Sascha Meinrath's blog

pI'm hosting an exciting event today over at the New America Foundation -- if you can't make it in person, you can watch the stream live online:/p ul pThe Open Technology Initiative of the New America Foundation will host strongFederal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski/strong on February 24, 2010 at 11am. Chairman Genachowski will preview working recommendations in the National Broadband Plan for advancing U.S. mobile broadband leadership./p p Recognizing the importance of broadband for ensuring America’s economic development and leadership, Congress and the President tasked the FCC with developing a National Broadband Plan to connect all Americans to affordable, world-class, high-speed Internet. The FCC’s National Broadband Plan, which the agency will deliver to Congress on March 17, 2010, will create jobs and spur economic growth; unleash new waves of innovation and investment; and improve education, health care, energy efficiency, public safety, and the vibrancy of our democracy./p p Chairman Genachowski will preview working recommendations for spectrum reforms incorporated into the National Broadband Plan. A distinguished panel of industry representatives and the public interest advocates will respond to these proposals./p p/p pstrongThis event will be webcast live, and questions will be taken via Twitter. Send your question or comment to a href=http://twitter.com/newamerica@newamerica/a with the hashtag of #NAFevents./strong/p pemWelcome/embr /a href=http://www.newamerica.net/node/12strongSteve Coll/strong/abr /President, New America Foundation/p pemKeynote/embr /strongJulius Genachowski/strongbr /Chairman, Federal Communications Commission/p pemModerator/embr /a href=http://www.newamerica.net/node/76strongSascha Meinrath/strong/abr /Director, Open Technology Initiativebr /New America Foundation/p pemPanelists/embr /strongBen Scott/strongbr /Policy Director, Free Press/p pstrongChris Guttman-McCabe/strongbr /Vice President, Regulatory Affairsbr /CTIA-The Wireless Association/p pstrongJulie Kearneybr //strongVice President for Regulatory Affairsbr /Consumer Electronics Association/p pstrongMatt Wood/strongbr /Associate Director, Media Access Project span class='read-more'a href=http://www.saschameinrath.com/2010/feb/24/fcc_chairman_genachowski_preview_national_broadband_plan_spectrum_recommendations_new_am html=1 target=_blankstrongh3Continue reading raquo;/h3/strong/a/span/p /ul

h2SAVE THE DATE!/h2 pstrongAugust 12-15, 2010:br / International Summit for Community Wireless Networks/strong/p pVienna, Austriabr / a href=http://www.wirelesssummit.org target=blankwww.wirelesssummit.org/a/p pThe New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative, Tech Gate Vienna, the CUWiN Foundation, and the Acorn Active Media Foundation are pleased announce that the annual International Summit for Community Wireless Networks will take place in Vienna, Austria from August 12-15, 2010./p pInternet access is increasingly important to all facets of civil society. Since the first National Summit for Community Wireless Networks in 2004, tens of thousands of community and municipal broadband initiatives have been deployed around the globe, but many communities are being left out of this communications revolution. The global coalition of developers, communities, industry, and advocates working together over the past decade has created one of the most disruptive and far-reaching technological innovations of our generation, yet few know about it and fewer still have taken advantage of this opportunity, says Sascha Meinrath, director of the Open Technology Initiative and the Summit's founder. The International Summit for Community Wireless Networks is the nexus around which this movement swaps notes, strategizes, and organizes its agenda for development and implementation of ubiquitous, affordable broadband networks./p p2010 marks the first year that this group of technologists, entrepreneurs, government officials, academics and engaged citizens will convene outside the United States, a critical step to broaden and deepen international involvement in what truly is a global movement. Participants will learn from each other’s examples, exchange strategies and anecdotes, and build partnerships that strengthen alliances among projects./p pVienna possesses a rich and diverse mix of established technology companies and start ups, new media organizations, researchers and cultural producers as well as a remarkable number of institutions of higher learning. Not only is Vienna well positioned among the top international leaders in the information economy, the city is also home to FunkFeuer, one of the most advanced community wireless networks in the world. FunkFeuer is highly respected internationally for its technical and social innovations, its many collaborations with university researchers and artists, and the scale and scope of its network. The Summit will provide an opportunity to expand upon FunkFeuer's successes and spread best-methods for developing sustainable metro-scale wireless mesh networks. /p pThe International Summit for Community Wireless Networks focuses on how wireless networks can better serve their target populations, the policies needed to support broader deployment of community wireless systems, and the latest technological and software innovations in the field./p pMore information on the International Summit for Community Wireless Networks, including a call for proposals, registration, and other logistical information, will be available in the coming weeks at a href=http://www.wirelesssummit.org target=blankwww.wirelesssummit.org/a./p pWe look forward to seeing you in August!/p hr pAbout the Acorn Active Media Foundation: The Acorn Active Media Foundation engages in software, website and technical development in support of the global justice movement. Acorn's commitment to its work stems from a foundational philosophy that its projects should align with the Foundation's goals to support social and economic justice. More information is available at: a href=http://www.acornactivemedia.com target=blank www.acornactivemedia.com/a./p pAbout the CUWiN Foundation (CUWiN): CUWiN is a world-renowned coalition of wireless developers and community volunteers committed to providing low-cost, do-it-yourself, community controlled alternatives to contemporary broadband models. Its mission is to develop decentralized, community-owned networks that foster democratic cultures and local content. Through advocacy and through its commitment to open source technology, CUWiN supports organic networks that grow to meet the needs of their community. More information is available at a href=http://www.cuwin.net target=blankwww.cuwin.net/a./p pAbout the Open Technology Initiative: Part of the New America Foundation, a non-partisan, non-profit, public policy institute in Washington, D.C., the Open Technology Initiative (OTI) formulates policy and regulatory reforms to support open architectures and open source innovations and facilitates the development and implementation of open technologies and communications networks. As an independent non-profit initiative, OTI provides in-depth, objective research, analysis, and findings for policy decision-makers and the general public. More information is available at: a href=http://oti.newamerica.net target=blankhttp://oti.newamerica.net/a./p pAbout Tech Gate Vienna: Tech Gate Vienna is Vienna's first Science and Technology Park. For several years Tech Gate Vienna has provided a common location for research facilities, technology orientated companies and supportive advisory services. Vienna's focus on high-tech development is right here. Concentration on specific topics has ensured its effectiveness, and created an important requirement for developing synergies. More information is available at: a href=http://www.techgate.at target=blankhttp://www.techgate.at/a./p

pAn interesting proposal from Senators Warner amp; Snowe. Reading between the lines, this is to solve the problem that technical expertise is too often sorely lacking across a number of different areas within the FCC (which has prioritized legal expertise over technological):/p ul FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Julia Wanzco (Snowe)br / December 8, 2009 202.224.1304br / Kevin Hall (Warner)br / 202.224.2425/p pSnowe, Warner Announce Bill tobr / Boost Technical Resources for FCC/p pWASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) today announced bipartisan legislation to bolster access to technical resources for the Commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The Snowe-Warner initiative will update current law to allow each Commissioner to hire an additional staff member—an electrical engineer or computer scientist—to provide in-depth technical consultation. /p p“Given the rapid advancement of technologies and innovation within the telecommunications industry, it is essential that Commissioners have in-house technical expertise to make well informed regulatory decisions,” said Senator Snowe, a senior member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which has jurisdiction over the legislation. “This legislation is a common-sense initiative that will guarantee each Commissioner has a technical expert on staff to provide detailed analysis on some of the most cutting-edge issues affecting the communications industry today.”/p p“Easing restrictions on the number of experts a commissioner can hire will provide the FCC with more tools and information it needs to decisions,” said Senator Warner. “This will give commissioners access to the best information possible, from all relevant disciplines, and in a timely manner – which is critical in making well-informed decisions.” /p pUnder current law, each Commissioner is permitted to appoint only three professional assistants and a secretary. Historically, these professional assistants have been legal advisors covering the wireline, wireless, and cable/media sectors. The Snowe-Warner bill complements this structure by ensuring Commissioners have access to expertise involving the technical aspect of the issues, which is fundamental to developing sound regulatory policy related to the nation’s communications industry. /ul