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To: Maurice Winn who wrote (6608)	12/20/1997 5:57:00 PM
From: Bruce R. Schlake	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 152472

Speaking of Bill Freeza, in the 12/15 issue of Network Computing, he indicates it will be the last issue for his column. If anyone wants to congratulate this fine publication for removing someone who has been wrong for so long, here is the url: techweb.cmp.com Unfortunately, he will continue to write in Internet-Week, a sister publication. Bruce

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (6608)	12/23/1997 8:05:00 AM
From: qdog	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 152472

Politics & Policy: There is proof of the rising effort against the EVIL EMPIRE!!!!!!!!!! Get'em Bob!!! Dole Is Helping Efforts to Curb Microsoft Plans ---- By Michael Schroeder and Bryan Gruley Staff Reporters of The Wall Street Journal WASHINGTON -- Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole has been sending letters and calling companies seeking their support in an expanding campaign by Microsoft Corp.'s rivals to curb its entrance into new Internet businesses. Mr. Dole is part of a nascent but growing lobbying effort that goes far beyond issues raised by the Justice Department's antitrust case against Microsoft. While competitors and groups fearful of Microsoft's growing Internet influence may be sympathetic to anti-Microsoft forces, many are reluctant to join a public campaign. Mr. Dole is representing several companies, including Microsoft computer rivals Netscape Communications Corp. and Sun Microsystems Corp., and Sabre Group Holdings Inc., a Dallas-based airlines reservation system that faces competition from Microsoft. Netscape would confirm only that it is represented by Mr. Dole's Washington law firm, Verner Liipfert Bernhard McPherson & Hand. Sabre declined to comment. Representatives for Sun Microsystems couldn't be reached. In a recent letter to one company that has been approached for support, Mr. Dole wrote: "In the coming months, we will need to educate the public, the administration, and Congress about the dangers of a laissez-faire attitude toward Microsoft. I am personally convinced that if nothing is done now, it will become increasingly difficult to have fair competition in the years ahead. That is why we will need companies like yours to help finance and support our efforts." Mr. Dole, who was traveling in Bosnia yesterday with President Clinton, couldn't be reached for comment. But a person close to Mr. Dole said he has been involved in the effort for about six weeks, has contributed significantly to campaign strategy and has contacted more than a dozen companies that either compete with Microsoft or would be affected by the software maker's expansion into new businesses, such as securities firms. So far Mr. Dole has recruited more than six firms to join the campaign, said the person, who declined to name the firms. Even as Mr. Dole has courted companies, the Washington public-relations firm of Powell Tate has approached more than 20 trade groups representing the banking, newspaper, broadcasting, retail, real-estate, travel and securities industries. Powell Tate has been giving prospective supporters three-inch-thick binders outlining Microsoft's plans to expand into those industries. It was unclear yesterday specifically how Mr. Dole's effort is linked with Powell Tate's, but both campaigns propose wide-ranging public-relations, legislative and regulatory efforts aimed at reining in Microsoft. "As you know, I have never been an advocate of overly aggressive antitrust enforcement," Mr. Dole's letter says. "I am nonetheless convinced that, if we are to maintain a competitive electronic marketplace, we must enforce our existing antitrust laws to ensure that no one company dominates the Internet and access to it." The maneuvering is more evidence that the renewed antitrust battle between the Justice Department and Microsoft, the Redmond, Wash., software giant, is becoming an all-out Beltway war involving companies and their lobbyists. "It's clear they're devoting a lot of resources to this effort, and they're not afraid to use it," said Jack Krumholtz, a Microsoft lobbyist in Washington. "It's very unfortunate that they've chosen to spend these resources urging that the government step in rather than devoting it to research-and-development and competing in the marketplace." Some have resisted joining the anti-Microsoft effort, despite their agreement that certain issues deserve scrutiny. Some simply aren't eager to publicly confront Microsoft. "We are not a player in this issue," said James Spellman, a spokesman for the Securities Industry Association. "Our members have corporate relationships with Microsoft and would not want to be visible." The increasingly high-profile battle has its roots in the Justice Department's contention that Microsoft violated a 1995 consent decree by requiring personal-computer makers to distribute its Internet browser -- software that helps people navigate the Internet -- as a condition of installing its popular Windows operating system. The government contends Microsoft is illegally extending its monopoly in Windows software to Internet software. Microsoft denies the charge. On Dec. 11, U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson issued a preliminary injunction ordering Microsoft to stop bundling the browser with Windows. Microsoft appealed and asked that the appeal be handled on a faster schedule than normal. Netscape, Microsoft's chief rival in the browser market, and other competitors have been urging the government to act against the company for months, and more recently have been reported to be forming a coalition that would push these efforts with regulators and lawmakers. Journal Link: For an on-line discussion about the fate of Microsoft, see The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition at wsj.com