Paul Kapustka's Blog

As expected, Davidson, Google's high-profile D.C. representative, had the most salient information about the search giant's persuasion efforts in the halls of Congress. While stating the obvious -- that tech companies are behind the Bells when it comes to asserting influence in Washington -- Davidson said there should be a more-concerted effort coming soon from the same companies whose names were affixed to a public letter sent to the Senate commerce committee.

On another unsolved point, Davidson said emphatically that Google has never asked AT&T for any preferential video treatment, directly contradicting claims from AT&T's top lobbyist.

Schmidt, who is becoming a master at saying things in a diplomatic, can't-pin-me-down manner, said in his formal presentation that instead of worrying about specific language or laws, Google would try to expand the discussion of the role of regulation in communications -- "the goal here is to get it [regulation, legislation, etc.] right," he said. Later, in an informal Q-and-A, Schmidt deferred to Cerf on the issue.

Cerf, in an informal Q-and-A, called the Washington process one of "endless" education, often made tougher by the high turnover on congressional staffs. The biggest disconnect right now, Cerf said, is that most D.C. types think of IP-based TV as another form of cable TV, when it could actually be much more.

The telcos' pitch that IPTV needs special pipes for streaming capabilities is "crap," Cerf said, asserting that the powers of packets and IP infrastructures can find other ways to solve content-delivery issues.

Count Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., among the lawmakers Cerf likes. "I can talk geek to him," laughed Cerf.

Other telecom tidbits from the day:

-- Google may participate in the upcoming wireless spectrum auctions, Schmidt said, during a formal Q&A session, most likely as a partner with another entity.

-- Google continues to paint its Wi-Fi efforts as an "interesting experiment," and refused to look any deeper into the dark fiber, according to Page. As a caveat, Page did say that there are "few things in the world that work so well [as the Internet]. That's why we're so interested in network neutrality." (So, they DO know what it's about, at the Larry-Sergey-Eric level.)

-- When asked if Google had plans for its own cellular phone, Schmidt showed his sense of humor with the quick reply: "No. We're busy."