I've put the whole DOJ filing at: http://www.politechbot.com/docs/ms.joint.statement.020702.doc Excerpt: The 60-day public comment period began on November 28, 2001, and ended on January 28, 2002.1 During that period, the United States received over 30,000 public comments.2 Based on those comments, the United States provides the following summary and categorization: * Approximately 1,250 comments are unrelated in substance to United States v. Microsoft or the RPFJ (though they were sent to the address for public comments and may or may not mention the RPFJ in their "subject" line). o A small number of these submissions are simply advertisements or, in at least one case, pornography. The United States proposes not to publish such submissions or to provide them as part of its filing to the Court. o The remainder of these unrelated comments address only the proposed settlement of the private, class-action litigation against Microsoft, and not the RPFJ. * Roughly 2,800 comments are "form" letters or emails - essentially identical text submitted by different persons. * Approximately 19,500 comments express an overall view of the RPFJ but do not contain any further discussion of it. These comments do not, for example, attempt to analyze the substance of the RPFJ, do not address any of its specific provisions, and do not describe any particular strengths or shortcomings of it. * Approximately 2,900 of the comments can be characterized as containing a degree of detailed substance concerning the RPFJ. These substantive comments range from brief, one- or two-page discussions of some aspect of the RPFJ to 100- or more-page, detailed discussions of numerous of its provisions or alternatives. The essence of many of these substantive comments overlaps with other comments; that is, numerous comments address at least some of the same issues or raise similar arguments. * Of the above substantive comments, approximately 45 can be characterized as "major" comments based on their length and the detail with which they analyze significant issues relating to the RPFJ. Once again, there is considerable duplication of issues and arguments among these major comments. * Of the total comments received, roughly 7,500 are in favor or urge entry of the RPFJ, roughly 15,000 are opposed, and roughly 7,000 do not directly express a view in favor or against entry. For example, a significant number of comments contain opinions concerning Microsoft generally, e.g., "I hate Microsoft," or concerning this antitrust case generally, e.g., "This case should never have been brought," but do not state whether they support or oppose entry of the RPFJ. -Declan --- Date: Thu, 07 Feb 2002 09:48:08 -0800 From: "Jeffrey St. Clair" <sitkaat_private> To: CP List <counterpunch-listat_private>, Declan McCullagh <declanat_private>, Dave Marsh <marsh6at_private> Subject: Ashcroft's Microsoft Payola Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854"; x-mac-creator="4D4F5353" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-UIDL: b69102436bfd14f906b6d73cf5434ae1 Ashcroft role in Microsoft case raises ethics issue Donations: He withdrew from Enron probe, but not antitrust suit Greg Gordon and Les Blumenthal; News Tribune Washington, D.C. bureau http://www.tribnet.com/frame.asp?/news/top_stories/0204a15.html WASHINGTON - Attorney General John Ashcroft withdrew from criminal investigations into the collapse of Enron Corp., which gave more than $60,000 to his political committees during a failed 2000 Senate campaign. But Ashcroft has stayed involved in a bigger case - the government's antitrust suit against Microsoft Corp. - even though the computer software giant, its officers and lobbyists also were substantial donors. Microsoft, its political action committee, founder Bill Gates and other top corporate officers donated $22,750 to Ashcroft's political committees from 1997-2000. Lobbying firms that represented Microsoft gave another $33,000. In addition, Microsoft donated more than $700,000 to a Republican committee that helped bankroll a $1 million advertising blitz on Ashcroft's behalf. These connections underscore a potential problem for the former Missouri senator: Ashcroft is the first attorney general to have left Congress for the nation's top law enforcement job in a quarter-century - a period in which congressional fund raising has escalated sharply. Legal ethics experts say Ashcroft's acceptance of nearly $9 million in senatorial campaign donations just before joining the cabinet is, at minimum, creating awkward appearances and could raise questions about his independence. [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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