The 463: Inside Tech

Stop and Smell the Transformation

(Dear Reader: We get to the tech policy aspect of this story after the jump, but, first, a feel-good moment)....

You don't notice your children growing up as much as friends and relatives because you see them every day. Likewise, with the Internet, it's something tough to get a gee-whiz, things-are-changing-fast moment when you spend much of your day in front of a computer.

I had one today when I wanted to see the video of the high school basketball team manager named Jason McElwain (or J-Mac) who got a chance to play in his team's last game of the year.  He entered the game with four minutes left and scored 20 points.  Oh, and the kid is also autistic.  I had seen a brief clip on ESPN, but wanted to learn more.  Boom.  A quick search on Google Video netted the below news report.  (BTW, I asssume that I could have found this on YouTube, but their search function was down).  More than just finding the video, someone with minimal tech skills (me), can easily post this here for you to view it...  Gee whiz. (And thanks to WROC in Rochester for the clip and the mad genius behind GetOutdoors for the tech tips).

K (ching) Street

According to PoliticalMoneyLine, telecom and tech firms spent $152 million on federal lobbying during the first half of 2005 -- only the healthcare industry spent more during that period.

Via today's National Journal's Tech Daily:

  The biggest communications spender for all of 2005 was the U.S. Telecom Association, whose members include the regional Bell companies. It devoted $16.8 million to Washington lobbying. Microsoft ranked second ($8.7 million)...
     Other heavy hitters in 2005 were: National Association of Broadcasters, $7.8 million; Motorola, $7.6 million; BellSouth, $7.4 million; IBM, $7.2 million; Cingular Wireless, $7.1 million; National Cable and Telecommunications Association, $7 million; and Comcast and Time Warner, which each spent about $4 million....Verizon Communications incurred at least $5.5 million in lobbying expenses in 2005. The figure is probably higher because some of its public filings were not reflected in the PoliticalMoneyLine data. Its merger partner, MCI, spent an additional $2 million last year....
    ...Merger partners AT&T and SBC Communications had expenditures of $4.2 million and $1.8 million during the first half of 2005.
     Data was incomplete for some additional companies, such as Intel, which paid more than $2 million for lobbying in the first half of 2005. Vonage, a newer player to the Washington scene, spent $330,000 in the same period....
    ...During the first half of 2005, Yahoo spent $800,000, followed by Amazon.com ($460,000) and eBay ($400,000). Google had $220,000 in lobbying expenses for all of 2005, according to PoliticalMoneyLine's data.

As the Net Neutrality debate heats up, it's clear who made a down payment and who is playing catch-up.

Set Spectrum Free!

The Technology CEO Council makes a strong and loud call today for the significant expansion of the use and usability of radio spectrum.  The group includes the CEOs of nine leading IT companies and says that spectrum may be the most critical infrastructure element of 21st century economies.

Reuters says:

Wireless companies have been hungry for more airwaves as they deploy new services like high-speed Internet and video content.

The executives also plan to suggest the FCC ease restrictions on wireless licenses so companies have more flexibility to use the airwaves for new services. They also will recommend making more unlicensed spectrum available that could be used for a variety of purposes.

The organization also plans to recommend Congress and regulators ensure that public safety organizations have the airwaves they need. Safety officials have complained about poor communications during disasters like the September 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina.

For the full report, click here.

Check Out Secure America's Future Energy

Robbie Diamond, formerly a top policy advisor to Senator Joe Lieberman, has a great organization called Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE) that aims to reduce America's dependence on oil, addressing business and technology, politics and advocacy, and public education and media.

Check them out here.  It's a great approach that focuses on energy as a national security priority.   Many technologists are now paying attention. 

Drip, Drip, Drip...

When glaciers are melting twice as fast as previously believed (Washington Post), how quickly does clean (or green) technology become the biggest public policy related issue for the industry?  Our guess:  Much sooner than anyone really wants.

Update (via CNET):  "Venture capital investment firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers said Thursday that it has created a $100 million fund dedicated to green technologies, also called clean tech." 

It will be interesting to see how KPCB's politically-savvy partners approach this issue with policymakers.

Chips in the Wall (China)

The Congressional hearing on Internet companies in China dominates the news today.  For an interesting, realistic take on the debate click here for an op-ed by former TechNet CEO and Congressman Rick White. (Or go to the jump below for excerpts.)

Innovative Alternative Energy is Good Business

463 is a huge proponent of using innovation to improve energy delivery and conservation. Simply put, all of us, and most especially our partner Jim Hock, who was Senator Feinstein's press secretary at one point, believes that saving the environment is good business. 

As such, he recommends a number of great clean energy technology websites and blogs, including:

Clean Energy Future.  This is Arno Harris' great blog about the emerging clean energy industry where many of the business challenges are centered around market entry and initial sales traction.

Clean Tech.  A great news and commentary blog about those interested in VC funding in clean technologies.

Clean Edge.  Bills themselves as the "clean market" authority launched in 2001 by environmental and high-tech business pioneers Ron Pernick and Joel Makower.

Check 'em out and remember that there by pursuing these technologies we can realize many environmental and economic returns at the same time.

Innovation: The New Schmoopie

Like the cute, dimpled Most Popular fourth-grader, the tech industry is getting handfuls of loving Valentine's Day wishes today.  After all, as our friend and political consultant Dan Schnur, once said, "No politician wants to be against the future."

And, as was impossible to miss at the World Economic Forum in Davos, most country leaders word-dropped "innovation" nearly every other sentence.  Closer to home, the Rs and the Ds are making like jocks versus skaters as they compete for the heart of Miss Innovation. 

Randy Barrett has the world from the Hill, in today's National Journal Tech Daily People Column (subscription required).  Here's a very generous excerpt:

Thousands Tell Stories of Badware

In just a few weeks since its launch, more than a quarter of a million Internet users have visited Stopbadware.org, a new "Neighborhood Watch" initiative against spyware and other malicious software programs. There's also a really cool new ad on the site (which we encourage you to send to your friends) and a toll-free number to report your story (877-nobadware).

Sponsored by Harvard University's Berkman Center and the Oxford Internet Institute, Stopbadware.org is the largest consumer protection initiative combating spyware. The initiative empowers consumers to fight back against badware. It is supported by high-tech companies, including Google, Lenovo and Sun Microsystems. Consumer Reports WebWatch serves as an unpaid special consumer adviser.

Since the launch of stopbadware.org on Jan. 25:

-- 279,339 computer users have visited the site, averaging roughly 14,000 visits per day.

-- Nearly 1,000 have shared their experiences with badware.

-- Nearly 5,000 have joined the site's active community group.

Read more below:

Net Neutrality 101

If you are late to the Net Neutrality debate and want to quickly catch up, see this overview by Christopher Stern -- a media policy analyst.