TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Politics in Telecom

Politics in Telecom

sidd@situ.com
Sun, 24 Apr 2005 20:48:42 GMT

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,1053595,00.html

Any Kerry Supporters On The Line?
The Bush Administration Punishes Some Democrat Backers

By VIVECA NOVAK AND JOHN DICKERSON

excerpts:

The Inter-American Telecommunication Commission meets three times a
year in various cities across the Americas to discuss such dry but
important issues as telecommunications standards and spectrum
regulations.

snip--

At least four of the two dozen or so U.S. delegates selected for the
meeting, sources tell TIME, have been bumped by the White House
because they supported John Kerry's 2004 campaign.

snip--

Only after the start of Bush's second term did a political litmus test
emerge, industry sources say.

The White House admits as much: "We wanted people who would represent
the Administration positively, and -- call us nutty -- it seemed like
those who wanted to kick this Administration out of town last November
would have some difficulty doing that," says White House spokesman
Trent Duffy. Those barred from the trip include employees of Qualcomm
and Nokia, two of the largest telecom firms operating in the U.S., as
well as Ibiquity, a digital-radio-technology company in Columbia, Md.

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, politics is what did me in a few
years ago, as many of you may recall. The Digest was getting, albiet a
very small, allowance monthly from International Telecommunications
Union in Geneva, CH. That is, until I started objecting to the way
that ICANN, Vint Cerf and MCI were administering the 'new internet'
(the post 1994 reforms than ICANN instituted.) Bingo, ITU cut me off
with no further adieu. Of course we did not have (either) Bush in
those days, we had Clinton and Gore (the man who 'invented' -- or was
it 'discovered' -- the internet) but still, one does not speak against
ICANN and the powers that be unless you are independently wealthy or
otherwise live happily on gruel and peanut butter. You'll be sorry if
you do (speak out) as many can tell you. PAT]

Post Followup Article Use your browser's quoting feature to quote article into reply
Go to Next message: Steven Lichter: "Verizon/MCI"
Go to Previous message: Monty Solomon: "Law May Help Freeze ID Theft / 2003 Law Helps Californians"
Next in thread: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com: "Re: Politics in Telecom"
May be reply: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com: "Re: Politics in Telecom"
May be reply: Steve Sobol: "Re: Politics in Telecom"
May be reply: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com: "Re: Politics in Telecom"
May be reply: Steve Sobol: "Re: Politics in Telecom"
May be reply: Henry: "Re: Politics in Telecom"
TELECOM Digest: Home Page