Seen a Rogue on the loose? Get in touch with our Roguemeister: JOHN SCHRAG jschrag@wweek.com (503) 243-2122 FAX: (503) 243-1115 When Intel calls, Sen. Ron Wyden listens--and consumer groups get snubbed. That was the story out of Washington, D.C., last week, according to a story in The Hill, a weekly publication that covers events in Congress. Since then, consumer advocates say, little has changed: Wyden is still carrying water for big business, and his staff has still not met with leading consumer groups. Wyden came under fire from groups such as Public Citizen for supporting a Republican bill that aims to shield companies from liability should their computers be plagued by Y2K problems. The Y2K problem could bite consumers in a host of ways, says Sally Greenberg, senior counsel with Consumers Union, the nonprofit group that publishes Consumer Reports. For instance, they might spend lots of money on bad software and then find it very difficult (under the Wyden-backed bill) to sue the company that sold the flawed product. Consumer advocates believe Wyden was pressured by high-tech titans including Intel, one of Oregon's largest employers. An Intel official and Wyden's chief of staff confirmed in The Hill that the senator was heavily lobbied. Federal election records show Wyden received more than $418,000 from the communications and electronics industry in 1998. Consumer groups, who generally give Wyden high marks, are particularly irked because he didn't consult with them before casting his vote with the GOP. They are almost as disappointed by Wyden's response. In a memo issued last week, Wyden called the criticism "highly inaccurate" and suggested the groups were acting at the behest of trial lawyers, not consumers. Greenberg was dismayed. "We are independent of any group," she says. "We don't take money from anyone, except from our 4.5 million subscribers. My bottom line is that the bill sets up impossible burdens of proof and makes it impossible for the little guy to prevail in court." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published May 5, 1999