Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Sitting Down With Intel's Sean Maloney

On the eve of a Capitol Hill high-tech showcase, Intel Executive Vice President Sean Maloney and Vice President of Legal and Corporate Affairs Peter Cleveland sat down for an Oktoberfest themed dinner at Chinatown's PS7 with a handful of Washington tech reporters. The conversation, fueled by creative beer-inspired dishes, covered a range of topics from broadband deployment and network neutrality to patent reform and competition. Here are some highlights (from Maloney unless otherwise noted)

• Economic stimulus money for health IT, broadband and other tech related priorities is going out as quickly as one should expect. Intel is not applying for any stimulus funds directly but is working with groups that are trying to get money for rural broadband.

• Intel has taken a "nuanced stance" on net neutrality and supports pipeline providers "intelligently managing traffic." Grossly exaggerated worst case scenarios on either side of the debate have not helped. "This isn't impossible as long as we listen to each other."

• The two most insular places in America are Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., which makes bridging the gap between the two locales difficult. Silicon Valley ought to be more involved in policy and politics.

• Intel "got to the top in a totally ethical way" (despite complaints from rival AMD and investigations by European and U.S. regulators). "When you're number one, you get a lot of scrutiny."

• On patent reform, Intel is staying the course, Cleveland said. Unlike Hewlett-Packard, which backed out of a key high-tech coalition over concern that Senate damages language is not strong enough, Intel is willing to compromise.

• Patent language to curb judicial "venue-shopping" for favorable courts is high on Intel's list, Cleveland said, noting the popularity of a certain U.S. district court in Texas for patent feuds. Maloney joked that if the winds change, the impact of fewer tech lawyers subsidizing the Marshall, Texas economy could be measured with "The Pepperoni Index." Late night pizza delivery is a must for hard-working litigators.

• For curious foodies Intel's beer tasting dinner menu consisted of Granny Smith apple salad (Porkslap Pale Ale), steamed mussels (Allagash White), coffee crusted beef tenderloin or tuna (Bell's Porter), and a chocolate Guinness brownie (Guinness Draught).

Maloney will speak Wednesday alongside other high-tech leaders and academics at an innovation showcase hosted by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and TechNet. The techstravaganza will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Kennedy Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Office Building. Exhibitors include Clearwire, Intel, IBM, Global Foundries, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and more.