House official denies iPhones report

Jordan Golson — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:35:45 -0700

The iPhone is not coming to the halls of Congress anytime soon, according to Jeff Ventura, press secretary for Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives Dan Beard. "We've had some interest from offices inquiring if we would ever offer them," he told The Standard. "Quite frankly, we don't think this is something that is even going to be offered in the near future."

This contradicts an article in The Hill, a paper covering Congress and DC, which claimed "iPhones are a must-have for Congress" that was extensively and incorrectly covered by the tech blogosphere.

Ventura told me that "if demand is high, [the CAO's] role in terms of operational support of the members is to make what they want happen." However, there remains much testing before iPhones could be offered as an option. "A good deal of planning and investment in various software -- particularly around security" would need to be done. "Unless demand is incredible for them, it's probably not something that we will be offering."

There are more than 8,000 BlackBerrys currently issued to Congressional members and staff, who pay for the phones and service out of the Representational Allowance of individual member offices.

Ventura told me, "the demand needs to be there and we don't see people bemoaning the fact that they have to use the BlackBerry Pearl. From a business standpoint, I think people are very comfortable with the BlackBerry."

For the first time ever, Apple sold more iPhones than RIM sold BlackBerry's in the latest quarter. Apple moved 6.9 million iPhones to RIM's 6.1 million BlackBerrys. Additionally, Apple has been making a big push into the Enterprise market currently owned by BlackBerry and Microsoft through its Exchange mail platform -- and began offering Exchange support on the iPhone with the iPhone 2.0 software update rolled out in July. Apple

"Right now, when we compare iPhones to the BlackBerry, the sort of utilitarian functions that BlackBerrys offer in a business setting -- we're not seeing them on the iPhone side of things. We may consider them if they ratchet things up on the business applications side."

One lobbyist who is on Capitol Hill daily told me the BlackBerry is "sort of a nerdy status symbol." Carrying a Blackberry distinguishes Congressional staffers from lobbyists and the other non-official masses. "They are more old fashioned than iPhones and other newer PDAs, so they stand out."

"Carrying an iPhone doesn't distinguish you from the non-hill staffer masses," she told me. "As far as non-Congressional folks, I mean, it's DC. We're all overeducated liberals -- kind of Apple's target audience, you know?"

Older BlackBerrys, "because they stand out, it shows that you are 'important enough' to be needed by your boss at all hours of the day," she told me. "Most offices don't give them to staff assistants and Legislative correspondents, so it means you actually handle something important, like managing the boss's schedule or representing the member on issues."

It's also a matter of individual office budgets. The money spent on staffer phones comes out of each members Representational Allowance -- which also funds other office equipment and staffer salaries -- and BlackBerry offers heavy discounts to members. A former Congressional staffer told me "if Apple could provide iPhones for $50 per phone, I'm sure the house would jump right on it. As it is, they can't be accused of wasting taxpayer dollars on snobby, elitist technologies."

But, as it is, BlackBerrys are cheaper than iPhones and "the more offices spend on electronic toys, the less people get for salary." The general strategy is "get the cheapest thing that works."

Another obstacle to the iPhone is the network. Jeff Ventura told me "the majority of member accounts are on Verizon, though some have AT&T service." The former staffer I spoke to told me that most folks prefer Verizon to AT&T because of the quality of service.

"Verizon ran lines underground through the Metro and I like getting my phone calls underground. Until AT&T does the same, the iPhone just won't be as popular." On top of that, "most Hill staffers don't live on the hill, so Verizon comes in handy when they're at home. Northwest DC, particularly Georgetown/Glover Park, is where many young staffers live. There's an impression that AT&T service there is inferior to Verizon's."

An AT&T spokesman told me "AT&T is continually enhancing coverage and downtown DC is an area of priority. Additionally, AT&T is anxious to provide service in the Metro and will do so at our earliest opportunity." Verizon currently has exclusive rights to provide service underground in DC, but this may be changing soon. A clause in a rail safety bill passed earlier this month requires the Metro to open wireless service underground to all carriers. A Verizon spokesman told the Wall Street Journal the company "supports the idea of other carriers being in the tunnels."

"If 10 members came to us asking for the iPhone, we'd certainly take a look at it, but that isn't something we've seen," Ventura told me.

"Unless we hear that this device has utility that the BlackBerry doesn't deliver on, we probably won't offer it on our own."