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ComputerWorld
( 07/08/97 12:00:00 AM)



TechNet seeks to lobby Congress and boost U.S. education
Wylie Wong



A consortium of Silicon Valley companies announced today that they had created a bipartisan public policy group called Technology Network, or TechNet, that will lobby the government to advance technology industry causes and improve and reform education. The immediate goals are to push legislation through Congress that would curb frivolous securities lawsuits. The group also plans to lobby states to adopt higher math and reading standards.

The group's co-chairs -- Netscape Communications Corp. CEO Jim Barksdale and Jim Doerr, a partner in the venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers -- announced their plans at a news conference today at Netscape's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. TechNet hopes to enhance the country's quality of life by creating a "new economy" that encourages people to start, build and operate technology companies, Doerr said. "The conventional wisdom is the American dream is over. They don't feel like it is going to get better," he said of mainstream citizens. Traditionally, the economy focused on skills, security, wages and plant equipment, Doerr said. Instead, today's business environment encourages lifelong learning, risk-taking and rewards such as stock options and intellectual property rights. Meanwhile Silicon Valley symbolizes job growth and high wages, he added. "Silicon Valley is not three counties. It's not just in California. It can be everywhere. That's the message we're trying to get out." TechNet's members include CEOs and presidents of technology companies, as well as senior partners from venture capital, investment, banking and law firms specializing in the technology industry. The executives plan to volunteer several hours a month of their time. Among the members are John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems, Inc.; Scott Cook, Intuit, Inc.'s CEO; Brian Halla, president and CEO of National Semiconductor Corp.; Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun Microsystems, Inc.; Kim Polese, CEO of Marimba Software; and John Young, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co.

The high-tech companies originally worked together last year to fight Proposition 211, which would have allowed investors to bring class-action lawsuits against companies that provide false or misleading information about investment risks. The technology companies feared the proposition would discourage businesses from marketing new technologies and that money would be diverted from sales and research and development to cover costs of fighting shareholders' suits.

The group aims to become a national organization, said Netscape's Barksdale, but the group's founding members are based in the Bay Area because that's where most technology companies are. TechNet, which has received contributions ranging from $5,000 to $100,000, has an initial budget of $2 million this year. The network will educate elected officials on technology issues, form federal and state political action committees and donate money to political campaigns and candidates. With students' test scores declining, each state needs to adopt higher standards for education if the country is to succeed in the 21st century, Barksdale said. "We're talking about national testing standards," he said.

The group has also hired two veteran lobbyists: Republican Dan Schnur, former California Gov. Pete Wilson's spokesman, and Democratic campaigner Wade Randlett. Schnur said he believes the organization will be successful because of the number of CEOs involved. "Elected officials often hear messages much more clearly from CEOs or chairmen" than from paid lobbyists, he said.

Investing in the future will help the economy, Barksdale said. The U.S. has a shortage of 300,000 information systems professionals because there aren't enough trained professionals, he said. The organization hopes technology will improve education. The group plans to help California schools provide computer and Internet access to every elementary and high school student. TechNet is also working to create the "Education Dashboard," which will allow students, parents and teachers to communicate over students' performance over the Internet.

When asked whether the organization plans to tackle other issues, Technology Network president Gary Fazzino cracked, "Once the school and legal systems are fixed."