LETTERS

P> Internet Is Big in Washington Area
The Feb. 22 headline "Washington, D.C.: Home of the Internet" needs correction. It seems as if the District of Columbia has been named the Internet capital of the world. Unfortunately, at this time, [it] is false.
The Washington area is the undisputed leader in Internet technology. However, the District has very few companies that do anything related to the Internet. Furthermore, in the region, the District is a weak third in the race to attract new companies.
My challenge to the Internet industry is to assist the District into the 21st century. If the industry benefits by naming the District the Internet capital, then why not find ways to give back to the city.
Please contact my office with suggestions.

John Capozzi
C1assoc@aol.com

Give Us More Information on the Satellite Industry
I am a regular WT reader who doesn't have the time to read every article. I enjoy the information and was glad that I had time for [your article on the satellite industry] (WT, March 7). It is difficult to broad-gauge the value of this information because attention to detail appears to fall somewhere between Deep Black and Crimson Tide. You will appreciate the point by reviewing some lines from the article.
You have listed 67 major players in the Netplex. Is this a cast of thousands? Who are the little guys? The article cites: "The commercial firms call the Netplex their home for several reasons." Following this statement, no explicit reasons are given. One is supposed to deduce reasons from other statements, such as "A large chunk of this money comes from spy agencies, so it is difficult to precisely measure its impact, which is one of the reasons that both the Internet and the satellite industry have clustered around Washington with little notice or fanfare."
Have you been reading the local rags lately? They sure got somebody's attention.
Equally vague is, "Combined, all these factors have created a complex symbiosis of government buying, federal regulation, commercial spin-offs and engineering expertise -- a critical combination that could only exist in the Washington area." Anybody out there beyond the Beltway want to challenge this?
And to add insult to injury, one statement points to the need for government spending to keep business brisk. But you choose to conclude with a "very French" statement, "There are a number of companies that are spending close to $5 billion to get into this industry to compete with us," (said Nanz).
In general, it appears that the article has basis for providing some really exciting information to the local food chain. If the industry is as large as suggested, consideration should be given to production of a special issue dedicated to the subject. If the vague and sensational statements can be substantiated, then do so. Otherwise, your readers might as well switch to television.

V/R Luigi
lewbennett@aol.com

Editor's note: This one leaves us scratching our heads. The article addresses Mr. Luigi's complaint head on: This is the home of the satellite industry because of the area's proximity to the world's largest consumer of space communications -- the federal government, Fortune One -- the location here of all the industry's major regulatory bodies, and the wealth of technology professionals throughout the area. We would welcome a challenge to the claim that this is the home of the satellite industry, but no one, including Mr. Luigi, has built a compelling case.

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I enjoyed reading your article [on the satellite industry] (WT, March 7). The only thing missing from it was our company: Integral Systems Inc. We make the systems that control satellites from the ground. Our customers include AT&ampT, GE Americom, ChinaSat, ROCSAT, APT Satellite, EOSAT, Lockheed Martin, Loral, TRW and others -- anyone who operates satellites.
We are a publicly held company located in Lanham, Md.

Steve Carchedi
Vice President
Integral Systems Inc.
Lanham, Md.

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You really missed it in your article, but of course your office is centered in Northern Virginia. There are a "slew" of us "small companies" in the satellite equipment and service provision business in Maryland. Particularly Howard and Anne Arundel counties. But we don't play with the U.S. government so much as we do in the international marketplace.
You also missed out on one of my/our associates, Gil Sentimores at GLS Associates (73773.2216@compuserve.com), Bob Lehsons at BLR Communications (blrcomm@aol.com), and a bunch of us who are providing communications expertise to the experts. Also, Peter Ackerman (scootrat@aol.com). We are out here and have been at it a long time. We just don't get the write-ups the others do because we are too busy worrying and working. You didn't mention Phillips Publishing's "Via Satellite" magazine, one of the leaders in the world of satellite communications publications.
My company, Holland Signal, or "HSI," Decade Satellite in Bowie, Md., Bill Patterson of Satellite Equipment Services and Fred Dassler of ISUAS, compete, yet support each other. We also sell a lot of antennas and satellite communications products to Third and Second World countries. BLR Communications is the world's largest reseller of used satellite communications equipment.
At HSI, we struggle, but make a living at reselling both used and new equipment, and special services, such as restoring the long distance service in St. Thomas for the St. Thomas/San Juan Telephone company, a subsidiary of TresComm. We implement systems in support of special projects for the government and work with various entities such as GE, MCI and AT&ampT. We also support a few of those on your current list, for example Arrowhead, ComSat-RSI, Orion.
You also left GTE-Government Systems and G.E. Americom (they own GTE-SpaceNet or what remains of it.) off your list. We formulate key alliances with one another and get the jobs done.
When someone needs quick reaction in obtaining logistical support, we are some of the first ones called by people from England, France, South America and Africa. I have customers in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taipei and Russia, as well as Mexico and Latin America.

James W. Holland
President, HSI
Severn, Md.

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You had a nice article in the March 7 issue, but it was a bit misleading in one aspect. While some design and manufacturing of satellites and related systems indeed occurs in the D.C. area, most of the companies in the list in the article are only represented here by their HQ staff or a lobbying office.
Some have offices that provide sales services, such as marketing, but very little hardware is actually built in this area. COMSAT and Iridium, for example, only have management and sales offices here.

Mike Mackowski
mackowski@apt.mdc.com