WASHINGTON-If Al Gore becomes the next president of the United States, as polls increasingly are suggesting, Big Telecom could gain unprecedented access to the White House and have extraordinary influence on high-tech policy for the next four years.
It’s not that Big Telecom is any stranger to the White House today. In recent years, Big Telecom-represented by present and past Gore advisers who double as telecom lobbyists-have been regulars at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, on Capitol Hill and in the offices of federal agencies throughout government.
These agents of influence, if not recruited into a Gore White House, will be positioned to gain even better access to the White House than what they have today.
Critics predict a dominant presence of the telecom lobby in the White House will have negative repercussions for policy.
“What it means is the telecom industry in the Gore administration will continue to enjoy massive benefits and it’s unlikely the public interest will be held higher than private interests of that sector. And that’s unfortunate,” said Peter Eisner, managing director of the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit government watchdog.
A review of lobbying disclosure records reveals that lobbying firms spearheaded by Gore insiders-such as Tom Downey, Greg Simon, Jack Quinn and Peter Knight-had vast access to high-ranking government officials on behalf of such high-tech behemoths as Microsoft Corp., Bell Atlantic Corp. (now Verizon Communications Inc.), Cisco Systems, SBC Communications Inc., Time Warner and others.
Telecom firms pay lobbyists handsomely for such high-level access, handing out millions of dollars every year to change hearts and minds in official Washington.
Sheila Kromholz, research director for the Center for Responsive Politics, said the tremendous access enjoyed by former Gore aides and other telecom lobbyists flies in the face of the Clinton-Gore promise when they took office to change Washington’s culture of influence-to close the `revolving door’ that so often sees elected officials and their aides cash in on access.
“My impression is few would stand to benefit from a Gore administration more than these individuals,” said Kromholz. “The concern is that policy is not decided solely on its merits but is influenced by this exclusive access.”
She added: “This is typical when former staff and close advisers go through the revolving door to become lobbyists and solicit positions for clients. This is the name of the game in Washington.”
Here’s a brief look at all the vice president’s men:
Tom Downey
The lobbying shop headed by Downey, a former Democratic New York congressman who is a close Gore campaign adviser, has represented L.M. Ericsson, Microsoft, Time Warner, True Position and the National Cable Television Association in recent years.
In 1999, according to federal lobbying records, 15 Downey clients got meetings with the vice president’s staff.
Greg Simon
In the first six months of this year, Simon, a former chief domestic policy adviser to Gore before setting up his lobbying firm, got access to White House staff on behalf of Motorola Inc., Metricom Inc., Southern Co., OpenNet Coalition, Time Domain, Traffic.com and Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corp.
While not necessarily getting access to the White House, other Simon clients-including AirCell, Comsat Corp. and Global Crossing were well represented in meetings other federal policy-makers.
Simon, as a Gore adviser, got dragged into the mobile satellite lobbying scandal that was probed as part of an independent counsel’s investigation of Labor Secretary Alexis Herman. Herman was subsequently cleared.
Simon has been mentioned as a candidate for chairman of the Federal Communications Commission in a Gore administration.
Jack Quinn
The most interesting aspect of access by the Quinn lobbying firm is the fact that the former White House counsel and Gore chief of staff has gone out of his way to avoid direct contact with the White House. Instead, his associates deal with White House staff.
Quinn’s clients include the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (cellular marketing tax deduction and 3-percent telecom tax), Bell Atlantic, SBC, Cisco Systems, Direct TV and Network Advertising Initiative (online privacy).
Peter Knight
This long-time political aide to Gore and prolific Democratic fund-raiser was at the center of the congressional investigation of the FCC’s lease with The Portals. Knight was never charged with any wrongdoing.
Knight in 1999 represented Bell Atlantic when the firm was fighting to get antenna siting approval for Rock Creek Park in the nation’s capital. Knight had White House access that year on behalf of Bell Atlantic.
Knight also got White House access for Leap Wireless International Inc., an up-and-coming wireless service provider.
On another level, two heavyweight telecom industry associations are headed by strong Gore backers.
United States Telephone Association President Roy Neel, whose political association with Gore dates back to the vice president’s early political career in the House and Senate and continued early in the first Clinton-Gore term, took a leave of absence on Sept. 1 to work on the Gore campaign.
But direct access, which by law Neel was denied for several years after leaving the White House, does not always guarantee results.
What do Baby Bell telephone companies and other USTA members make of the fact that Neel is trying to get a man elected president who is part of a Democratic administration that largely thwarted Bell efforts to get into the long-distance business?
On the other hand, every merger between regional Bell telephone companies was approved during the Clinton-Gore administration.
“He’s [Neel] in a unique position,” said David Bolger, spokesman for USTA. “Our members are not clamoring. We want someone who will get a meeting in Washington.”
Though he is not in Gore’s inner circle, Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association President Thomas Wheeler appears to have cultivated a relationship with the Clinton-Gore administration during the past. This positions Wheeler well for access if Gore wins in November.
CTIA spent $1.8 million on lobbying federal policy-makers in the first half of this year.
“This certainly is not a surprising development. We’ve seen power of the telecom lobby in terms of the 1996 telecommunications act,” Celia Wexler, lobbyist and senior policy analyst for Common Cause, a strong and longtime advocate of campaign fiance reform. “It’s disturbing and continues to be disturbing.”
