Political Advice & Assistance
Ernie Svenson
I'm having lunch tomorrow with my friend Clancy Dubos to pick his
brain on the political approach that we should take in getting buy in
from local political leaders. Also, I thought I'd ask him about
getting Harry Shearer to do a video promo (Shearer usually hosts 'The
Big Easy Awards' which is Gambit's annual award program, and so Clancy
knows him very well).
Another person that Clancy knows very well that could probably help us
even more than Shearer is Ron Forman, who runs the Audubon Institute.
Ron is recognized as a visionary in the community, and he is liked by
most people. So, those are my main thoughts and objectives.
If anyone else has thoughts on how I can take advantage of Clancy's
expertise and connections, let me know before 11:30 am tomorrow.
Ernie
Vera Lester
important, and then ask him how he thinks he could help. He is very
well connected and may have some ideas we could never have. Ask him to
help us brainstorm groups and sectors we're leaving out.
-----------------
Please forgive my brevity. This message was sent from my iPhone.
Vera Lester
vera...@gmail.com
ve...@9thwardfieldofdreams.com
Speakeasy1920
elect support this effort. What is your objective in talking with
Clancy? Are you trying to reach the executive branch, the council, or
something behind door #3?
Matt
Stephen Sabludowsky
The political-government is well underway. Yet, if you all do not mind,
here is my current observation and opinions:
Two weeks ago, I talked to Mayor-elect Landrieu about this. I talked to him
about it last week and will talk to him again this week. At that time,
within 30 minutes after I emailed him information, I received a response
that was very positive but not definitive. When I talked to him last week,
he told me exactly what needs to be done.
In many ways, the entire political landscape depends upon Mitch and to some
extent Mayor Nagin.
I have already contacted Mayor Nagin's office. I worked with him on
broadband and on digital media initiatives. I know whom to talk with and
have already started this. The goal is to get both Mayor Nagin and Mitch on
board and for them to work with one another.
The sooner we get something in writing to present to them, the sooner we
will get WRITTEN COMMITMENTS.
Last week, I talked to Arnie Fielkow.
At that time, he told me that he had forward information to Nagin's office
and that he wanted to wait to see what Mitch was going to do and that we
should set up a meeting with him.
The next day, based upon an email in this listserve, his office told a
member of this group something different than what he told me. He
definitely told me that he was not on board but that he wanted to hear see
what Mitch was going to do.
I have just looked at the Citybusiness article and saw that he told
citybusiness exactly what he personally told me.
It is possible that he had a change of position, however, he was very
adamant about his feelings and based upon the citybusiness article and what
he told me, I would have to believe that his expression to me is his current
position.
Thus, I believe the way to proceed is to get written information to Mitch
and to his representative. I think we should do this tomorrow (Monday).
I have worked with the top people in AT&T and Cox in this state on other
political matters. I have refrained talking with them about this until we
received some expression from one of those companies both locally and
nationally
We received part of expression today.
In the Citybusiness article, the Cox representative said Google would be
considered a competitor. My feeling is the rep also said that the google
high-speed Internet was not needed.
In addition, based upon what I have been reading, the telecom and cable
companies are not certain how to proceed since they do not know what Google
is up to. They do not know if this is a PR stunt or if google is serious.
They do not know what the cost is. So, until they know what is involved,
they are going to fight softly.
The telecom issue is a national one more than it is a local one. Decisions
will be made nationally and filtered down locally.
A few years ago, Mayor Nagin's office had asked me to handle legislation
with wi fi. I wrote the legislation and personally communicated with the
providers. Based upon my dealings with the ISP's at that time and based
upon everything I have read so far, this is a national issue and the key
will be the nature of Google's intent, whether the initiative is feasible,
Whether the ISP's have anything to really risk. And, of course, a lot
depends upon whether the cities gain critical mass. If there is ncertainty,
I believe the telcoms will fight through their lobbyists
in congress and through regulatory agencies.
So, what you are going to see is the cities working hard to build critical
mass and the telcos and cable companies waiting to see what Google is going
to do and in the meantime do what they feel they need to do to quietly
oppose this. This does not mean that they will ultimately oppose the Google
initiative. For them, knowledge and information is critical. They do not
want to risk public opinion, but at the same time, they are not going to
lose marketshare. Keep in mind, AT&T by itself has as much clout as Google
and imagine if we put the rest of the telecoms and cable companies together
against Google. Where google has the advantage is they are going to be
viewed as the nice guys on this.
So, we are trying to get the politicians on board and at the same time work
with the telcos and cable providers, IsP's, etc.
How do we do this and do it quickly?
In my opinion, we do the following:
1. We set up meetings with Arnie and Jackie. That is what Arnie told me.
2. In the meantime, we work very hard to get Mitch's written commitment.
We show what process is all about and who is onboard. Because we need to
mobilize him and because we need to see if Nagin is on board, we need to try
to get as much of a written commitment from him as soon as possible.
3. While we do this, we try to get Nagin's written commitments. I will be
doing this during the week.
After and assuming we have either Nagin's and Landrieu's written commitment,
we then take that and go to Arnie and Jackie. Meantime, we watch to see
what the respective positions of the Internet companies are on this as we
might hear more from the national companies and their local representatives.
4. The more that the national companies stake out a formal position, the
more that the cities coalitions will begin to determine what is their main
points of action. More cities might encounter opposition as we read we
might be encountering as per the Cox representative. That is when this is
going to become interesting. Again, the national companies do not want to
lose the public relations war. As more cities get on board, it is going to
be harder for them to fight, but, we shall see. Again, the locals are going
to follow the national leads. I believe the cable industry and the telco
ISP's will join together in their reluctant support or their keen
opposition.
Meanwhile, we should work very hard to get as much groundswell and grass
roots support as possible. I think we should meet set up a meeting with the
telecommunications industry reps as soon as we get a written confirmation
from Mitch--assuming we get one. Obviously, we also want to get Nagin and
the city council to be on board too. I think we will have them on board once
we get Mitch but I suggest we work concurrently to get both. Keep in mind,
whenever someone gets on board, it is difficult for a counterpart to say no.
Also, the more grass roots action we have, the more difficult it is for city
leaders to say no.
I personally believe that Mitch and Arnie have both expressed to me their
open and honest feelings about this initiative. I also feel we need to
explain to all of them (as openly and as honestly) all relevant information
about the imitative. We are in a unique situation where we have a
transition going on. This presents a totally different situation than what
exists in most cities.
So, in summary, it is my opinion that we set a goal to have Mitch's and
Mayor Nagin's approval by the end of this week at the very latest. We also
make sure that we have meetings set up with Arnie and Jackie by the end of
next week. Should we get Mitch's approval, then, we talk with the ISP's
probably after we talk with Arnie and Jackie. However, for the most part I
believe their respective positions are going to be dictated nationally.
Beside the application deadline, there are some other reasons why we need to
move quickly. We are approaching a legislative session. The eyes are going
to be focused upon Baton Rouge. It will be more difficult to get anyone's
attention. Also, during the legislative session quite often there are
things that happen that either hurts or helps initiatives such as this one.
Ask Lafayette. I also know what happened with the wi fi and the digital
media initiatives and it is necessary to keep a watchful eye.
This is just my own perspective based upon good knowledge of the industry,
the parties involved, the legal issues and the political process. I
personally feel very strong that the key to the success of this is to get
the organizations, business leaders, the community leaders on board in great
force. If we do not do this then it will be much more difficult to get
politicians on board.
Last, the key to this entire Google initiative nationally is the enthusiasm
of the coalitions in all of the cities and what Google is going to do. If
Google does not explain their program, the ISP's will consider them to be
competition. If Google does provide information to the ISP's satisfaction,
then you might see less resistance. In the entire process, the ISP's need
to be mindful of their customers--many who are in support of this initiative
At this time, my hope is that Google provides more information to us all as
soon as possible. In the meantime, I strongly suggest that we continue to
build the coalition and concurrently get Mitch and Nagin on board as much as
we can, as soon as possible. I will be talking to Mitch and his transition
head and Nagin's administration this week. Please feel free to comment to
my observations above to the extent you agree or disagree.
Steve
Stephen Sabludowsky, J.D.
Publisher of Bayoubuzz.com
http://www.bayoubuzz.com
FYI, to the group:
Ernie
E-mail message checked by Internet Security (5.5.0.212)
Database version: 5.14500
http://www.pctools.com/en/internet-security/
E-mail message checked by Internet Security (5.5.0.212)
Database version: 5.14500
http://www.pctools.com/en/internet-security/
Stephen Sabludowsky
Thanks for your input.
Clancy:
I personally have no objections whatsoever to anyone talking to Clancy or to
anyone else in the political or telecommunications realm. That is not my
call, anyway, but I think that is a good idea.
I was giving my opinion as to what the process might be given the recent
city business article and other information in national media and
publications and my discussions with Mitch and with Arnie and my experience
with these kind of affairs.
I am sure you would agree that it is always best that we get written
confirmation so that we would not be misinterpreting the intention of anyone
and in this case Mitch or Arnie. I would think that no public official
would want us to say that he is on board when he has not stated so
publically or in writing. I would think you agree that the last thing any
of these politicians would like to see would be any group using their
endorsements without permission. As you know, that issue came up during
the election on a number of occasions and I personally did not want us to
say anything that was not correct.
What I was saying in part is that we should make sure we have their
commitments. For example, we have seen that Arnie told me one thing and his
office apparently said something different the next day to someone else.
What he told me is exactly what he told city business.
So, since you are Mitch's transition representative on this issue, are you
saying that Mitch is definitely on board so we can use his name? If so,
that would be great. The more information about all of this would clear up
uncertainties and would help us proceed.
Also, if you know any more about Arnie on this issue please tell us. His
only public comment is in City Business which is that he is waiting to hear
from Mitch. That is what he told me.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Steve
Stephen Sabludowsky, J.D.
Publisher of Bayoubuzz.com
http://www.bayoubuzz.com
-----Original Message-----
From: nof...@googlegroups.com [mailto:nof...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf
Matt
E-mail message checked by Internet Security (5.5.0.212)
Ernest Svenson
My objective in speaking with Clancy is (1) to catch up with my old
friend, and (2) use the opportunity to pick his brain about the
political backdrop. If everyone important is already onboard,
politically speaking, then I'll just concentrate on goal #1. But if
there is something interesting behind door #3 I'll take a peek if I
get a chance.
E
Neel S. Sus
http://www.facebook.com/pages/NOLAFiber/341585747447?ref=search&sid=613837526.1230220345..1&v=wall
Once we get up to 50 fans, we'll reserve http://facebook.com/nolafiber
Thanks,
Neel
Joe Ellis
Joe Ellis
squarefour | http://www.squarefour.net
504.383.4774
j...@squarefour.net
Neel S. Sus
iPhone app is almost ready to submit to iTunes.
Thanks,
Neel
Chris Johnston
Christopher Johnston
@chrisjohnston on Twitter
504.208.1766 Google Voice/504.208.1592 Skype
Facebook.com/chris.johnston
Stephen Sabludowsky
I posted on the FB that we should have a meaningful event. Other cities are
doing that. See the post on FB.
I suggest we form "Musicians for New Orleans Fiber". I would like ask
Jeremy Davenport and Irma Thomas to get involved. I know there are other
musicians who would pitch in.
Any thoughts?
Steve
Stephen Sabludowsky, J.D.
Publisher of Bayoubuzz.com
http://www.bayoubuzz.com
Christopher Johnston
Chris Johnston
Social Media Consultant
(504)208-1766 Google Voice
http://twitter.com/chrisjohnston
Sent from my iPhone. I apologize ahead of time for spelling, brevity,
and/or grammatical errors :-)
On Mar 8, 2010, at 9:36 PM, "Stephen Sabludowsky" <steve@law-
Neel S. Sus
by leveraging your relationships with musicians to facilitate the below.
U da man.
Thanks,
Neel
Neel S. Sus | President | Susco Solutions
1215 Prytania St. | Suite 431 | NOLA 70130
O: 504.619.4150 | C: 504.723.8412 F: 504.910.8462
http://www.suscosolutions.com
On Mar 9, 2010, at 7:03 AM, "Christopher Johnston"
Neel S. Sus
Yesterday AM the FB page had 9 fans, now it has 173. Love it.
On a different note the only thing holding me back from publishing the iPhone app is selecting the 2 colors for our color scheme.
I need a light color which will be used for the background and dark color which is used for text, coloring icons, and header bars. Need them in hex please.
Thanks,
Neel
Neel S. Sus | President | Susco Solutions
1215 Prytania St. | Suite 431 | New Orleans, LA 70130
O: (504) 619-4150 x108 | C: (504) 723-8412 | F: (504) 910-8462
Barrett Conrad
Thanks,
Stephen Sabludowsky
All, let me take a few seconds to make these comments…
Today, at the press conference, I asked Mitch Landrieu a question about the new stimulus-broadband money $80M and whether that money would go for intra-city infrastructure. He then told the media that he and I have been talking about Google and he said he supports these initiatives. He did not say he was supporting the Google fiber initiative in particular because I did not ask that question. There was no time for follow-up questions.
I will try to ascertain more information so we can lock his commitment. I think Mitch has been very supportive. We just need to translate that into absolutely backing this particular project in some concrete way.
If I can take a moment…at today’s GNO’s luncheon there were abut 1000 people. Congrats to Chris Schultz.
GNO Inc. included him in their really impressive video they played at the luncheon. His segment showcased the young entrepreneurs coming into New Orleans.
Also, congrats to Neel. In front of the entire audience, Michael Hecht singled out Neel for his IPhone app that can be used to create other apps. Michael was illustrating how New Orleans entrepreneurs were developing technology applications.
I am mentioning this because years ago when technology first hit New Orleans, the chance of any technology activist being recognized was slim and none. I can personally attest to the fact that New Orleans Chamber and Metrovision (the former GNO Inc) as a collective organization did not initially promote technology nor really even use it in its organization until a number of years later.
Also, the chance of any city official affirmatively and publically embracing any technology initiative and really having knowledge about the facts was also unheard of.
I also recall when I taught Mayor Marc Morial and a number of other attorneys Internet law, the former Mayor asked openly—what is a Mouse? The class sighed with collective relief. If the New Orleans mayor could be ignorant about something so basic, then the other attorneys could likewise be excused for their lack of knowledge on the subject.
So, times have certainly changed.
I am mentioning this because given the recognition today and the actions by Mitch Landrieu (although both are really symbolic), I would say that the technology community has come a long way. Initiatives like this really help to help connect the technology community with the industry and political leaders.
In short, this initiative can really do wonders for this city in elevating the importance of the technology community in the minds of city leaders and the business community.
So, please allow me to say…congrats, all for your commitment and lead on this initiative. Our effort today will drive tomorrow’s discussion about this city’s future.
(I will get back to you about Mitch since a lot is riding on his total and specific endorsement of the project.
From: nof...@googlegroups.com [mailto:nof...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Neel S. Sus
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 9:23
AM
To: nof...@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: FB Fan Page
Yesterday AM the FB page had 9 fans, now it has 173. Love it.