Can you ID these telcom lobbyists?

Nicko from the Sunlight Foundation sez,

Today, the non-partisan Sunlight Foundation is experimenting with a new way to create lobbying transparency. We're crowdsourcing analysis of lobbyists at markups and hearings. Our hope is that you can help us identify D.C.'s power brokers and assorted lobbyists who have an interest in influencing the Senate's view on the proposed AT&T/T-Mobile merger.
Can you help? We turned the camera around at a recent hearing on the merger. Please take a look at this post and let us know if you can ID anyone in the photos. If you recognize anyone, please send us an email at jhatch@sunlightfoundation.com describing which person you've identified, who they are (name, firm, etc.), and how you know who that person is. As we compile and verify this information, we'll add the names to the photos so you can see who is watching Congress.

Help us identify the lobbyists (Thanks, Nicko!)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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Eurovision 2013: An American in London

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

hal14450

Panopticracy Pa*nop”ti*ra*cy, n.
[2011 Web]
1. Government by the people, where the actions of the politicians involved can be observed at all times, without repercussions for the observer.

Sunlight is the disinfectant in a panopticracy.
Teller

That’s the biggest, nicest secret backroom I’ve ever seen. Glad they shopped all the cigar smoke. But those idiots forgot tables. What are they gonna pass cash under?
- von Bobo
  
  Passing money under the table is so retro. These days the money is driven in the trunk of a caddilac by an intern.
  - karl_jones
    
    Passing money under the table is so retro. These days the money is driven in the trunk of a caddilac [sic] by an intern.
    
    The intern is part of the deal, right?
    - Teller
      
      Much more than the Caddy.
Anonymous

Why not just:
1. crop each photo
2. upload to the magnificent Facebook preemptive face recognition chooser?

Rinse. Repeat.
Anonymous

Can’t you just upload it to Facebook and let their facial recognition software ID the people for you? Kidding! (mostly)

In China this sort of thing is referred to as a “Human Flesh Search”.

I don’t recognize anyone in the photo though, sorry.
Anonymous

Comms is entering a crucial phase in terms of checks and balances, we must stand up for what we believe over the coming years otherwise it will be taken and the takers will be able to say that no one complained.
JimmerSD

Looks to me that most of them held a seat in congress at one time or other.
Anonymous

Kiss transparancy goodbye.
Just like with police officers,
lobbyists will quickly realize
that photography will
STEAL THEIR SOULS
- Cowicide
  
  I hope it brings their souls back to them.
Anonymous

My brother in law works in DC for a LOT of money, and every time I ask him what he does, I never understand the answer. I’ve asked him several times if he’s a lobbyist and he denies it. I half expected him to be on that picture…
Anonymous

My wife’s uncle is in the front row, representing a telecom workers’ union. He’s a downright pleasant guy. Don’t forget that lobbyists represent many constituencies.
- Cowicide
  
  He’s a downright pleasant guy. Don’t forget that lobbyists represent many constituencies.
  
  I don’t think anyone is forgetting that. During the DNC some of the most ethical, smart, wonderful people I met were union lobbyists. The filthiest whores I met were corporate mineral company lobbyists, though… they were corrupt in every way possible.
Anonymous

My personal wish is that all elected officials would be required to wear suits with the logo of all paid contributors (or at least the Top-20) clearly displayed. I call it the Nascar Bill. That would solve most of these sorts of problems.
- knoxblox
  
  That’s fucking awesome.
  
  However, *sigh*, it would never make it past the Senate.
- Cowicide
  
  all elected officials would be required to wear suits with the logo of all paid contributors
  
  Here’s a another idea to diminish the problem at its source:
  
  http://fairelectionsnow.org/
  
  http://www.inspiretheplanet.com/fair-elections/
Anonymous

Back-row, far right, yellow tie = Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

I thank-you.
Anonymous

They should institute a ‘points’ system (more for spotting certain people / submitting people first / etc…), I bet people would get really into it.
Tdawwg

That guy in the suit there is Mr. Suit Guy. He’s very powerful, I hear. And wealthy. He can often be found wearing a tie with his suit.

Hope that helps!
show me

Back row, third guy from the right: Waldo!
knoxblox

I’m just glad that I didn’t recognize any of these people…that they’re not my friends.

If I ever found out a friend of mine was a corporate-interest lobbyist, I’d have to disown them on the spot.
Jer

Not all lobbyists are evil, knoxblox. One of the folks in that picture is probably a lobbyist for the EFF. There’s probably also one for the ACLU.

The problem is the ratio – the white hats in that audience are probably substantially outnumbered by the grey and black hats.
- knoxblox
  
  @jer: I understand, that’s why I specified corporate-interest. However, I did rush to judgment when I assumed they were all black-hat in the photo. Apologies.
  
  @artbrodsky: In your line of work, I’m sure you cross paths with corporate-interest lobbyists all the time.
  How do you explain the apparent cognitive dissonance (my speculation) that some presumably suffer? Surely, they must realize that whatever laws they aim to pass are going to affect themselves as much as any other U.S. citizen, don’t they? Doesn’t this bother them in the least bit?
Anonymous

Maybe a good use for facial identification software, something like iPhoto’s “Faces” feature. I’m sure the security industry as more powerful stuff than what’s in iPhoto. Feed it photos tagged from various industry publications, websites, etc.
Hamish Grant

fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, you’re cool… fuck you, fuck you…
Anonymous

the guy nodding forward in row 5, foreground (next to the red-head) is trey hanbury, a lobbyist for sprint
Anonymous

Satan, first row, fourth one from the right. In the beard.
TimDrew

I dunno, but second row, third from the right looks hungry…

while fourth row, second from the right looks like he wants to cry.
artbrodsky

This is the hearing before the Senate antitrust Subcommittee on the AT&T takeover of T-Mobile. Unfortunately, the guy you really want to pick out, AT&T’s chief lobbyist, is the last one on the left on the first row and you can only see his red/blonde hair. That’s Jim Cicconi.

Lots of public interest folks there. Ernesto Falcone and Harold Feld from Public Knowledge are third and fourth from right in the first row, behind PK President Gigi Sohn, who was testifying. (I’m in the second row, third from right (pen in mouth), also from PK). Next to me is Gene Kimmelman from the Justice Department. Parul Desai from Consumers Union is in the third row, in the light blue jacket.

Vonya McCann,head of Sprint’s DC office (and Sprint is a good guy in this issue), is the woman in the first row in the light green.

Reporters at one of the press tables are in the back facing the room.

Other than that, mostly hangers-on of various stripes.
- Cowicide
  
  Thanks Art!