The names on the Advisory Committee on Telecommunications is impressive, spiked with some of the best-known Internet pioneers and telecommunications executives in the world.
How did the committee come about? "Through conversations. Not even meetings - conversations," says Ms O'Rourke. She hatched the idea with the assistant secretary of her department, Mr Brendan Tuohy. The Taoiseach liked the notion, and could add the resources of his Irish-American Business Committee, established by predecessor Mr Albert Reynolds.
According to Ms O'Rourke, a final list of candidates was drawn up, then "Brendan just sat down and emailed them all, first of all, then called them up, and said `Would you be interested?' He got no refusals," she said.
The committee works in intensive three-hour sessions. of three hours each; The chairman, Mr Brian Thompson (vice chairman of telecommunications giant Qwest Communications) "wanted sparks to fly. And sparks flew", she says. The committee's brief is very open, hence its interest in developing a venture capital environment. Its final report will be offered in November.
Committee members include: chairman, Mr Brian Thompson (vice chairman of telecommunications giant Qwest Communications); Mr Vinton Cerf, senior vice-president, MCI; Ms Diana Lady Dougan, ambassador, Centre for Strategic and International Studies; Mr Denis Gilhooley, consultant, Teledesic; Mr Don Heath, president and CEO, Internet Society; Mr Douglas Karp, managing director, LLC; Mr Ray Smith, chairman, Bell Atlantic Corporation; Mr Paul Kavanagh, member ofInformation Society Commission; Mr Ronald Long, assistant secretary, Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment; Mr John Travers, Chief Executive, Forfas; Mr Brendan Tuohy, assistant secretary, Department of Public Enterprise.
