Eshoo Assumes Advocate Role For Silicon Valley

Telecom Policy Report, June 18, 2003

It's probably a fair thing to say that everyone elected to serve in the U.S. Congress is unique. And assuming that's true - and TPR believes it is - then Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) is especially unique. For one thing, she is the only member of Congress of Assyrian descent. Her heritage provides her with a unique perspective of current world events.

Eshoo, now in her sixth term as the U.S. Representative from California's 14th Congressional District, is known not only as a staunch advocate for Silicon Valley, but also as a defender of the rights of Assyrians living in the United States, Iraq, and around the world. In fact, her commitment to the Assyrian people is the stuff of which Capitol Hill legends are made.

In September 1996, when the Kurdish coalition fell apart in Northern Iraq and Iraqi troops swept into the region, Eshoo asked then-President Clinton to obtain and secure aid for Assyrian communities in northern Iraq. She also provided the President with a list of Assyrians who cooperated with U.S. relief agencies and required evacuation from the area to escape Iraqi forces. Both of her requests were met by the Clinton Administration.

In November 1995, Eshoo personally wrote to members of the House Committee on National Security to raise their awareness of the Assyrian people and underscore the important role they play in the Middle East and other regions.

First elected to the House in 1992, Eshoo has spent more than a decade championing causes for consumers on everything from health care for families and children to promoting American competitiveness to protecting the environment. She was elected by her colleagues as an At-Large Democratic Whip in the 108th Congress.

Eshoo hails from Palo Alto, the heart of Silicon Valley. Her belief in American competitiveness runs deep. She continues to play a lead role in promoting uniform standards limiting frivolous lawsuits, thus saving investors and the high-tech industry billions of dollars.

Her bill authorizing electronic signatures brought commerce into the digital age and is the model for digital signatures by the European Union. As one of the charter members of the Congressional Internet Caucus, she helped create a program - the E-rate - to provide discounts to schools and libraries for high speed Internet access.

Eshoo was appointed in January 2003 to the House Intelligence Committee and she continues to serve on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee. She co-chairs the House Medical Technology Caucus. Her political career began in 1980 as the first woman to chair the San Mateo County Democratic Party.

Eshoo's Top Telecom Corporate Donations
VeriSign Inc                              $14,749
National Cable & Telecommunications Assn  $9,999
Lockheed Martin                           $9,500
Hewlett-Packard                           $6,750
AT&T                                      $6,500
Intel Corp                                $5,500
WorldCom Inc                              $5,500
Technology Network Federal PAC            $5,168
Note: All figures are from the 2001-2002 House election cycle and based on
Federal Election Commission data released electronically on Friday, May 23,
2003.
Srce: FEC

Telco PAC Donations To Eshoo
Telephone Utilities                  $19,000
Allegiance Telecom                   $1,500
AT&T                                 $4,000
Competitive Telecommunications Assn  $1,000
National Telephone Cooperative Assn  ($500)
SBC Communications                   $1,000
Sprint Corp                          $3,000
Teligent                             $500
Time Warner Telecom                  $2,000
WorldCom Inc                         $5,500
XO Communications                    $1,000
Note: All figures are from the 2001-2002 House election cycle and based on
Federal Election Commission data released electronically on Friday, May 23,
2003.
Srce: FEC

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