Government Affairs

Gil on the Hill

DELL-Brian J — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:00:00 GMT

This week, Gil Casellas did a fantastic job effectively delivering testimony on green IT procurement issues before a House subcommittee. Details on the subcommittee, the purpose of the hearing, and other information is below.

A One Dell Way posting (from 10/27) and vlog by Gil on the hearing can be found at: http://onedellway.us.dell.com/blogs/odw/Default.aspx. We achieved all of our objectives through this process: we delivered Dell's strong green IT story before Congress, key administration stake holders, customers and others; we enhanced Dell's general standing with Congress and this key committee by our willingness and effort to put forth a witness; and, through the witness prep and hearing process, we have prepared an excellent witness in the event that we're called upon to testify on other matters in the months ahead.

Details from the hearing (list of witnesses, their testimony, and statements made by members of Congress) can be found at the subcommittee's site: http://governmentmanagement.oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=2653

Dell Announces 1st White Spaces Network

DELL-Brian J — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:00:00 GMT

From the Dell Government Affairs Public Policy Team:

Yesterday, Dell participated in the very exciting unveiling of the world's first white spaces wireless broadband network in rural Claudville, Virginia. This town, in a mountainous, sparsely populated area, has remained almost completely unserved by broadband providers. Dell donated 7 computers to the town's school, while MSFT donated software, and Spectrum Bridge provided the networking. The white spaces network wirelessly connects the school, the post office, town café, and other locations to the Internet backbone. The FCC granted Spectrum Bridge a special experimental license for this network.

This event was strategic for Dell because it underscores our commitment to ubiquitous broadband deployment across the U.S., using an innovative new approach for the "last mile" (white spaces), as well as our commitment to learning & technology in education. The event was a joint videoconference between the Claudville school and Capitol Hill. Congressman Boucher (D-VA), a leader on technology issues, thanked Dell and the other companies for their participation. He also spoke about what this network means to the community and expressed his hope that this network would be a model for other communities. Government Affairs head Becca Gould spoke for Dell in thanking Cong. Boucher for his support. She noted that white spaces holds the promise of being the lowest cost last-mile broadband alternative available. Becca also emphasized Dell's commitment to education and the learning ecosystem. From Claudville, one of the students spoke about how important the computers and network were to his education. In the audience, which was standing room only, were 2 FCC Commissioners (Copps and Baker), as well as a dozen or more FCC and Hill staff in addition to media.

For more information about the event and white spaces technology more generally, pls see the detailed blog written by Neeraj Srivastava on white spaces. We hope to do additional projects both in the US and overseas (if our partners agree) to publicize the promise of white spaces.

DELL HELPS HOST SOUTHERN LEGISLATORS AT REGIONAL CONFERENCE IN NORTH CAROLINA

Dell-Fran V — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:00:00 GMT

The Southern Legislative Conference (SLC), an affiliate of the Council of State Governments, brought together almost 1,000 state legislators, staff and other guests from 16 southern states for its annual meeting in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Dell Inc. was a sponsor and participant in the SLC Annual Meeting, held Aug. 15-19, 2009. Fran Valluzzo and Donna Oldham represented Dell at the meeting, and worked closely with the North Carolina General Assembly’s Host Committee. Following is a summary of the key programs and Dell activities:

Dell Donation of Equipment for Cyber Café and Staff Offices

Dell donated the use of 33 laptops and 12 printers for the SLC meeting. Dell hosted the SLC Cyber Café, which provided opportunities for meeting participants to check email and surf the net while attending the meeting. We also provided laptops and printers for all staff offices and the registration area. After the meeting, 18 laptops and 12 printers were donated to local charities that partner with Dell in the Winston-Salem area.

Dell Plenary Session Sponsorship

Dell sponsored the opening plenary session, at which NC Speaker Joe Hackney welcomed attendees and specifically thanked Dell for its support and mentioned our facility in Winston-Salem. Dell was also formally thanked by Sen. Jeff Wentworth (TX), chair of the SLC. The plenary session featured keynote speaker Harry Markopolos, certified fraud examiner, who uncovered the Madoff Ponzi scheme. Markopolos is also an expert on Medicare and Medicaid fraud, which he characterized as "medical terrorism." He stated that Medicare waste and fraud accounts for 40 cents of every Medicare dollar spent. He said that the only way to reduce waste and fraud is to establish an electronic patient records system. He also discussed the fact that the big financial fraud cases are being initiated by states, not the SEC, which he characterized as weak and "owned by the industry." He gave examples of the NY *** General and the MA Securities Division being leaders in investigating and prosecuting financial fraud.

"Education and the Federal Stimulus"

The program featured Jimmy Wynn from The Education Trust, an independent non-profit established in 1990 to support K-12 reform efforts. TET is supported by a number of private and corporate foundations, including the Gates Foundation. Wynn discussed TET's Title I Fairness Campaign, an effort to equalize per student expenditures among the states. He said that 5 states (NY, MD, PA, CT and MA) receive $2,013 per student under the Title I formula, much more than other states such as TX ($1,425/student) and NC ($1,351/student). TET's campaign is aimed at raising the "floor" so that all states receive the highest level of funding, $2,013 per student. He said the cost of raising all states to that level would be $3.7 billion a year ("$700 million more than Cash for Clunkers," in his words). Stacy Jordan with U.S. DOEd discussed the education stimulus program and its four goals: 1) save jobs, 2) improve student achievement, 3) insure transparency by measuring and tracking results, and 4) providing one shot investments that are sustainable over time. A number of legislators raised questions about sustainability of programs funded by one-time federal infusions of funds. She responded that that was a concern, as states would have to provide ongoing funding after the initial federal funding. She also discussed the Race to the Top (RTTT) funding, the largest discretionary program in the history of DOEd ($4.3 billion). RTTT is a competitive grant program for states and school districts that focuses on four core reforms designed to improve standards, increase data to track student achievement, improve quality of teachers, and turn around low performing schools and districts (See article on RTTT by U.S. Sec'y of Education Arne Duncan, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/23/AR2009072302634.html ).

Chris Minnich of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) discussed the development of "common core standards" in English language arts and math for all 50 states to allow comparison of "apples to apples" in determining a child's academic progress. The CCSSO is working with the National Governors' Association to develop uniform standards, and 46 of the 50 states are participating (TX, AK, SC and MO are not participating).

Meetings with Legislators and Others

During the conference, we met with numerous NC legislators who expressed appreciation for Dell's support for the SLC meeting, including Reps. Julia Howard, Earline Parmon, Beverly Earle, David Lewis, Pryor Gibson, and Senator Linda Garrou. We also met with legislators from other states.

Social Media and State Legislators

DELL-Michael Yo — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Last week the National Council of State Legislators (NCSL) held a conference in Dell's home town of Austin, Texas with state legislative staff to talk about how to engage with the multiple social media and "new media" alternatives that have proliferated over the last few years. Being recognized as a leader in the social media space, Dell had several speakers. Hopefully you followed some if events on Twitter and Facebook.

Probably the most important point stressed again and again was that legislators need to engage in this space or risk alienating a whole generation of voters. For these voters, communicating WITH them instead of TO them is key. They want to be part of the conversation. It's an exciting time to watch these state legislatures develop their social media strategy.

One of the best panel discussions was lead by Dell's very own Bri Brewer who runs EDU4U.com. Bri moderated the panel "How to Tweet and Not Be a Twit", that included Dell's own Chief Blogger, Lionel Menchaca, Christi Day of Southwest Airlines, Ric Cantrell, Chief Deputy of the Utah Senate and Mike Chapman of Ivy Worldwide. The panel represented diverse interests from public to corporate and offered insights and best practices for getting started and building Twitter strategy. The panelists had a lively discussion from legal risk to training for employees who Tweet. Gene Rose, with NCSL filmed a quick vlog with Bri after the session. Watch the video to hear more about how Twitter can support traditional media strategies.

Connecting Communities of Healthcare Practices through IT

DELL-Matt K — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:00:00 GMT

I hope you all saw our announcement yesterday of Dell’s Electronic Medical Records (EMR) solution for hospital-affiliated physician practices. [See The Wall Street Journal’s Health Blog]

Dell’s EMR solution is built on a concept starting a digital transformation of healthcare by connecting existing ‘Communities of Practice’. The EMR system is sponsored by hospitals for their affiliated physicians and is designed to first make it affordable and practical for many more physician practices to transition from paper to electronic records. The EMR solution will also connect the community of physicians and their sponsoring hospitals so that they can harness the power of electronic patient information to improve and coordinate care, help reduce costs and streamline administration across their local healthcare system.

Working together, Dell and sponsoring hospitals are working to eliminate the long-standing barriers to widespread EMR adoption by small and medium medical practices: the cost and complexity of deploying the systems and incompatibility with other provider systems.

Hospitals and Affiliated Physicians can learn more about Dell’s Affiliated Physicians EMR solution at www.dell.com/EMRNow.

NSCL Social Media Bootcamp in Austin this Week

DELL-Michael Yo — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:00:00 GMT

This week the National Council for State Legislatures (NCSL) will host a two and a half day conference for legislative staff on social media. The conference will allow staffers the opportunity to see first-hand how to use these tools to further legislative, political and constituent objectives. Dell has several employees speaking to the group about our experiences with the various mediums. Bri Brewer who runs the EDU4U.com site will be tweeting from her account. You can also follow the conference live on Twitter using #NCSL20.

Carbon Neutral: Dell Completes Homework Before Teacher Asks for It

DELL-Brian J — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:00:00 GMT

The 2nd of Paul's posts discusses Dell's great leadership in the area of carbon neutrality and environmental stewardship.

Dell has gone carbon neutral. In fact, we did so more than a year ago. This was well ahead of our own self-imposed deadline and certainly well ahead of the launch of a comprehensive federal carbon regulatory regime. We have done so less to get out ahead of the policy debate and more in support of our aspiration to become the “greenest technology company on the planet.”

While this is something that we’re enormously proud of at Dell, it has generated skepticism in some quarters. Nonetheless, we stand behind it and it remains a powerful statement of commitment on our part.

While policy makers, industry, NGOs and others all wrestle with the gargantuan task of moving the climate debate forward, we intend to continue to not only lead by example, but to engage policy makers directly and via groups like the Dell-founded Digital Energy Solutions Campaign (DESC).

Remembering Senator Kennedy

DELL-Brian J — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Today's pair of blogs come from Government Affairs Director Paul Brownell. The first here is a wonderful commentary on the recent death of Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA).

The coincidence of Sen. Ted Kennedy's passing with the congressional recess has allowed those of us in Washington ample time to reflect on his legacy.

Without doubt, industry all too frequently was on the opposite sides of any given issue with the Senator from Massachusetts. Nonetheless, he and his staff were always approachable and willing to listen. And, in fact, there are many instances where he was very supportive of the tech industry, which has a strong presence in his state.

I was part of a group of IT lobbyists that met with Sen. Kennedy about a year and a half ago on Capitol Hill. The meeting was organized by one of our trade associations and was intended to brief the Senator on our issues in pursuit of identifying items of common interest.

All of us were assembled around a table in a Senate hearing room when the door opened. Instead of seeing the Senator immediately, in bounded his two Portuguese Water Spaniels that stayed with him in his office most days. Sen. Kennedy followed them in. The dogs ran around in a frenzy sniffing each of us before settling down at the head of the table at the foot of the Senator.

Ordinarily, a member of Congress bringing dogs to a meeting like this would be viewed as eccentric at best and arrogant at worst. With a legend of the Senate like Ted Kennedy, though, those of us in the room were fine with it. Given the stature of someone who had been a force in the Senate since before most of us were born, there was a sense that we were guests in his home.

After introductions and a recitation of the IT industry’s issues by our trade association representative, the table was turned over to Sen. Kennedy. Although we had touched on issues that we knew he would not support, Kennedy obviously felt very comfortable in front of us, a bi-partisan group of industry lobbyists. True to his legend, he launched into a lengthy monologue on the legislation he helped shepherd over the years to help boost and promote innovation in the U.S. economy.

To our amazement, it wasn’t just a laundry list of items. Instead, he recalled chapter-and-verse his hand in creating the Small Business Innovation & Research (SBIR) program in the late ‘70s, for example. He could recall which Senators he worked with on the program, the fact that the legislation was attached as an amendment to another bill, what the vote count was, and the month that it was enacted. It was clear he believed deeply in the program and invested his credibility, integrity, and energy in its enactment.

He was a true legislator, one who’s preferred path was to build broad consensus behind legislation that he thought was in the best interests of the country. Although we were frequently at odds with him on matters of policy, all of us left that meeting with a strong and undeniable sense of respect for him.

Giving kids the tools that help them to learn....

DELL-Roxanne G — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Governor Schwarzenegger recently released his "Free Digital Textbook Initiative Report" with a goal of providing California students, teachers and parents access to free digital high school textbooks. The free digital textbook initiative is supposed to take California’s schools into the 21st century has taken step forward, but it is questionable how many schools will be able to take advantage of this effort unless significant mindset changes take place.

Yesterday CETPA (California Education Technology Professionals Association) held a conference that included a demonstration of Orange County school children of all ages eagerly and effectively using netbooks to conduct everyday school work. The demonstration was followed by remarks from California Secretary of Education Glen Thomas who talked about the need for California to embrace technology stating that it "is the key to reforming the education system. That equity equals access to content and that every child across the state and every socio-economic level deserves to benefit from all that digital textbooks and technology have to offer. He announced that 16 digital high school math and science books that are available on line for the upcoming school year. A step forward toward the goal of bringing our classrooms into the 21st Century - if they are utilized, a question that was not answered during the days discussions. The 16 textbooks have been measured against the state’s academic content standards, with 10 meeting at least 90 percent of the standards. Now, it’s up to local high school districts to adopt the textbooks.

Educators, technology experts (including Dells own Snow White and Robyn Nirken) as well as school board members rounded out the day by participating on panels that included discussion regarding how best to introduce and advance the use of technology in the classroom. Robyn discussed how we need to view our education system as an Eco-system, how we don't need to replace textbooks, but need to consider "re-engineering" the system with textbooks possibly playing a different role for kids in the classroom.

Robyn kicked off her panel with the key message that kids today are surrounded by technology and that it can be an effective tool in getting more information, and timely information, to kids in a format that they are excited about using. She talked about the need for education solutions to be affordable, easy to use and secure - qualifications that netbooks and digital content can easily fulfill when used appropriately and presented by teachers and parents that have been trained and prepared. That training being one of the key components that Robyn cited as being key to a successful use of technology in the classroom.

Snow echoed and agreed with Robyn's comments but added that not only are kids wired differently today with regard to what stimulates them and assists them in learning, but that kids today are entering the classroom with individual needs, and different learning styles. She added that including technology to the classroom give teachers one more - and very effective - tool in their effort to personalize and effectively address the differing needs found in today's classroom. Additionally the suggestion was made that allowing teachers to use digital content opens up the possibility of providing teachers with greater flexibility by giving teachers a "play list" of approved content with a repository being available that will allow them to "switch out"content without diluting the learning experience for a child, in fact, instead offering the possibility of enhancing that learning opportunity.

Perhaps the day was best summed up by William Habermehl, Orange County superintendent of schools who said “Digital textbooks will enhance the quality of education, we need to get out of the old schedules and get in the 21st century.”

The key concern raised was that of funding,something that AB 1398 could help with - in terms of providing schools with the flexibility to use their IMF dollars in the manner that they determine is most effective in achieving their educational goals. Some money could flow in from the federal stimulus program, local school districts are suffering severe budget cuts. According to Habermehl, most of them won’t be spending any money on textbooks – digital or otherwise – this year, an attitude that we hope is not the norm, but perhaps instead the exception.

We are hopeful that the discussion in Orange County will not be the last regarding what we need to do to bring our schools into the 21st century, and to begin walking a little faster toward teaching our kids using the tools that make them actually want to learn.

Stimulus Learning Site Updated

DELL-Michael Yo — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Several months after the passage of the massive fiscal stimulus bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), there remains several questions about the specifics. See my previous post about the NCSL annual conference where it was a major topic of discussion. To help policy makers and anyone who's interested, Dell recently updated the Economic Stimulus Learning Center. The site allows users to access specific topics such as Education or Health Care. Visit the site and let us know what you think.

State Legislators lament present, future budget challenges

DELL-Michael Yo — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:00:00 GMT

We joined about 4,000 state legislators, staff and interested groups at the weeklong National Conference of State Legislators annual conference in Philadelphia. This year's conference focused on the stimulus or America Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) efforts and general state of the economy. Additional panel discussions and keynote presentations covered multiple topics, including one by Bill Gates on education reform.

Many legislators lamented the fact that even though the federal stimulus money was starting to flow, it was, in the words of one legislator, only "keeping the lights on." There was very little talk about new programs or new initiatives.

Despite the less than optimistic tone of the conference, we talked to a number of legislators about education, the environment and health care. Dell's ARRA resources are located on Economic Stimulus Learning Center site.

Economy, Stimulus to dominate NCSL this year

DELL-Michael Yo — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Next week Dell will have a presence in Philadelphia for the annual National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) meeting. The event brings together legislators and staff from all 50 states, several territories and federal officials to discuss a wide range of issues. The conference is the largest gathering of state legislators of the year and is spread over six days.

This year a good chunk of time will be spent on the economic and fiscal status of states. In particular, there are several panels and discussions about how the federal stimulus has affected states. As the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers stated in their latest Fiscal Review, "the 50 states are facing one of the worst fiscal periods in decades." It will be interesting to hear and learn about the ideas that are discussed and shared for closing the budget gaps. In addition, education and health care will be discussed. Look for posts from the team next week.

Bringing CA Classrooms into the 21st Century

DELL-Roxanne G — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

The California Legislature is currently considering a measure that is long overdue. Assembly Bill 1398 would provide California schools with the flexibility to use state Instructional Material Fund (IMF) dollars to purchase the hardware they need to run the software they likely already own. The primary goal of our education system is to provide California students with the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful and contributing member of society. To that end, how and what we use to educate our students can be as important as the content of the instructional material. With technology having an increasingly more prominent role in our daily and professional lives it is imperative that the state ensure that students graduate with enough familiarity with technology to be successful in their future endeavors.

AB 1398 would allow Local Education Agencies, especially in urban and rural communities, more flexibility in utilizing digital content for instructional purposes by allowing grants from the IMF to be used to purchase hardware if used by the pupil and teacher for instructional purposes. Currently, the IMF can be used to purchase software programs, video disks, compact disks, optical disks, video and audio tapes, lesson plans, and data bases, however, it cannot be used to purchase the hardware to make use of those materials. At best, this amounts to a significant cost barrier for many schools that would like to incorporate more technology in instruction, and at worst is a de facto ban on technology for others. The elimination of this prohibitive language would allow greater integration of technology in the classroom and thereby help in better preparing students for the jobs of the future by increasing their familiarity and literacy with the technology they will be using or improving upon.

Additionally, any abuse or misappropriation of funds would be prevented from occurring because of the outcome of the Williams v. California settlement. The settlement determined, among many things, that each student be guaranteed access to instructional material inside and outside of the classroom, thereby preventing the use of funds for technology resources that the students wouldn’t be able to access from home. This measure is being supported by teachers, parents, and school districts throughout the state and is pending activity on the Senate Floor.

If you agree with the premise of AB 1398, that our kids are growing up in an era where they are surrounded by technology, and that we should not force them to leave that technology at the door when they enter our schools, contact your Senator today and ask them to vote yes for our kids, yes on AB 1398. We hope that with your support, AB 1398 will pass the Senate and make it to the Governor's desk. Please also contact him to thank him for his support of digital technology in the classroom while urge him to sign AB 1398 when it reaches his desk.

Find Your Legislator -

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html

Contact the Governor -

http://gov.ca.gov/interact#subscribe

Copy of AB 1398 -

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_1351-1400/ab_1398_bill_20090714_amended_sen_v98.html

Policy Should Enable Technology to Drive a Revolution in Health Care

DELL-Matt K — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Dell believes information technology has the capacity to improve the quality and efficiency of the healthcare system, as it has in almost every other industry. We believe policy can enable that transformation by first Unlocking Information from paper records, and ultimately by Unleashing Innovation, to truly revolutionize healthcare. Dell is actively working with policymakers to ensure that upcoming incentives to digitize health information, in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will truly unlock the information to enable its access and utilization, as patients direct. But Dell is also thinking about ways to realign incentives in the healthcare delivery system, so that new and innovative tools and services can drive a revolution of quality and efficiency in the healthcare system.

Currently, incentives in healthcare are misaligned – at times encouraging inefficiency, duplication and low quality care. As Congress debates how to expand health insurance coverage to more Americans, we hope they will also consider how to realign incentives in the system to ensure that it begins to encourage the utilization of all health information to improve the treatment and care of individuals. It is not enough to insure more people under the same broken system. We must also reward providers that utilize 21^st-Century tools to analyze and utilize all relevant information to efficiently manage and improve the health of patients. Health IT should be a central consideration in the broader health care reform debate. If you agree, you might be interested in a recent article that asks ‘Where's the HIT in HCR (Health Care Reform)?’.

State Government Affairs: You think one capitol is hard to lobby, try 50!

DELL-Michael Yo — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

In an earlier post, Brian Jones talked about why Dell and other organizations have a government affairs function. And while much attention is focused in Washington, DC – and rightfully so these days– organizations are increasingly recognizing the role of State Government Affairs in developing and implementing their public policy goals. Usually, the DC and State strategy go hand-in-hand. And as Speaker Tip O’Neil often said “all politics are local”. What happens in the home state affects what policymakers do in DC.

Over the next few weeks, the State Government Affairs team will be blogging about state activity and Dell’s public policy positions from Albany, New York to Sacramento, California and everywhere in between. We’d love to get your feedback and tell us what’s happening in your state regarding education technology, broadband, stimulus and other IT policy related issues.

Government Affairs - Profile of a Professional Lobbying Team Part 2

DELL-Brian J — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Part 2 - What Do Government Affairs Professionals Do?

A government affairs lobbyist needs to be part subject-matter expert, part industry expert, part diplomat, part advocate, part public speaker, part communications expert, part legislative process expert, and part strategy expert. To successfully lobby policymakers, a government affairs professional must be able to analyze a given subject matter, understand the position needed to put forward and the view from which the policymaker comes. GA professionals need to be articulate, persuasive, and most of all, genuine. In doing so, they need to have a number of key skills.

Strategic skills: An effective public policy professional must have the strategic skills to map out a game play that will result in the winning decision or action occurring on behalf of Dell. This means knowing how to identify issues important to the business, knowing how to develop and implement a plan for success, and also determining what parties need to be invited to execute on that plan. (For example, in the US policy arena, it often takes a combination of public interest, business support and academic analysis to force a change in policy. In Europe, the academic community plays a critical role and one may have to persuade them to become involved in order to move change.) GA professionals need to critical, creative, and out-of-the-box thinkers.

Communication Skills: A successful government affairs professional needs to be a stalwart and seasoned communicator. As communication is the hallmark of the profession, GA team members must excel in their writing, oral, and presentational skills. And these skills must be tuned not just externally, but internally as well. Regular engagement and reporting with internal clients within the business ensure that the GA arm of Dell is in step with the larger macro issues and priorities of the company. Being remote to headquarters makes this skill all the more important and challenging. GA professionals must also be comfortable presenting and interacting with senior executives of the business as well as senior members of Congress, the Administration, or a state legislature. Finally a GA professional needs to be the master of leveling expectations both with lawmakers and with business executives. Some battles are lost several times before they are finally won in the political world and letting people know that reduces a “fire-drill” environment and also builds credibility for the professional’s judgment.

Coalition Building: The ability to build coalitions is a critical professional skill for government affairs professionals. This includes building industry coalitions which may mean reaching out to competitors. A successful GA professional accomplishes this by introducing like-minded people and providing necessary resources. This can be a very difficult and frustrating process but done correctly, business and industry objectives can be achieved.

Profile of a Professional Lobbying Team - Part 3

DELL-Brian J — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Part 3 - What Common Threads of Experience Do GA Professionals Share?

While there is no magical and pre-requisite set of experiences required for someone to be successful in the government affairs arena, there are some things that prove helpful. Obviously, a familiarity and with the legislative process, both on the federal and state levels is crucial. In addition, a similar familiarity of the Administrative process (rule-making, etc.) is also very important. Relationships are key to successful GA professionals, so the more decision-makers people one knows, the better. Good GA professionals are flexible and malleable. For example they should have vast experience composing a wide range of documents, from memos to speeches to talking points to presentations.

Most successful GA professionals are very even-tempered and can handle stressful situations with ease. Politics can be exciting, but it can also be volatile and tumultuous. “Fires” can break out at any moment and the good GA professional knows how to stay calm, address the issues needed to be addressed, and navigate through the emotion and stay focused on the issues that need attention.

A recent survey of prominent government affairs and lobbying professionals yielded some common keys for victory. They include:

Get the facts: Fully understand what the legislative or regulatory proposal does and how it will impact you and what you do.
Know your policymaker: Gain an understanding of where a policymaker stands on an issue, and why, before discussing the matter with him or her. Never ask lawmakers to do something you know they can't do.
Keep it simple: Develop a brief, concise message that explains why you support or oppose the proposal, and stick to it.
Give examples: Prepare a number of solid examples to illustrate how the proposal will affect various constituencies for good or ill.
Know your opponent: Review the opposing arguments and be prepared to provide sound rebuttals.
Don't overdo it: Make your points in a businesslike manner. Being overly argumentative can hurt your cause.
Never burn a bridge: In politics, today's opponent may very likely be tomorrow's proponent. Always leave the door open to working together in the future.
Choose your champions wisely: Sometimes keeping a lawmaker with no real stake in an issue out of the fray can be a real plus. If you can't get a “yes” vote, ask the lawmaker not to do anything that will hurt your position.
Deliver the message: A face-to-face meeting with elected officials offers the best opportunity to make your point.
Stay in touch: Don't just show up when you need something. Be a regular and build relationships.
Get involved: Increase your activity in local and national associations and coalitions, trade associations, and of course political fundraisers. Get lawmakers to see you as the “Dell expert” on a particular issue.

You Can’t Spell Strategy without GA

DELL-Brian J — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:00:00 GMT

The term 'Government Affairs' is an everyday part of the Washington, DC vernacular. But that's changing. As companies expand their reach deeply into all fifty states of the US and now into markets all across the globe, knowing how and when to navigate the often choppy waters of government regulation has become a crucial aspect of any successful business strategy.

GA is a blanket terms to describe the element of an entity (corporate, non-profit, association) that interacts with government decision makers on a regular basis. I often get the question, "Why does Dell need a government affairs group?" After all, when most people think of Dell, they think of the interns, the "Dude..." commercials, or the catalogs they get in their papers. But at its heart, Dell is one of the largest providers of information technology equipment to the federal government, and our products and services can be found in 95% of all federal agencies. As a result, strong relationships with policymakers is key.

Every day, federal, state, and local governments make decisions that affect companies like Dell and consequently affect our customers. That may come in the form of budget funding, harmful or helpful regulations, or the advocacy of harmful or helpful legislation. With plenty at stake, Dell, and many other technology companies (Google, Intel, Cisco, etc.) have active teams working in concert with the business leaders to ensure that the interests of our company are properly communicated to the very people making those decisions. It's important work and the presence of a GA team represents recognition by company leadership that successful business strategies must be as holistic as possible.

This blog is meant to keep members of the Dell community updated and engaged on GA's activities and it isn't meant to be a repository, but rather a place for dialogue. So let us hear from you, share your ideas, and tell us what you think we should be focusing on up here in Washington, DC. In the short-term you can expect some entries on what we are up to, and where we are focusing our efforts right now in the policy world. We hope you will visit here often and we look forward to the conversation!

Government Affairs - Profile of a Professional Lobbying Team Part 1

DELL-Brian J — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:00:00 GMT

As we launch a blog dedicated to the function known as government affairs, I thought it might be useful to describe what GA is, what a lobbyist for Dell does, and how we help our company achieve its business goals. So in a multi-blog series on the topic, I hope to shed some light and answer the question made famous in Office Space, "What would you say you do here?" So here we go.

Part 1 - Why Lobbying?

Every single day, someone makes a decision or debates an issue that could have profound impact on Dell's business or the way Dell does business. Federal and state legislatures propose, change, or enact hundreds of new laws each year, some large and sweeping, others small and technical. Whether or not a proposal among these several thousand ever reaches a mayor's desk, a governor's desk, an agency head's desk, or the President's desk depends on the degree of support or opposition that is generated by those who will be affected.

That's why lobbying is so very important. No policymaker can possibly understand every facet of every industry or every company, especially one as large and multi-faceted as Dell. To fill that void, and to have a real say on important issues, Dell must have a presence in the halls of Congress, the Administration, and state capitals around the country. A successful lobbyist is the one who can inform as well as to persuade on an issue of importance to Dell and the successful operation of Dell's business.

You Can’t Spell Strategy without GA

DELL-Brian J — Fri, 22 May 2009 05:00:00 GMT

The term ‘Government Affairs’ is an everyday part of the Washington, DC vernacular. But that’s changing. As companies expand their reach deeply into all fifty states of the US and now into markets all across the globe, knowing how and when to navigate the often choppy waters of government regulation has become a crucial aspect of any successful business strategy.

GA is a blanket terms to describe the element of an entity (corporate, non-profit, association) that interacts with government decision makers on a regular basis. I often get the question, “Why does Dell need a government affairs group?” After all, when most people think of Dell, they think of the interns, the “Dude…” commercials, or the catalogs they get in their papers. But at its heart, Dell is one of the largest providers of information technology equipment to the federal government, and our products and services can be found in 95% of all federal agencies. As a result, strong relationships with policymakers is key.

Every day, federal, state, and local governments make decisions that affect companies like Dell and consequently affect our customers. That may come in the form of budget funding, harmful or helpful regulations, or the advocacy of harmful or helpful legislation. With plenty at stake, Dell, and many other technology companies (Google, Intel, Cisco, etc.) have active teams working in concert with the business leaders to ensure that the interests of our company are properly communicated to the very people making those decisions. It’s important work and the presence of a GA team represents recognition by company leadership that successful business strategies must be as holistic as possible.

This blog is meant to keep members of the Dell community updated and engaged on GA’s activities and it isn’t meant to be a repository, but rather a place for dialogue. So let us hear from you, share your ideas, and tell us what you think we should be focusing on up here in Washington, DC. In the short-term you can expect some entries on what we are up to, and where we are focusing our efforts right now in the policy world. We hope you will visit here often and we look forward to the conversation!