3Com to shut government relations office

The government relations office of 3Com Corp. soon will become a casualty in a cost-reduction program designed to save the company $1 billion annually.

Effective June 29, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based networking solutions company will close its two-person office in Washington, D.C.

The firm's government customers will not be affected because the staff members there were dedicated to "policy issues," a 3Com spokeswoman said.

"The economy has slowed, and that has impacted the technology and telecommunications sector, and 3Com is not immune to that," the spokeswoman said. "Management decided at this point not to continue to operate in Washington, D.C."

The general counsel for 3Com will respond to policy issues as needed, the spokeswoman said.