Kvamme, HP, Microsoft & Intel Kick-Off Tech Policy Summit

There are obvious and innumerable advantages to being the San Francisco partner at 463. A new one was not being required to fly to the Tech Policy Summit being held at this moment in San Jose. Woe is those many sorry souls who tried to make it from the East Coast to the Bay Area yesterday in time for the conference.

Anyway, despite, bad weather coast to coast, the conference kicked off this morning with the Dean Emeritus of the tech policy industry effort, Floyd Kvamme. The former partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers spent much of his time talking about energy policy. After the jump are notes on the Kvamme talk and the subsequent conversation between government affairs leaders at H-P, Microsoft and Intel....

Kvamme
We need energy security; we need choice; and we need to reduce demand for electricity and oil. At semiconductor companies, energy costs are equal to human costs.

With his role on PCAST, Kvamme reported that the tech advisory group to the Administration has looked at the following sources of energy...

--Hydrogen: Yet, American's want to tear it down

--Renewables: Need to go peddle to the metal. But. can't handle either current load or future demands. Can only provide 10% of electricity requirements by 2030.

--Nuclear: Need to make a priority. Cost of building one is the same as building a coal one. 30 countries already have nuclear.

--Coal & gas = 70 % of the use. Need to build clean coal facilities moving forward, but states control. Clean coal is dramatically more efficient; but they are also more expensive. 15% more expensive. The clean air act and the clean skies initiative.

Oil: Increase biofuels/ethonal. Henry Ford in the early days thought the car could run on ethanol. Huge opportunities here. Push all electrical and hydrogen fueled autos.

Exxon Mobile spends .2 percent on research; dramatically less than companies like Cisco.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Panel: Tech Policy's Evolving Role
Host: Karen Tumulty
Panel: Gary Fazzino, H-P, Peter Pitsch, Intel & Pamela Passman, Microsoft

Gary: Not enough people in tech are politically engaged. far too many spokespeople, far too many associations

Pamela: There is now an increasing call for regulation by companies in privacy and security

Peter: in 2000, TJ Rogers said that Silicon Valley shouldn't "normalize" relationships with DC. But, it's in our interest to be engaged. We are very much involved. Key to success is whether we take a high tone. The danger is becoming yet another corporate-crat.

Gary: Bush competitiveness agenda has been strongest since Eisenhower in the age of Sputnik.

Democrats are strong, too.

The one difference is trade; which is unfortunate.

KT: Even Hilary Clinton as been distancing herself away from NAFTA.

Gary: Big challenges, so much breadth, so many issues and niches; Hard to be identified for a particular issues by the media. Makes accountability of policymakers tough

Example: A couple of years ago, you couldn't nail us down us on stock options, trade or patent reform and what was most important.

We have to become a big player in the national health care debate. We have to be sitting at the table here.

Q: Is there a "geek vote". Do legislators need to answer to public pressure?

Peter: On NN, there is a case where the Internet has changed things dramatically. At least the political process has been taken into account -- if it hasn't changed anything.

Pamela: Issues around tech privacy might be interesting. Could play a role in the next election.

Peter: Would hope that big picture competitiveness issues could become an issue.

Q: Former FTC commissioner says that tech firms aren't doing enough with the agency.

Gary: We don't have a history of being regulated. We haven't hired folks coming out of agencies. This is a new world for us.

Q: (From me) What about the Web 2.0 companies? Should they be getting more involved or is HP, Intel, Microsoft looking out for them?

Gary: They are gathering together on individual issues like net neutrality. We need to build relationships with this folks and identify forums to address issues of concern.

But, we don't need more associations.

We need to identify 2-3 issues and have a single spokesperson.

Comments

[Ram]

Across the country, state leiualstgres appropriate millions of taxpayer dollars each year on corporate jobs incentives under the guise of economic development and job creation . Greg LeRoy manages to shed light on the fallacy of these programs, using real life examples to prove that incentives are simply corporate welfare schemes that do little more than pad the

[Ejaz]

If I were a Teegnae Mutant Ninja Turtle, now I'd say "Kowabunga, dude!"

[Ejaz]

If I were a Teegnae Mutant Ninja Turtle, now I'd say "Kowabunga, dude!"

[LomoDype]

get cheap christian louboutin outlet reviews DCdhfMDg [URL=http://www.christian--louboutin-outlet.net/ - christian louboutin outlet chicago [/URL - online shopping zFzKeYVT http://www.christian--louboutin-outlet.net/