.
> >
> > Please include in the letter:
> > Your intent on being an active part of the Internet Caucus
Advisory Board for 106th Congress
> Contact name, phone number, e-mail address
> what forum topics you are interested in working on
> > any other suggestions for the Caucus
> >
> > Send to: Lauren Frazier
> > c/o Rep. Rick Boucher
> > 2329 Rayburn HOB
> > Washington, DC 20515
> > (please do not send the letter by e-mail. We will begin communicating
by e-mail once we receive the hard-copy of the letter.)
> >
> > We would like to receive the letters as soon as possible so we may move
ahead.
> >
> > Thank you very much. If you have any questions regarding this letter
please feel free to contact any of the Co-Chair staff. (Ben Cline w/
Rep.Goodlatte x-5-5431, Mike Rawson w/ Sen. Burns x4-8250, Ed Pagano w/
Sen.Leahy x4-7703)
> >
> > -Lauren and Mark
> > 202-225-3861
>
> That is, you can reach Ben Cline at (202) 225-5431, Mike Rawson at (202)
> 224-8250, and Ed Pagano at (202) 224-7703. You can fax your letter to
> Lauren Frazier at (202) 225-0442.
>
> These Hill staffers are asking you to suggest policy issues that the
> Congressional Internet Caucus should conduct forums on. Let them know
> what you think. Some obvious suggestions include, for example: how to
> get Congress and the federal government to put their important documents
> on the Internet; protecting privacy against commercial spammers and
> other corporate predators; what the federal government should do to
> counteract Microsoft's anti-competitive practices; and, pricing of
> residential digital ISDN lines.
>
> No illusion, though. In Washington, access and the cooperation of
> Members of Congress is mostly bought or rented. By joining the
> Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee, you probably won't
> greatly change the way that Washington does Internet policy. But, it
> certainly could help (and it probably can't get much worse...) So, send
> your letters, and join up.
> ------------------------------------------------
> BACKGROUND:
> For more details about the computer industry's campaign contributions
> that make friends and laws in Washington, see the following excellent
> Money in Politics Alert, produced by the Center for Responsive Politics.
>
> MONEY IN POLITICS ALERT
> Vol. 5, #2
> tel: 202-857-0044, fax: 202-857-7809
> February 1, 1999
> email: [log in to unmask], web: www.crp.org
>
> A Complicated Web: Faster than the click of a
> mouse, computer companies are increasing their
> clout in Washington, pumping at least $8.1
> million in PAC, soft money and individual
> contributions to federal candidates and parties
> during the 1997-98 elections -- twice what they
> gave in the last mid-term elections.
> Republicans, according to filings, captured 57
> percent of contributions the 1997-98 cycle,
> most of which was given through soft money and
> individual donations.
> Top contributors included many of the
> industry's usual political players, such as
> Microsoft, which ranked No.1 among computer
> companies with $1.2 million in donations, 63
> percent to Republicans. But analysis shows that
> another growing political force in the industry
> is Internet access giant America Online, which
> gave $137,250 in hard and soft money donations
> in 1997-98, 71 percent to Democrats. AOL ranked
> ninth in computer industry political donations,
> while its soon-to-be partner, Netscape
> Communications, ranked seventh, giving nearly
> $224,000 in the last elections, 66 percent to
> Republicans. In contrast, AOL ranked 48th
> during the 1995-96 elections, contributing
> $32,500, and 185th in 1993-94, when the company
> gave only $2,200. Netscape ranked 46th in 1995-
> 96 and donated $34,499; however, in 1993-94,
> the company made no contributions.
> In the preceding months before AOL and
> Netscape announced merger plans in November
> 1998, officials from both companies gave
> sizable soft money donations to both political
> parties. Netscape president and CEO James
> Barksdale contributed $100,000 to the
> Republican National Committee and $25,000 to
> the Democratic Congressional Campaign
> Committee. The donations were Netscape's first
> ever soft money donations. James Kimsey,
> founder and president of AOL, gave $17,000 to
> the National Republican Senatorial Committee
> and $50,000 to the Democratic National
> Committee. The $4.2 billion merger must be
> approved by federal officials
> Around the same time, AOL began lobbying
> members of Congress and the Federal
> Communications Commission to force cable
> companies to open access to their high-speed,
> broadband connection lines, which allows
> cybersurfers to access the Internet 100 times
> faster than dialing up via phone line. The FCC
> last week deferred the decision to Congress,
> which is currently investigating a lack of
> competition in the cable industry.
> Meanwhile, AOL, according to the Wall
> Street Journal, is preparing to wage an
> extensive lobbying war for access to the cable
> lines. The online giant is reportedly
> recruiting consumer groups and companies that
> do business over the Internet to become
> involved with "Open Net," an AOL-founded
> coalition that will urge federal officials to
> open the cable networks to all competitors who
> want to provide high-speed Internet service.
> AOL has tapped Greg Simon, a longtime
> Washington lobbyist and former advisor to Vice
> President Al Gore, and Rich Bond, former
> chairman of the RNC, to lead the effort.
> AOL's push for open access pits the
> company against AT&T, which will gain access to
> millions of potential high-speed Internet
> customers under a proposed merger with cable
> company Tele-Communications Inc. AT&T has
> donated $1.5 million so far in the 1997-98
> election cycle.
>
> Top Ten Computer Industry PAC, Soft Money and
> Individual Campaign Contributors, 1997-98
> Election Cycle*
> Company Amount Dems Repubs
> Microsoft $1,154,911 $418,743 $732,668
> Gateway 2000 $490,954 $149,500 $341,454
> EDS $355,246 $146,618 $207,628
> Oracle Corp $324,663 $231,413 $93,250
> Cisco Systems $234,750 $106,750 $125,750
> Netscape $223,999 $75,250 $148,499
> IDX Systems $147,750 $131,250 $16,000
> JD Edwards & Co $139,250 $12,750 $126,500
> America Online $137,250 $98,000 $39,250
> Telxon $126,250 $0 $126,250
> *Based on data downloaded from the FEC on
> 1/1/99
>
> Prepared by Holly Bailey
> ---------------------------------------------------
> BACKGROUND:
> Following is another recent e-mail from the Congressional Internet
> Caucus.
> Subject: Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee
> Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 12:05:11 -0500
> From: "Cline, Benjamin" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> January 14, 1999
>
> Advisory Committee Members
> Congressional Internet Caucus
> Washington, D.C. 20515
>
>
> Dear Advisory Committee Members:
>
> As the co-chairs of the Congressional Internet Caucus, we want to
> express our thanks to those Members of the CIC Advisory Committee who
> were actively involved in the Caucus during the 105th Congress, and we
> also want to welcome those who have expressed an interest in becoming
> new Advisory Committee Members for the 106th Congress.
>
> With the help of the Advisory Committee, the CIC was successful during
> the 105th Congress in raising the awareness and understanding of Members
> of Congress concerning significant emerging policy matters affecting the
> Internet's future. Several bills to promote the growth of the Internet
> were signed into law during the 105th Congress, including Internet tax
> moratorium
> legislation, securities litigation reform, WIPO implementation/OSP
> liability legislation, and Y2K information disclosure legislation. The
> successful passage of these and other bills was due in no small part to
> the education of Members of Congress by the Internet Caucus.
>
> We are optimistic that legislation promoting Internet growth will be
> equally successful the 106th Congress, and we have set an ambitious
> agenda that involves increased participation by Caucus participants and
> a higher profile for Caucus events. We will once again be holding
> several forums in 1999 to educate Members about various Internet-related
> topics, including privacy,
> access, content, and security.
>
> Staff for the Internet Caucus co-chairs will hold an organizational
> meeting with Advisory Committee members at 1:00 PM on January 21 in room
> 2105 of the Rayburn House Office Building to discuss the Caucus agenda
> and events for the 106th Congress. Enclosed is a memo outlining the
> Caucus agenda. Please contact Ben Cline with Congressman Goodlatte
> (5-5431) or Lauren Frazier with Congressman Boucher (5-3861) with any
> questions.
>
> Looking forward to a successful year,
>
> Congressman Bob Goodlatte Congressman Rick
> Boucher
> Senator Conrad Burns
> Senator Patrick Leahy
>
>
> Congressional Internet Caucus--Agenda for the 106th Congress
>
> In the 106th Congress the Congressional Internet Caucus will
> continue to build upon its established mission of educating Members of
> the House and Senate about the promise and potential of the Internet.
> In achieving this goal, the Caucus will work closely with the
> Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee on a series of
> educational events which focus on major Internet technology and policy
> matters. As detailed below, each forum in 1999 will be structured with
> significant Member, senior official and senior public interest and
> private sector participation to
> raise the profile and effectiveness of the forums as a channel for
> discussion of emerging Internet policy matters. The success of these
> forums will depend upon robust Member participation in them and solid
> commitment to their planning and execution by Advisory Committee
> representatives.
>
> Policy Forums
>
> The Caucus plans to hold four or five educational forums during
> 1999, with the first forum targeted for March. One or two Caucus
> co-chairs will be assigned to chair each forum and will lead panel
> discussions, assisted by other Members of the Caucus that have an
> interest in the forum topic and have committed to participate in and
> attend the event. The Member
> chair(s) of the forum and staffs will be responsible for overseeing the
> organization and implementation of the event with the assistance of
> members of the Advisory Committee.
>
> Priority Topics for 1999
>
> Privacy
> Encryption
> Content (Spamming/Decency/Filtering/Internet Gambling)
> Access (Bandwidth/E-Rate/General Telecom Act)
> Digital Signatures
>
> Advisory Committee Membership Responsibilities
>
> The Caucus will continue to work closely with an Advisory
> Committee comprised of a diverse group of public interest, nonprofit and
> industry representatives. In order to maximize the effectiveness and
> efficiency of the Caucus, in 1999, the Caucus will establish criteria
> for membership on the Advisory Committee which will based on specified
> requirements -- including regular attendance at Advisory Committee
> meetings and participation commitments in Caucus events, including
> policy forums.
>
> For example, Advisory Committee members working on a specific policy
> forum will be responsible for defined tasks, including working with the
> Member co-chair(s) and staff to formulate the event's agenda, to
> identify and confirm high level speakers, and to implement other
> logistics, including forum cybercasting and appropriate follow up
> post-event. Every member of the
> Advisory Committee must identify at least one policy forum or other
> Caucus event for 1999 in which the Committee member will play a
> planning and participatory role. A list of these commitments must be
> forwarded to and maintained by the Caucus co-chair staff.
>
> Formulation of Caucus Member Working Groups
>
> To facilitate greater participation by Members of the Internet
> Caucus, the co-chairs of the Caucus and Advisory Committee members will
> identify informal working groups of Caucus Members organized by
> appropriate areas of interest. Members of these Working Groups will
> participate as leaders at Caucus forums. These Working Groups may work
> with the chairs of
> Caucus to plan additional events, including possible regional events in
> high-tech corridors of the U.S.
>
> Caucus Website and Other Administration Functions
>
> The Center for Democracy, with the help of the Internet
> Education Foundation, has taken a significant role in the administrative
> responsibilities of the Internet Caucus. IEF has maintained the Caucus
> website and will work with the offices of the Congressional co-chairs to
> post up-to-date information including upcoming events, and advisory
> committee and Caucus member updates. Decisions as to other information
> and
> links will be made in cooperation with the Advisory Committee.
>
> IEF will continue to sponsor all Caucus events and will also
> have an intern designated for the Caucus. The Caucus will find ways to
> continue to recognize and strengthen CDT and IEF involvement.
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> Gary Ruskin | Congressional Accountability Project
> 1611 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite #3A | Washington, DC 20009
> Phone: (202) 296-2787 | Fax (202) 833-2406
> http://www.essential.org/orgs/CAP/CAP.html |
> mailto:[log in to unmask] |
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>
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