http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/21411.html Cluing Congress into Net ABCs by Chris Oakes [page 2::] Congress fundamentally has to feel that it is not on the sidelines of the Internet revolution, panel members said. The industry has to find creative ways to make government feel involved -- while simultaneously minimizing its role. "It's a Catch-22," Berman acknowledged. Former House Republican Robert Walker offered advice on the basic motivation of the average member of Congress. "People go to Congress to be in control -- it's why they go raise money, go through tough campaigns," Walker said. "They go to be at the center of [the] universe and be involved in public policymaking.... When something gets high on their radar screen they are going to seek ways to take control of it -- and that's what is happening now [with the Internet]." Another former representative, attorney Rick White, took the opportunity to quote digital deep thinker George Gilder: "Moore's Law governs Silicon Valley, but moron's law governs Washington, DC." White co-founded the Commerce Committee's Internet Caucus. That ignorance is why expectations for Congress achieving even a modicum of detailed understanding of Internet issues should be set very low, he cautioned. "Their job is to understand the big picture, and they will never, ever understand the Internet," he said. While educating them is important, industry must try to solve as many of its problems itself. "If you can't solve the problems, Congress will solve them. But they'll be rough solutions," White said. But if industry is going to try affecting congressional action by rallying employees and local communities into grassroots action, Dittus said, it has a long way to go. Most technology companies don't want to be bothered with the foreign world of politics, she said. "Members of Congress are saying ... 'I need to know that it matters to the employees back home, I need to know that it matters to the people back home.' But the industry is failing on that front.... By and large, we are failing to get that message out." ====
