Public advocates find a place in a mostly corporate group.
Harold Feld and Rashmi Rangnath of Public Knowledge as well as Gene Kimmelman have long battled government but suddenly find themselves representing the U.S. Terry Kramer has received very valuable support – and credibility – from Greenpeace, labor and other public interest groups. “Multi-stakeholder” is worthless if the only stakeholders are corporate, so this is a smart move.
The five or so public advocates are outnumbered something like 10-1 by corporate reps, as usual. Google surprises by sending four people, even more than Verizon or AT&T. Several “U.S.” reps work for foreign companies, including NTT, Sony and Ericsson.
The remainder are government, led by State. The next largest group are the five from DOD, emphasizing the behind the scenes but dominant role they play. Here’s the complete list, with some annotations that might prove useful. 11/20 FCC Commissioner Rob McDowell and 14 more have joined and I will add.
Here’s the complete list, with a few details you might not find on Google
Public advocates find a place in a mostly corporate group.
Harold Feld and Rashmi Rangnath of Public Knowledge as well as Gene Kimmelman have long battled government but suddenly find themselves representing the U.S. Terry Kramer has received very valuable support – and credibility – from Greenpeace, labor and other public interest groups. “Multi-stakeholder” is worthless if the only stakeholders are corporate, so this is a smart move.
The five or so public advocates are outnumbered something like 10-1 by corporate reps, as usual. Google surprises by sending four people, even more than Verizon or AT&T. Several “U.S.” reps work for foreign companies, including NTT, Sony and Ericsson.
The remainder are government, led by State. The next largest group are the five from DOD, emphasizing the behind the scenes but dominant role they play. Here’s the complete list, with some annotations that might prove useful. 11/20 FCC Commissioner Rob McDowell and 14 more have joined and I will add.
Here’s the complete list, with a few details you might not find on Google
Access Partnership, Martin, Chris
Access Partnership, O’Keefe, Kelly
Iridium Satellite Martin, Kathryn
Satellite was the exclusive Internet backbone provider to most of Africa and continues to play a major role now that fiber has come many places. They serve everywhere.
Iridium Satellite Bethea Murphy, Donna
Amazon Misener, Paul
He works for a company whose success requires an open Internet but personally is an ideologue skeptical of any government action.
American Radio Relay League Siverling, Jonathan
ARRL has long been active in U.S. policy protecting ham radio. A good choice; Hamadoun Touré is proud of being a ham.
ARTEL, Minard, Julian
ITAC secretariat; contractor. Key admin person.
ASRC, Wilson, Joanne
ASRC Miller, David
AT&T Loeb, Eric
When I became deeply involved in reporting WCIT, a senior official told me Dick Beaird of State and the AT&T and Verizon lobbyists ran the show. The telcos often work behind the scenes.
AT&T Talbot, James
AT&T Alvarez, Amy
Boeing Allison, Audrey
CCIA, Black, Ed
Long time and effective lobbyist for the computer industry.
Cisco, Pepper, Robert
Probably the most respected man in international network policy after a distinguished career at the FCC. Carlos Slim consulted him at the Broadband Commission. Trained in policy, but acquired strong technical and financial skills. Strongly believes in competition as the best way to solve problems. A friend I sometimes disagree with. While I prefer solving problems with competition, I frequently report situations where competition is not producing decent results. My publication, DSL Prime, once reported Pepper as the best choice for FCC Chairman, although a long shot.
Cisco Sharp, Hascall (Chip)
Very active in State Department ITAC with a strong technical background. I learn from him.
Cisco Hong, Kyung-Yeop (KY)
Strong technically. Far too many U.S. policy decisions are simply wrong because they are made by lawyers who don’t understand networks. The current spectrum plans at the FCC are years behind the technology, for example. The Commissioners don’t know what they don’t know, and need more humility. Cisco should be commended for bringing more engineers into the process.
dotgay Doria, Avri
Strong technical experience, including Chief Architect for routing at Nokia and Nortel. Active in IETF since 1988. Participated in 10 RFCs and was chair of the IRTF Routing Research Group. Past chair of ICANN’s GNSO council. Civil society member of WGIG, active in Human Rights efforts and a volunteer for the Association for Progressive Communications (APC).
Ericsson Carlson, Jared
Facebook Wynn-Williams, Sarah
Freedom Technologies, Inc. Alden, John
Global Partners & Assoc Kimmelman, Gene
Long one of the best public advocates in DC
GMU Mercatus Center Dourado, Eli
co-creator of WCITleaks. A libertarian.
Go Daddy Operating Co Bladel, James
Google is sending four people, while Verizon and and AT&T only three. Amazing for D.C.
Google Sridhar, Aparna
Ex-Free Press
Google, Ryan, Patrick
Experienced in wireless deployments
Google, Falvey, Sarah
Google, LeJeunesse, Ross
Hurricane Electric Levy, Martin
Hurricane has become one of America and the world’s largest backbone through low transit prices for volume buyers. They advertise prices as low as $1/megabit at major peering points. That compares to prices in Africa often $50/megabit even where fiber has come. High transit costs are one of the key limits on the African Internet.
Inmarsat Murphy, Christopher
Satellite was the exclusive Internet backbone provider to most of Africa and continues to play a major role now that fiber has come many places. They serve everywhere.
Inmarsat Cornell, Diane
Intel Chartier, Mike
Intel has long supported development through computers.
Intel Plonk, Audrey
Juniper Walsh, Thomas
Lockheed Martin Warren, Jennifer
mCADE llc (rep for TechAmerica) Cade, Marilyn
Former AT&T VP plays a crucial role in U.S. policy
Microsoft Mitchell, Paul
Microsoft Tennenhouse, David
Strong technologist out of MIT, DARPA, and Intel research. New at Microsoft and clearly a man to watch.
National Cable Telecom Assn Check, William
NCBCP Black Women’s Roundtable Tate, Joycelyn
NTT DOCOMO USA Otsuki, Memiko
NTT became a major backbone after the $5B purchase of Verio during the boom. Enormous traffic to Latin America and elsewhere.
Paypal Smith, William (Bill)
Very active in ITAC
Private Consultant (deaf access) Saks, Andrea
Speaks up for the disabled in U.S. policy
Public Knowledge Rangnath, Rashmi
Building a reputation in public interest advocacy
Public Knowledge Feld, Harold
One of the very best in U.S. policy, respected even by those he often opposes. Happens to be my sister-in-law’s brother-in-law.
Silver Lake Goldstein, Gordon
Columbia Ph.D. Silver Lake manages $14B in international investments.
Sony Wiginton, Joel
Squire Sanders & Dempsey Marks, Herbert
Well connected lawyer
Telecom Mgmt Gp (rep for Apple) Wye, David
TMG Telecom Hernandez, Janet
TMG does international consulting in ICT
TMG Telecom Alves, Flavia
USTTI Gardner, Michael
USTTI has strong corporate ties. Gardner is a powerful lawyer/lobbyist.
UZH Drake, William (Bill)
Highly connected academic
Verizon Communications Brown, Kathy
AT&T Loeb, Eric
When I became deeply involved in reporting WCIT, a senior official told me the most powerful in the U.S. process were Dick Beaird of State and the AT&T and Verizon lobbyists. They often work behind the scenes.
Bill Kennard’s Chief of Staff at the FCC, Kathy is liked and respected. She has strong personal ties to Africa. Senior VP at Verizon who runs most of their policy work.
Verizon Communications Ruff, Jackie
Very influential at State
Verizon Communications Martinkovics, Leslie
Deeply involved at State
Urbany Associates Urbany, Frank
Ex-BellSouth
Wiley Rein Gross, David
Driving force in U.S. WCIT efforts. Former U.S. Ambassador now a lawyer-lobbyist. A gracious man helpful and liked by almost everyone in policy. He has worked extraordinarily hard and effectively around the world, funded by a business coalition whose members have not been revealed as far as I know. Presumed to be funded by the Bells and other big tech companies, but I have no solid information.
Gross and Terry Kramer are close since they were colleagues a decade ago at Airtouch. I do not believe he is “pulling the strings” at State as many assume, but he is very influential.
Wiley Rein Lucarelli, M. Ethan
Wiley Rein Frank, Carl
Department of Commerce (DOC)– National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Newton, Elaine
DOC – NIST Saunders, Mary
About NTIA, sending four people
National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Larry Strickling is a key decisionmaker on U.S. policy and co-authored the major U.S. paper on WCIT. NTIA, part of the Department of Commerce, sees itself as the President’s bureau of ICT. Smart, likeable, and extraordinarily effective, he has treated me as a friend even as I’ve criticized him. He joined with the Justice Department in a remarkable letter urging that the U.S. Broadband Plan not recommend regulatory action or other strong measures. I said he should have resigned rather than condemn the plan to only marginal results. My belief is that broadband competition in the U.S. has broken down. Since that time, U.S. broadband prices have gone up 20-50% and are now typically 40-70% higher than England and France.
Larry has been a friend of Barack Obama since at least 2006 and is a candidate for FCC chair.
DOC – National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Alexander, Fiona
She has spanned several administrations and is the civil servant that keeps it from going off the rails, I’m told.
DOC – NTIA Harris, Vernita
DOC – NTIA Heineman, Ashley
DOC – NTIA Hemmerlein, Christopher
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Siegel, Jordana
DHS Hart, Regina
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) De la Torre, Mindel
De la Torre is a veteran FCCer who was there under Hundt and Kennard and is now chief of the International Bureau. I’m told she is a true international expert who has worked across emerging countries, especially LATAM, in between her stints at the FCC.
FCC O’Brien, Kathy
FCC Duwadi, Kiran
FCC Lewis, Albert
Active and respected, although the causes the FCC championed are not those I would have chosen.
Department of Defense (DOD)/Defense Information Systems Agency Robertson, Jeffrey
DOD/Policy Hanif, Hila
DOD/CIO Bloom, Les
DOD/Policy Coomes, Mike
DOD LaPointe, Adriane
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Kaufman, Brad
Federal Trade Commission Broder, Betsy
Department of State – Economic and Business Affairs Bureau International Communications and Information Policy (CIP) Kramer, Terry (Ambassador)
Kramer’s the man. He changed long term State Department practice and brought civil society into the discussion. That helped enormously as non-profits have led the public debate. He also called for a stop of the vilification of the ITU, for which several criticized him. Amidst the rancor, he and Phil Verveer have built a respectful personal relationship with Touré
Long term senior telecom executive at Verizon/Vodafone with good knowledge of the industry. He was considered the representative for Vodafone’s 45% position worth $50B or more.
State – CIP Verveer, Phil (Amb.)
Ambassador Verveer is U.S. Coordinator for International Communications & Information Policy, i.e. the guy in charge. He and his wife are close personal friends of Hillary and Bill Clinton and Hillary pulled him into government.
Previously, Verveer played a major role in the original AT&T antitrust suit. He went on to become a very successful lawyer/lobbyist for Verizon and AT&T through their CTIA trade association. Many of the positions he supported are antithetical to the open Internet. Lawyers advocate for their clients even if they don’t believe in what they say so I don’t know his true beliefs. I’m skeptical because the State Department positions in international trade agreements are unfortunate.
State – CIP Beaird, Richard
For more than a decade, he’s been the primary person at State in international communications. He has an aura of power at international events. He goes with the flow; under Bush State actively opposed civil society involvement in ITU; now, we’re condemning ITU for not being sufficiently “multi-stakeholder.”
Beaird’s State under David Gross worked hard to support U.S. stakeholders who were nearly exclusively corporate. At the State Department ITAC I’ve been urging adopting a development agenda rathering than simply opposing everything they propose. Otherwise, our guys might be called “Dr. No.”
State – CIP Najarian, Paul
Manages ITAC and many other activities at State
State – CIP Bhardwaj, Manu
Taking an increasingly important role.
State – CIP Patten, Brian
State – CIP Ennis, James
State – CIP Gordon, Marian
State – CIP Wack, Michael
A high powered private attorney brought in as counselor to Verveer, Wack has provided substantial behind the scenes support to Terry Kramer. His previous career featured representing Nextwave Wireless, at the time a bankrupt company with a $16B dispute with the FCC. He obtained positive results for the company.
State – Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Bouvier, Seth
State – Bureau of International Organization Affairs Disselkoen, Robyn
State – Economic and Business Affairs Bureau-Legal Office Huitema, David
State – Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues Painter, Christopher
State – Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues Flynn, Sheila
Department of Justice (DOJ) Green, Richard
DOJ Teelucksingh, Anthony