9 Top Web Firms Form Lobbying Unit

Nine of the world’s leading Internet companies formed a coalition to make their voices heard in directing the future of the World Wide Web. America’s top dot-com companies said in a statement issued in Washington that NetCoalition.com will speak out for the industry and seek to influence government policymakers. “In founding NetCoalition.com these leading entrepreneurs are responding to members of Congress who tell us they need innovative online approaches to the unique challenges facing the Internet,” said Daniel Ebert, coordinator for the coalition’s Washington operations. Members are America Online, Yahoo, Amazon.com, DoubleClick, EBay, Excite+Home, Inktomi, Lycos and Theglobe.com. They said 90% of the world’s Internet users visit one or more of the members’ sites every month.