U.S. keeping an eye on sensitive projects at Bell Labs [French takeover]

Newark Star Ledger ^ | 11/19/2006 | Kevin Coughlin

[Incorrigible]

Although a French company soon will own the famed Bell Labs, the U.S. will exercise "unprecedented" control over sensitive government projects at the New Jersey facility, U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-1st Dist.) said yesterday.

"The U.S. government will be able to veto any people who have direct control over Bell Labs, and can veto the removal of any persons who have control over Bell Labs," said Andrews, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee and was briefed last week on the pending takeover of Lucent Technologies by Alcatel of France.

His approval hinges on both companies following through on "two robust and far-reaching agreements designed to ensure the protection of our national security," according to a statement from the White House. One of those agreements involves oversight of Bell Labs by three former top defense and intelligence officials. Andrews said Bell Labs is involved with just about "anything that touches on imperatives for the country's security." But he called the merger of the two telecom companies vital for their economic health, "good for the country, and good for New Jersey."

"The U.S. government will have more control over the flow of information in and out of this entity than it has over the flow of information into other so-called American entities," Andrews said. "I think this is an unprecedented level of control, where the U.S. government will have an ongoing window into the management of Bell Labs."

[XBob]

reading back through this, make my last post a ccry that we are selling off our "heritage". We are selling off thing s that made this country great. In other words we are spending our 'capital' - a no-no, unless you don't plan to live long enough to see it all gone.

[dayglored]

> The glory days of Bell Labs were largely the creation of the Bell telephone monopoly. The quality of research there has been going downhill after the monopoly was broken up in the early 80s.

I'll agree, in that since the breakup, there was loss of momentum, and focus shifted to shorter-horizon business goals at the expense of open research and inventiveness. I think the breakup was a big mistake.

I for one refuse to believe that all the great technological inventions have been made already, and all that remains are tweaks and "convergence" of existing technologies. I believe that if a highly motivated, properly funded, and non-micro-managed facility were allowed to probe around, they'd continue to do high-quality research, and there'd be another period of "glory days".

Generally speaking, I don't like monopolies, but I must admit, AT&T/Bell's research facilities produced technological marvels at a level that has never been duplicated by any less focussed organization that I'm aware of.

[gonzo]

"...The glory days of Bell Labs were largely the creation of the Bell telephone monopoly. The quality of research there has been going downhill after the monopoly was broken up in the early 80s..."

Sadly, you're right. When Judge Green broke up AT&T, we expected great, here-to-fore secret things to burst forth from Bell Labs.

When the doors were opened, the cupboards were bare! All the neat stuff had been transferred to 'other locations', offshore!

I did a lot of work with Western Electric, Teletype, and Bell Labs over about 25 years, and it all went away. Just business, I guess.............FRegards

[Colorado Buckeye]

What's more dangerous, Arabs running operations at our ports or French with access to future defense developments?

This is what happens when you run massive trade deficits. The deficits are funded by borrowing money and selling assets. This time the sold assest happens to be Bell Labs.

The French are our good buddies; I'm sure they won't want to make money buy selling more of our technology to the Chinese.

[thinking]

Bell Labs sold!!!...the end is surely near...Bell Labs, have been the genesis, of great technology developments over the last 60 years, and now sold to the French....sorry state of affairs...

[plsvn]

It toasts my shorts to think that the French will claim these marvelous American achievements, simply because our stupid government sold out. The Founders are spinning in their graves. Grrr-rrr.

You are so right!