The 463: Inside Tech

D: All Things Digerati

Cisco CEO John Chambers, Senator John McCain and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at D

Somehow the A-Listers let in this Whatever-Lister to the big D- All Things Digital Wall Street Journal conference north of San Diego (Carlsbad).

I got to mingle tonight with the people mingling with Steve Ballmer, John Chambers, Chad Hurley, Martha Stewart, Steve Case and many more at the opening reception.  Fortunately  some relevance to my attendance was afforded by Senator John McCain's kick-off interview keynote with the WSJ's Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher.

According to the rules of the conference I can't do my typical semi-transcript thing, but I can post some excerpts, more photos and links after the jump...

3Qs: Mitch Glazier, RIAA Lobbyist

Welcome to a new edition of 3Qs, where we (kind of) famously ask three questions of an interesting person in the tech policy neighborhood.  Our guest today is Mitch Glazier, the RIAA's Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Industry Relations. (In what I fear may be precedent setting, a biography is after the jump).

Let's face it, the RIAA isn't exactly a popular institution outside the Beltway.  However, the RIAA has as much sway as ever in the domains where Glazier is involved.  For that, and because I've got to know Mitch as a thoughtful, self-aware type, I asked him the following three questions...

1) How would you describe the RIAA’s relationship with the technology industry now as compared to the “Napster Years” of 1999-2002?

We’re in a better place.  Like every relationship, it’s complicated and we have definitely matured together.  When you think of what the record companies went through – changing almost every aspect of their business model for digital releases (which, despite legitimate criticism, can never happen overnight), giving up distribution, and gaining legal clarity – the Napster years almost seem like ancient history.  The early years were rocky but the obvious interdependence, the Supreme Court decision in Grokster and the desire of tech companies to get exclusive distribution contracts has forged an understanding that didn’t exist before.  Despite several threats to break up, I think we’re going to make it.

2) What's the single biggest misperception about the RIAA that is commonly held by those active voices in the Internet community (bloggers, media, advocates)?  And, how do you think this will change?

Some will always view RIAA as a monolithic enforcer that wants to stop the technology revolution that is giving music back to the people and harness the digital world so the evil establishment can control it.  Or something like that.  One time after I finished speaking to students at a University a guy with a Linux t-shirt told me I was responsible for killing the Internet and asked me how I felt about it.  All I could say was, “Not too bad.” The truth, of course is that the RIAA is full of some of the most committed, hard-working music lovers you could ever meet who have the tough job of trying to help the industry protect its creative property and adapt to new challenges.  From statutory licensing and music publishing rules to enforcement and First Amendment protection, RIAA has been at the forefront of change that will determine how to keep music an art in which people still want to invest in the digital marketplace.  It’s been great to be in the middle of it, even if it hasn’t felt so great sometimes.

Once the digital transition is more complete and understood, and the debate is sorted out to the satisfaction of consumers, I think the need for a punching bag will fade, the Linux t-shirt will be traded in for a Linux briefcase, and EFF will start running the creative commons.

3)  You guys throw one of the better parties of the year in Washington (the Holiday party).  Ever think about coming out to Silicon Valley and building bridges with free drinks and top-notch music performances?

Now that’s a good idea.  We do know how to throw a good party.  We have been talking about joining with a tech group to hold a discussion in Silicon Valley with music community representatives and tech execs to keep the lines of communication open on policy issues.  Maybe we should end it at the right venue with some great music and a few (meaning several) drinks.  Hell, we might even achieve interoperability.

Silicon & Rice

I spent a better part of yesterday in Palo Alto for a TechNet-arranged pow-wow with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and about 20 Silicon Valley heavy hitters. (My photo above includes, from left to right, Brian Halla, National Semiconductor CEO, John Chambers, Cisco CEO and Chairman, Foreign Minister Downer, Secretary Rice, Floyd Kvamme of Kleiner Perkins and Lezlee Westine, TechNet's CEO.)

From News.com:

Rice said her visit was designed to help understand what's happening in the most exciting area of the country for technology innovation, with an eye toward maintaining America's global competitiveness.

"We've also been very interested in new technologies for the new green revolution." Such technologies will eventually help "wean ourselves from hydrocarbons...and help us be good stewards of the environment."

And from the Mercury News:

The Bay Area swing was not all business-free. During a series of meetings with Silicon Valley executives, and a tour of Hewlett-Packard Labs in Palo Alto, she focused on the valley's role in keeping America's edge in global competitiveness and the need to encourage more students to pursue math and science degrees.

In the interview, she said she was surprised to learn the number of engineering graduates had dropped, calling it "a bad sign," and she was dismayed at the findings in a new report issued earlier this week that an exodus of college graduates from the state could lead to a large brain gap.

Several valley executives told her the current immigration compromise hammered out between White House and Senate leaders did not go far enough to ensure a skilled workforce, prompting Rice to say "I did hear them and will take those concerns back" to the White House.

IT is the Economy...

As a presidential election creeps closer, it's always a good idea to step back and take a look at the big picture impact of the technology industry on jobs and the economy.  Here are some stats on the impact of IT on both the United States and California, as provided by the AeA's 2007 CyberStates report and the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation's recent Digital Prosperity report.

From ITIF:
- IT has been responsible for nearly all of the economic growth over the last decade, adding $2 trillion annually to the U.S. economy

- IT was responsibily for two-thirds of total factor growth in productivity between 1995 and 2002 and virtually all of the growth in labor productivity during the same time period

- IT is responsible for increasing the U.S. Labor productivity rate from 1.46 percent per year (1973-1995) to 2.91 percent (1996-2006)

From AeA:
- The IT industry has significantly boosted U.S. total economic output, by creating jobs, and paying 84 percent above the U.S. average wage

- The U.S. tech industry employed 5.8 million people last year

- CA high-tech wages now average over 100 percent above the state's average private sector wage

- California's high-tech industry currently amounts to 920,000 jobs

- Venture capital investments in California increased to $12.2 billion in 2005, which accounts for 48 percent of all venture capital in the country

- High-tech exports from California amounted to $47.8 billion in 2005

- Research and Development (R&D) investments for California in 2005 totaled $59.7 billion

Here was AP's and the San Francisco Chronicle's stories on the AeA report.

3Qs: Google DC Spokesperson Adam Kovacevich

We thought we would check in on Adam Kovacevich after his first 100 days or so on the job as Google's DC spokesperson with our second in an ongoing series of three questions with interesting folks in the tech policy neighborhood.

After landing in DC from everyone's favorite California city of Bakersfield via some Massachusetts college, Adam served folks like Senator Joseph Lieberman and California Congressman Cal Dooley. Once he left the Hill, he went on to make a good name for himself in tech policy communications with stints at Dittus Communications and the Information Technology Industry Council.

1) What is the average day of a Google public policy spokesperson like?

Naturally the first thing I do is check this very blog to find out the latest news from our Washington office. After that, I catch up on the three hours' worth of e-mail from my California colleagues that accumulated after I left work the night before. After a mid-morning ritual Googling of myself (that counts as work here, right?), I field phone calls from friends who inevitably want me to remove a really embarrassing link that appears when their name is Googled (sorry, any long-lost pals who are reading this, it's the algorithms). Later I'll make a trip to our office mini-fridge (our version of the famed Google "micro kitchens") and start returning reporters' phone calls on topics ranging from net neutrality to privacy to how political campaigns are using online advertising. To round out the day I might spend some time lounging around on our office beanbag chair.

2) What is the most misunderstood aspect of Google inside the Beltway and what is the plan to change hearts and minds?

Most people in Washington are already pretty familiar with Google's tools and services from having used them, but we're working to educate policymakers about our impact as a company. Take economic growth, for example. Thousands of small businesses throughout the country are using our keyword advertising program, AdWords, to help attract new customers in a cost-effective way. And thousands of our advertising partners - including businesses, bloggers, and individuals -- are earning revenue through Google's syndicated ad network, AdSense. Last year, we paid out $3.3 billion in revenue directly to those partners.

So that's a big message we're trying to convey in Washington - Google isn't just a great search engine; it's also creating economic opportunities for citizens and businesses in every state and congressional district.

3) How does the free food in the DC office compare to what you get at HQ?

This is best answered by offering a side-by-side menu comparison for one day last week:

Mountain View Menu:
Lamb Shanks
Creole Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
Cajun Bay Scallop Vol au Vent
Grilled Polenta Circles
Braised Swiss Chard
Cream of Asparagus Soup with Rock Shrimp
Hazelnut Sablé Cookies

DC Menu:
Cosi Sesame Ginger Chicken Sandwich, with a side o' chips

In short, no comparison.

New Copyright Alliance Launches

With the RIAA, MPAA, and the Business Software Alliance getting hammered on Capitol Hill by unfriendly legislators fed by massive campaign donations from the likes of Google, Larry Lessig's PAC and EFF slush funds, it was time for the big content players to lick their wounds and form an alliance.

Okay, so today's launch of the Copyright Alliance didn't exactly happen that way. Instead, said content organizations and other like NAB, Major League Baseball, the NBA, Disney, Sony, Microsoft, Viacom, NewsCorp,, Entertainment Software Association, American Federation of Television & Radio Artists, American Society of Composers, etc. decided that regardless of what may be happening to your business model in the future, when you have a position of strength in DC, you should use it to get even more strength.

Brook Boliek at the Hollywood Reporter notes that there is precedence for the group:

Patrick Ross, executive director of the organization, said that the group helps fill a gap that was left when former MPAA chief Jack Valenti died. Valenti ran a similar group known as the Copyright Alliance that went into eclipse after his death last month.

"That was a creature of Jack Valenti," he said. "With this, we hope to preserve that broad group."

We look forward to doing a 3Qs with Patrick about the Alliance and his new job post PFF. We might ask him if he foresees other technology companies (besides Microsoft) joining the group.

Web Site? That's Greek to Me Says Judge Overseeing Internet Terror Case

Sometimes the technology chasm between those who live on the Internet and those who don't have the slightest idea what it is hits you in the face like a stone tablet... From Reuters (and via Tech Liberation)...

A British judge admitted on Wednesday he was struggling to cope with basic terms like "Web site" in the trial of three men accused of inciting terrorism via the Internet. Judge Peter Openshaw broke into the questioning of a witness about a Web forum used by alleged Islamist radicals.

"The trouble is I don't understand the language. I don't really understand what a Web site is," he told a London court during the trial of three men charged under anti-terrorism laws.

Prosecutor Mark Ellison briefly set aside his questioning to explain the terms "Web site" and "forum." An exchange followed in which the 59-year-old judge acknowledged: "I haven't quite grasped the concepts."

The Military Website Ban: How It's Playing in Topeka

The ban of the use of 13 (quite) disparate Web sites and services on the U.S. military network was announced earlier this week. While the action was covered by the Washington Post (front page), the San Francisco Chronicle, broadcast outlets like the Bay Area's KTVU (above) and the Daily Show, I was surprised by the relative lack of blogtopia chatter about the move (there were notable exceptions).

So, instead of finding worthy discussion via Technorati, it proved more fruitful to go to places like Topeka, Corpus Christi, and Lubbock for reaction.

Todd Garvin, a columnist from Glasgow, Kentucky writes:

3Qs: Andrew Noyes, Tech Daily Reporter

       

Welcome to 3Qs -- a new feature at The 463 where we ask three questions of an interesting person in the tech policy neighborhood.

We've turned the tables on our first interviewee.  As a senior writer at the National Journal's Technology Daily, Andrew Noyes (bio) is among the very best reporters covering tech policy.  While maintaining clear-eyed toughness, Andrew brings an enthusiasm to his job that is rare for a breed better known for its hardened cynical types.

Andrew also is the energy behind the NJTD's Tech Daily Dose Blog.  Check it out.

On to the questions:

1) What constantly amazes you as you cover tech policy in DC?

I am continually (and pleasantly) surprised by the extent to which staffers for key members of Congress and committees are steeped in the issues I cover. Intellectual property policy and Internet governance issues can be dense and require serious time and thoughtful consideration. Sometimes I find myself scrambling to keep up with them! I am also amazed by the ferocity and intensity of lobbying efforts that target high-tech and telecommunications topics -- and the creativity with which these campaigns are deployed.

2) Which politicians “get” technology the best?

I hate to name names but here are a few: Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., Rep. Fred Upton, R- Mich., Rep. Mike Ferguson, R-N.J., Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev.

3) On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the job that industry in currently doing to communicate its value and positions in DC?  What should the tech industry be doing to better communicate about the benefits that their companies and products bring to society?

The tech sector's bullhorn is loud and unrelenting. If an hour goes by without hearing from an industry rep on a given issue, I immediately call our IT people because my e-mail is clearly on the fritz. The sector does a fantastic job of communicating its message on a variety of issues. The fact that there are more than a half-dozen groups that purportedly speak for the industry in Washington occasionally makes covering my bases difficult -- but it's always better to have a chorus of voices than none at all.

Congressional Future of Video Hearing: Closing Statements

Finally, closing one-minute statements from panelists during the Congressional Telecom and Internet Subcommittee "Future of Video" hearing.  Footage taken by C-SPAN.

Featuring Mark Cuban (HDNet), Blake Krikorian (CEO, Sling Media), Chad Hurley (YouTube), Gina Lombardi (President, MediaFLO; Qualcomm), Ben Pyne (Disney and ESPN networks), Tom Rogers (TiVo), and Phil Rosenthal (Writers Guild of America, West and Screen Actors Guild).

 

Other coverage includes PC World, Wired's blog, paidContent, IP Democracy, NewTeeVee and CNET.