Official Summit Tag: Tag your photos and other media with "NS4CWN"
Additional summit documentation is now available on the 2006 Summit Schedule page (updated April 19, 2006).
Wendy's Summit Photos -- some fantastic pix from CUWiN's Wendy Edwards.
Matt's Summit Photos -- some fantastic pix from Matt Westervelt of Seattle Wireless.
Podcasts from the Summit! -- check for the podcasts labled "Wireless Summit" [Currently Unavailable]
A Blog of Her Own -- Lisa Yeo's extensive blogging from the Community Wireless Summit.
Bob at WITS (St. Louis Bridging) -- Bob Babione blogs from the Community Wireless Summit.
Ken from Seattle Wireless -- commentary from the Summit.
CUWiN's own Sascha Meinrath -- public ponderings from the Summit Director.
OCCN's Angela Stuber -- Diary of a Community Technology Advocate.
ISF's Michael Lenczner -- extensive blogging on the WiFiDog project & Community Wireless Summit.
Toronto Wireless' Dory Kornfeld -- pix and experiences of the Summit.
St. Louis Independent Media Center -- post-Summit wrap-up.
Compiled evaluation comments are available here.
The First National Summit for Community Wireless Networks was a seminal event and helped launch the Community Wireless Networking Movement. Building on this momentum, on March 31-April 2, 2006, the Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN), Free Press, and Mid-Rivers Community Wireless Network will host the Second National Summit for Community Wireless Networks at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO.
The Summit is the largest gathering of community wireless networking developers, implementers and allies focused on building the alliance of technologists, policy experts, and implementers, and encouraging participants to discuss the great variety of challenges and opportunities facing the movement, including:
The 3-day Summit allows participants to engage in extended conversations with presenters and with each other. Attendees will help develop strategic plans to expand community wireless network deployment and ensure that the federal government regulates spectrum to increase unlicensed access. Come join us for what is certain to be a spectacular event!
In August 2004, over two hundred technology experts, policy analysts, university researchers, and on-the-ground specialists deploying state-of-the-art community broadband projects came together to discuss technology, policy and organizing issues as well as the practical solutions to problems facing community broadband. In addition to addressing best practices for both technologies, community organizing, and innovative business models, the National Summit for Community Wireless Networks supported the critical alliance between technologists, national policy advocates, and the communities and organizations implementing wireless networks around the country. Participatory meetings and workshops helped the leaders of community broadband initiatives build a strategic plan for expanding the deployment of networks and lobbying the federal government to create policies that expand broadband access, open more unlicensed spectrum, and break the duopoly market power of cable and DSL that stifles economic growth and social opportunity through technology.
The first National Summit for Community Wireless Networks was a seminal event that helped launch what we now call the Community Broadband Movement. It was a timely prelude to the explosion in technological development, local implementation, and policy debates over the future of broadband.
Since this initial gathering, community wireless networking has become a national phenomenon. Over 300 communities around the country are planning or building local networks. Headlines over flagship projects in Philadelphia and San Francisco are backed up by a hundred success stories in rural America. City planners and consumer advocates have linked forces with high tech companies and ISPs. The market for community broadband solutions has grown exponentially. Recent market analysis expects over $750,000,000 to be spent on new municipal wireless networks over just the next three years. Including community fiber and hybrid systems, this is a multi-billion dollar market. It is generating enormous economic growth, challenging the market control of incumbents, and bridging the digital divide through competition and entrepreneurial innovation.
The more successful community wireless technologies become, the more policy challenges we face:
We stand at a paradigm shift in technology policy that demands a groundswell of public support to guide our leaders toward the right decisions. We need a national coalition of technology experts, community leaders, policy advocates, and innovative businesses. With this goal in mind, the 2nd National Summit for Community Wireless Networks provides:
Summit organizers expect attendance to be several hundred strong. Lindenwood University has generously offered to host the 2nd National Summit for Community Wireless Networks and has donated the use of a building large enough for this weekend event. Yet an event of this scope still needs sufficient financial support to be successful. Most conferences rely on corporate donations for this support. However, Summit organizers are loathe to engage in the “money for access” quid pro quo that undermines the independence of many of these types of events. Instead, a coalition of public interest organizations is being approached to help fund this Summit. If our goal is to create broadband networks whose first priority is supporting the public interest, then we must create an environment conducive to honest discussion can take place and opportunities to build these infrastructures can flourish.
This is a critical opportunity to catalyze the community broadband movement and create tangible goals in technology, policy, and public education.
The Big Picture
The National Summit for Community Wireless Networks distinguishes itself from typical technical and academic conferences by engaging all participants in an ongoing dialogue that encourages a strategic approach to community wireless network development and spectrum policy reform. Panelists will not simply present their own work and opinions -- they will also serve as facilitators of a process that records lessons learned and produces a comprehensive "to-do list" of action items for the coming months and years. While three days may not be long enough to develop a truly comprehensive strategic plan that everyone can agree to follow, this Summit represents a significant opportunity for thinkers, developers, and stakeholders to produce substantial recommendations for the future success of community wireless networks. The Summit is, in essence, a gathering of leaders in the field and an opportunity to shape the future of this movement. Read more background on the 2006 Summit here.
How It Works
Each discussion session includes a facilitator who will be responsible for managing the interaction between the panelists and other participants in the room. Panelists will be given adequate time to present their experiences and recommendations, and the audience will be encouraged to engage the panelists in dialogue. Panelists will also be encouraged to interact directly with each other. Questions will be asked, answers may or may not be provided, and all the while, the facilitator will be recording good ideas, lessons learned, questions to be considered, and things to do. Near the end of each session, the facilitator will share what has been recorded so far, and all participants will assist in approving or modifying the list. Think of this as a brainstorming session -- nothing should be taken off the lists, but corrections and clarifications to existing items may be allowed and new ideas can be added. This collection of ideas and recommendations will be considered again, along with the collections produced in other sessions, during Sunday's "Strategizing/Next Steps" plenary session.
The Strategizing & Next Steps session will allow for the prioritization and consolidation of recommendations and for the beginning of the production of a document or series of documents that records, as much as possible, the relevant collective knowledge and consensus of Summit participants. The resulting document(s) will be made available to all participants under a Creative Commons license and as a Wiki-type CMS to allow ongoing modification.
The National Summit for Community Wireless Networks is conveniently located 10 minutes from the St. Louis International Airport and near several major interstates. See the "Getting There & Away" section below for driving instructions. Shuttle services between hotels and the event sites will be provided during the Summit itself. Attire is casual to business casual, but feel free to dress up if you desire.
Sheraton Four Points West: Free high-speed access in room, free wireless in lobby; Free shuttle to/from Lambert Airport and Lindenwood University, as well as official summit functions.
Distances: 7 miles to Lambert Airport; 6 miles to Lindenwood University
Website: http://www.360stlouis.com/fourpointsstlouiswest/
Email: fourpoints-stlwest@hmahotels.com
Telephone: +1 314 291-6800
Fax: +1 314 291-4049
Promotional Code: NSCWN, expires 03/24/2006
Single: $79 + tax
Double: $79 + tax
Triple: $79 + tax
Quad: $79 + tax
Directions: Conveniently located just one exit west of I-270 and I-70 – at the Earth City Expressway North (exit 231B). Turn left at Rider Trail South, cross two intersections and turn left into the hotel entrance.
Quality Inn: Convenient location and lowest price. Free dial-up speed high speed Internet in room, free wireless Internet in lobby; modest continental breakfast.
Phone: (636)946-6936
Website -- NOTE: check online for even better "Internet User's Rates."
Promotional Code: NSCWN
Single -- $72
Double -- $72
Triple -- $72
Quad -- $72
plus taxes of 14.42 %
Directions: From Hwy 70 East, take Exit 229B (Fifth St.) make left onto Bass Pro Drive. Make left into parking lot. From Hwy 70 West, take Exit 229, make left at bottom of exit onto Fifth St. Make left onto Bass Pro Drive. Make left into parking lot.
Comfort Suites: Convenient location and moderately priced. Free high speed Internet in room, free wireless Internet in building; deluxe continental breakfast.
Phone: (636)949-0694
Website -- NOTE: check online for even better "Internet User's Rates."
Promotional Code: NSCWN
Single -- $95
Double -- $95
Triple -- $95
Quad -- $95
plus taxes of 14.42 %
Directions: I-70 West to exit 229B. I-70 East to exit 229.
Embassy Suites: Most convenient location and highest price. Most costly Internet ($9.95 – $19.90 per day); best breakfast – free and cooked to order.
Embassy does not have a promotional code.
Phone: (636)946-5544
Single -- $115
Double -- $120
Triple -- $125
Quad -- $130
plus taxes of 14.42 %
Information about:
Fly into St. Louis Lambert International Airport--the Summit location and our suggested hotels are closer to the airport than to downtown St. Louis.
Shuttle Services to and from the Lambert International Airport if you are staying at the Sheraton. If not, you will either need to rent a car or take a taxi to your hotel.
During the Summit, we are still finalizing the details of the shuttle services. Our goal is to provide shuttle access from the four hotels mentioned above to all the summit sites: the St. Charles Convention Center, Lindenwood University, Maryland Yards at the Water Works, and the Trailhead. Check back to this space for more details, which should be available by 9 pm on Wednesday, March 29, 2006.
The St. Charles Convention Center is located off Interstate 70 at the 5th Street exit on the Corner of Veterans Memorial Highway and Fairgrounds Rd. Below are directions from the North, South, East, and West. You may also download this information as a PDF document.
When Traveling From The East (Downtown/Airport): Take Interstate 70 West over the Blanchette Bridge To St. Charles. Take the second exit after the Bridge, 5th Street South Exit 229A, and go to the first light at Veterans Memorial Parkway and make a right. Go One mile to the Fairgrounds Road light. The Convention Center will be immediately on your left. Make a left onto Fairgrounds Road and enter to the rear of the complex.
When Traveling From The West (Columbia): Take Interstate 70 East to St. Charles. Take the First Capitol (State Highway 94) exit 228, make a right at the end of the ramp and go South. Turn left at the first light and head East onto Veterans Memorial Parkway. Go approximately two miles to Beverly Street and make a right. The Convention Center will be immediately on your left.
When Traveling From The Southeast (Clayton / Kirkwood): Take Interstate 270 North to Page Road (State Highway 364). Go West on 364 (Page Road Extension) approximately 6 miles over the Bridge To St. Charles. Take the first exit after the Bridge, Arena Parkway, and make a right to head North on Arena Parkway. Go past the Family Arena and make a right at the light onto South River Road. Go approximately 4 miles to the second light at Veterans Memorial Parkway. Make a left onto Veterans Memorial Parkway. Go one mile to the Fairgrounds Road light. The Convention Center will be immediately on your left.
When Traveling From The Southwest: Take Interstate 64/State Highway 40 to State Highway 94. Go North on Highway 94 to St. Charles. Highway 94 (First Capitol) will intersect Veterans Memorial Highway before Interstate 70. Turn right and head East on Veterans Memorial Parkway. Go two miles to Beverly Street and make a right. The Convention Center will be immediately on your left.
When Traveling From The North: Take the Interstate 270 loop to State Highway 370. Go West to State Highway 94. Head South, be careful to stay on Highway 94 through St. Charles. Turn left after crossing over Interstate 70 at the intersection of Veterans Memorial. Head East on Veterans and go two miles to Beverly Street and make a right. The Convention Center will be immediately on your left.
Friday night's social activity will be held at Maryland Yards at the Water Works. Maryland Yards is located in the St. Charles historic district. To get there, take Exit 229B on I-70. Turn right at Boonslick Road. Turn right at Main. Maryland Yards will be on your left.
All Saturday & Sunday panels will take place at the Spellmann Center on the campus of Lindenwood University.
From Interstate 70/270 Interchange: Take Interstate 70 W across the Blanchette Bridge (Missouri River). Exit 229 at First Capitol Drive. Go Right. Follow First Capitol Drive for 3/4 mile to Kingshighway. Go Left. Lindenwood will be on your left.
From Interstate 64 in Chesterfield: Travel west across the Daniel Boone Bridge (Missouri River). Exit at Highway 94. Go right. Follow Highway 94 north and cross interstate 70. The name of Highway 94 changes to First Capitol. Proceed to Kingshighway. Go left. Lindenwood will be on your left.
Parking: The entrance to Lindenwood is a little complicated to navigate. Coming from the south on First Capitol, First Capitol will bend to the right and the street that continues is Kingshighway. Turn left at this intersection.
Coming from the east on First Capitol, you need to go straight at the Kingshighway and First Capitol intersection.
Once you have driven onto the campus, you will follow the curve to the left. At the end of the street, you can turn right. Park anywhere, but keep in mind that you will want to enter the building with the clock tower. Registration is on the third floor, which is the level with the entrance directly below the clock tower.
Saturday night's social activity will be held at Trailhead. Trailhead is located in the St. Charles historic district. To get there, take Exit 229B on I-70. Turn right at Boonslick Road. Trailhead is at the corner of Boonslick and Main on the far left. Many parking spaces are available if you pass Main and veer right.
 Map of St. Charles |
 Map of St. Louis Metro Highways |
 Map for St. Charles Convention Center |
 Map for Lindenwood |
Contact the Summit Planning Team at:
The Summit is a participatory environment where all attendees are encouraged to be involved in the panels and discussions. Technology and policy leaders, decision-makers, WISPs, municipal networking representatives, students, researchers, and other participants in wireless networking and community networking initiatives will all be in attendence. Individuals affiliated with organizations and projects from across North America and Europe are already attending*:
5lowershop
Acorn Active Media Foundation
Association for Community Networking
Austin Wireless
The Baller Herbst Law Group
BG Wireless Community Network
Boston Wireless Advocacy Group
City of Geneva, IL
Civitium
Cleveland Digital Vision
Common Ground Collective, New Orleans
Community Technology Center Network
Community Technology Consulting
Concordia University, Montreal
Conxx
Consumer Federation of America
Consumer's Union
CRACIN
CTCnet Chicago
CUWiN
Dandin Group
Federal Communications Commission
Fiber for Our Future
Free Press
Heads on Fire
Highland Community Technology Center
Holistic IT
Hudson Mohawk Independent Media Center
Hungarian Wireless Community
Île Sans Fil
Illinois Community Technology Coalition
IMAPRO 2000
Indymedia
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Institute of Communications Research
Internet Educational Equal Access Foundation
Lewis and Clark Discovery Expedition of Clayton, Mo.
Lindenwood University
MaxSpot
Media Access Project
Media Democracy Fund
Metrix Communications
Michiana FreeNet
Mid Rivers Wireless Initiative
Mt. Vernon Net
Muniwireless.com
MyVoice Progressives
New America Foundation
NewburyOpen.net
The New York Times
NYC Wireless
Ohio Academic Resources Network
Ohio Community Computing Network
Ohio State University
OJC Technologies
Open Spectrum International
Partners for Progress
PITH
Prairienet
Prometheus Radio Project
Radiophoney
Rochelle Municipal Utilities
Simdesk
SLACO
Slice Network
Sociable Design
SLACO
Solidbase Technologies
S.P.A.Z.
SpectrumPolicy.org
St. Louis IMC
St. Louis WizKids
Tech Superpowers
TMT Coop
Thin Wires
Tribal Digital Village
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
University of Missouri-St. Louis
University of Nebraska, Omaha Wifi Project
Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center
Washington University in St. Louis
Wireless Internet Service Providers Association
Wireless Toronto
WISPCentric
WITS
WNMap
WRFU 104.5 LP -- Radio Free Urbana
* Please note that participation by individuals affiliated with the organizations listed above does not necessarily imply endorsement, partnership, or formal participation by the organizations themselves. Please see the schedule of events for a full list of presenters.
Bruce Alexander is the Technical Marketing Manager for the Wireless Networking Business Unit at Cisco Systems. He has been working with RF technologies for more than 27 years and during the past 17 years, has worked with RF WLAN technologies. Bruce attended Akron University, where he majored in Computer Programming and Business Administration.
John Atkinson directs the Wireless Ghana project out of Apirede, Ghana. Wireless Ghana aims to bridge the emerging literacy of Ghanaians with access to the tools of a reading culture. John has been teaching math and computers in West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer since 2004.
Jonathan Baltuch is a founding partner in MRI, a firm which specializes in creating and implementing brand identity and economic development blueprints for municipalities. MRI envisioned, developed and managed the process that created the Cyber Spot for the City of St. Cloud, Florida, a suburb of Orlando. On March 6, 2006 St. Cloud deployed the nation’s first 100% free citywide hi-speed wireless system delivered as a public service. MRI is currently consulting with other cities around the country to help them to develop and integrate Municipal Wireless systems into their communities.
Ron Bauer, Founder, Mid Rivers Wireless Initiative
Sue Beckwith is the Project Manager for St. Louis WizKids at The Youth and Family Center. St. Louis WizKids is a youth-directed project that aims to improve student academic performance by providing access to educational tools including those available through broadband Internet.
Joshua Breitbart is currently the Communications Director of Media Tank and an organizer of the annual Allied Media Conference. He was a founder and director of Brooklyn's Rooftop Film and a consulting editor with Clamor Magazine. From 2000-2005, he helped organize the Indymedia movement, working with Independent Media Centers throughout the United States and in South America.
Annie Collins is the Chairwoman of Fiber For Our Future, a municipal broadband project seeking to establish Fiber to the Home (FTTH) in the TriCities. She is a longtime community activist and a strong advocate of municipally owned, fiber optic networking for community development.
Peter Collins is the Information Systems Manager for the City of Geneva, Illinois, and President of the Illinois Municipal Broadband Communications Association. He resides in Batavia, Illinois with his wife Annie (Chairman - Fiber For Our Future) and their sons. He has been involved in the Information Technology field for over 15 years and has written for the NATOA Journal of Municipal Telecommunications Policy. He currently oversees all networking services provided via Geneva’s internal and municipal fiber optic network. He is a vocal proponent of the rights of municipalities to set their own telecommunications destinies.
Dr. Mark Cooper holds a Ph.D. from Yale University and is a former Yale University and Fulbright Fellow. He is Director of Research at the Consumer Federation of America where he has responsibility for analysis and advocacy in the areas of telecommunications, media, digital rights, economic and energy policy. He has provided expert testimony in over 250 cases for public interest clients including Attorneys General, People’s Counsels, and citizen interveners before state and federal agencies, courts and legislators in almost four dozen jurisdictions in the U.S. and Canada. He is the author of Media Ownership and Democracy in the Digital Information Age (Center for Internet & Society, Stanford University, 2003), Cable Mergers and Monopolies (Electronic download) (Economic Policy institute, 2002, paper), The Transformation of Egypt (Johns Hopkins, 1982), and Equity and Energy (Westview, 1983).
Prometheus Radio Project's Spectrum Mama. In the mid 1990s, Dharma Dailey learned about an LPFM pirate radio station that broadcast out of a housing project in Illinois. As a teen mom who grew up in low income housing projects, she immediately recognized the potential of LPFM and wondered why something that was so good for community building was illegal for those who could use it most. Airwave access for everyone is still her dream.
As a broadcaster, writer, and college professor, Rick Dearborn has worked with cutting edge media technology for over 30 years. Rick holds an MS in Mass Communications, and a BS in Physics. He has worked in radio and television broadcasting, film, corporate communication, and media education. He has worked in Chicago, Boston, New York and St. Louis, and he was Chair of the Mass Communication Department at Principia College. He has consulted to some of the largest communications companies in the United States, and is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission. He has completed FEMA training IS-100, and has received recognition for his exceptional service directing emergency communictions in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina.
Bob Dixon, Chief Research Engineer, Office of the CIO of Ohio State University and OARnet, is a recognized mentor, resource provider, motivator, and "evangelist" in advancing the state of H.323 video conferencing technology and its value throughout the Research and Education community. He is the organizer of the annual MegaConference, the largest international videoconferencing event, the participants of which span the globe and number in the thousands. He is a developer of the "Internet To Go" small mobile Internet satellite system, which provides high-speed Internet connectivity anywhere. He developed wireless video cameras, which allow live video to be originated from anywhere. He directed the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence at the Big Ear radio telescope of Ohio State University, and is now involved in development of the next generation of radio telescopes, called Argus. He is part of the team that is providing community wireless systems to small towns in Appalachian Ohio. He is the author of two books and many scientific publications and presentations.
Alan Escovitz, Ph.D. serves as Director of External Affairs in The Ohio State University Office of the CIO with the responsibilities for promoting distance education linkages between Ohio State and business, professional organizations, government, and service agencies; translating technology, campus research, and knowledge to the regional and global distance education markets; assisting the CIO in defining the external outreach agenda for distance education to promote partnerships and collaboration within and beyond the local community; and connecting and extending the university distance education resources to support outreach and engagement initiatives. He is a member of the American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC) Program Panel and ADEC Distance Education Policy Collaboratory and the Ohio Learning Network Academic Outreach Committee. Dr. Escovitz currently served as Co-PI on Ohio State’s initiatives under a NSF-Advanced Internet Satellite Extension Project (funded through ADEC), Tri-State Aquaculture Outreach Using Technology grant (funded through the U S Department of Agriculture and the American Distance Education Consortium), a Pew Grant Program in Course Redesign, and an Ohio Board of Regents Technology Initiatives Program grant.
James D. Evans is the Provost and Dean of Faculty at Lindenwood University and has served as a faculty member there since 1974. He has a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Iowa State University. An advocate of technology use to simultaneously improve service and cost-effectiveness, Dr. Evans is an ardent supporter of the emergence of wireless communication on university campuses.
Harold Feld is Senior Vice President of the Media Access Project. He is the primary author of many of the current public interest filings on spectrum proceedings at the FCC. He joined MAP in August 1999 after practicing communications, Internet, and energy law at Covington & Burling. In 2002-2003, he served on the ICANN Names Council as representative of the Noncommercial Constituency, and currently serves as the Noncommercial Constituency representative to the Advisory Committee of the Public Interest Registry (which administers .org). Mr. Feld has written numerous articles on Internet law and communications policy for trade publications and legal journals. Media Access Project is a nonprofit public interest law firm working to ensure a public voice in telecommunications policy.
Laura Forlano is a Ph.D. candidate in Communications at Columbia University researching the socio-economic implications of the use of mobile and wireless technology. She is a board member of NYCwireless, a non-profit organization that promotes the deployment of free public WiFi networks, who she currently represents on the FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee. From 2002 to 2005, Forlano worked as Project Manager for the Information Technology and International Cooperation program at the Social Science Research Council. From 2000 to 2005, she wrote a monthly technology column for Gotham Gazette, a New York City news and policy Web site. She has also consulted for international organizations including the World Bank, International Telecommunication Union and United Nations. Forlano received her Master's in Science and Technology Policy from the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs.
Benoit Grégoire is the current technical coordinator of Île Sans Fil. He holds a B.S. in computer engineering and primarily works as a consultant to Québec's public education sector, where he specializes in e-learning, learning objects standards and free software project management. Benoit was also involved in several Open Source software projects (he started the LibOfx (OFX banking protocol implementation), got heavily involved in GnuCash (accounting software), and currently works on the WifiDog embedded captive portal system.
Dewayne Hendricks is currently CEO, of the Dandin Group, Inc., based in Fremont, California, USA. Dandin Group offers a comprehensive range of products and services, including research and product development, for wireless communications via the Internet. The Dandin Group will begin to deploy the first exclusively wireless Internet based communications system, including voice, data and video, in the Kingdom of Tonga later this year. He is also an active member of the Federal Communications Commission Technological Advisory Council (FCC/TAC).
Nazeer S. Holmes is a Community Organizer with the St. Louis Association of Community Organizations (SLACO). Established in 1978, SLACO is a coalition of neighborhood associations committed to improving the quality of life in the neighborhoods of St. Louis. SLACO is involved with affordable housing productions, crime prevention activities, after-school programming, and leadership training. Nazeer works with three neighborhood associations providing the resources they request and help make connections with people and organizations that have the ability to help improve quality of life from the perspective of the residents.
Michael Kasprzyk, is a founder and CEO of Thinwires, LLC, a Buffalo, NY based Wireless Internet Service provider. Thinwires specializes in residential MDU, Hospitality and Emergency Communications services, and currently operates the municipal network in Buffalo, NY, known as www.buffalowifi.org. Mr. Kasprzyk is also a founder and partner in GeekWarriors, LLC, a technology invester and open source developer, based in Buffalo, NY.
Jeffrey King is a Director of Northrop Grumman IT’s Utility Systems business unit with responsibility for municipal networks and business applications. A thirty year professional serving the municipal construction, engineering, water, wastewater and information systems markets in the US, he has brought innovative technologies and products to cities and agencies that enhance efficiencies in municipal operations from meter reading and public safety to communications and field services. Most recently, he has helped the City of Corpus Christi implement an Automated Meter Reading system and citywide WiFi network that is being used across all city departments for communications, operations and automation efficiencies. Jeffrey is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Boston University, is a fellow of the Leadership Houston program and an active participant in multiple industry associations including the Public Technology Institute, American Water Works Association, Automated Meter Reading Association and the National Society of Professional Engineers.
Finley Kipp of the St. Louis Independent Media Center, St. Louis, MO;
Naveen Lakshmipathy, Program Associate for the Wireless Futures Program for the New America Foundation, contributes to the program’s efforts to broaden public access to the airwaves through research, writing, and outreach. In addition, he manages the program’s web content and print publications.
Michael Lenczner works at the intersection of community, technology, media, and activism. He is one of the founders of Ile Sans Fil and is the Director of Administration. Over the last 8 years he has been involved in assisting different populations to appropriate new technology, including teenage mothers, seniors, teenage immigrants, and medical staff at the MUHC. He has worked in international development in West Africa, has presented across Canada, US and UK on the subject of free information infrastructures and community informatics. He has recently started the Montreal Video Bloggers group and launched a nationwide civic association "Citizens for Open Access to Civic Information and Data".
Casey Lide is an associate attorney with The Baller Herbst Law Group, PC, a national law firm based in Washington, DC, and Minneapolis, MN, that specializes in representing local governments and public power utilities in matters involving telecommunications, cable television, high-speed data communications, Internet access, wireless telecommunications, right-of-way management, pole and conduit attachments, and barriers to the public-sector entry into telecommunications.
Richard MacKinnon is the President of Austin Wireless, a Texas non-profit organization with the dual roles of public education and community-network operation. Austin Wireless is perhaps best known for its Austin Wireless City Project, an ad hoc volunteer organization with the mission of improving the quality and availability of public free WiFi in Austin. Operating for almost 3 years, the community-owned network includes 100 hotspots and over 30,000 registered users who combine for over 80,000 monthly connections. Network usage doubled over last year. There are also hotspots in 38 other cities and 5 countries that have joined the network, now accounting for nearly a third of the traffic.
Michael Maranda, President of the Association for Community Networking, is actively organizing regionally, and locally: Midwest/Illinois, Chicago, and am coordinating this work with attention to national issues and regional cooperation. While working as a Development Officer at a community based organization serving immigrant populations I was given the latitude to pursue funding for technology programs, and to launch them. This was my formal entree to this field. Since that time, and with subsequent expansion of programs I've shifted towards being an activist and organizer.
Robert McChesney is the founder and president of Free Press, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and author or editor of 12 award-winning books, including Telecommunications, Mass Media, and Democracy: The Battle for the Control of U.S. Broadcasting, 1928-1935; Corporate Media and the Threat to Democracy; The Global Media: The New Missionaries of Corporate Capitalism (with Edward S. Herman); Our Media, Not Theirs (with John Nichols); Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics in Dubious Times; The Problem of the Media: U.S. Communication Politics in the Twenty-First Century; and, most recently, Tragedy & Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections and Destroy Democracy (with John Nichols). He hosts a weekly program, Media Matters, on WILL-AM radio, the NPR affiliate in Urbana, Illinois.
Arun Mehta is an electrical engineer and computer scientist who has studied and taught in India, the US and Germany. He is one of India's early telecom and cyber-activists, trying to obtain consumer-friendly policies that would help the spread of modern communications in rural areas and among the poor. His current passions include village radio and technology for the disabled. He is a professor in the Computer Sciences department of JMIT, Radaur, and CTO of Radiophony.
Sascha Meinrath is a well-known expert on Community Wireless Networks (CWNs), Municipal Broadband, and Community Internet. Sascha is the co-founder and Project Coordinator of the Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN), one of the world's leading open-source, ad-hoc mesh wireless projects. In 2005, Sascha was elected to the Board of Directors of CTCNet, a US-based network of more than 1000 organizations united in their commitment to improve the educational, economic, cultural and political life of their communities through technology. Sascha is a policy analyst for Free Press, a Washington, DC-based think-tank, and regularly briefs Federal Communications Commission and Congressional staff on issues related to CWNs. Leading news sources, including The Economist, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and National Public Radio, often cite Sascha's work in covering issues related to CWNs and he is an editor of MuniWireless.com. In 2004, Sascha organized the First National Summit for Community Wireless Networks, helping to launch what has now become known as the Community/Municipal Wireless Networking Movement; and, in 2006 organized the Second National Summit for Community Wireless Networks.
Dan Meredith is an active member of the Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network and the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center.
Gabe Moulton has been a Technology Engineer with the Office of the Chief Information Officer at the Ohio State University since Jan 2001. During that time he has worked on many emerging technologies projects in the realm of remote communication, collaboration and networking. These include a completely portable satellite based networking system dubbed the Transportable Satellite Internet System. He has been lead engineer on four satellite based community wireless projects, two of which have already been or are being implemented. He has an integral role with the Internet2 Commons initiative, a videoconferencing and collaboration initiative for the education community. He holds a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Computer Engineering from The Ohio State University.
Dillip Pattanaik is the Director of Information Resource Management Association-India, a non-profit organization that promotes information technology in rural communities to assist in sustainable development.
Charles Esteban Paul, hailing from Bernal Heights in San Francisco, is currently engaged in the effort to install wireless ethernet throughout all of New Orleans. An embedded software hacker by trade (Blackfin/MIPS/TI platforms), Charles currently bakes excellent peach pies for relief volunteers in New Orleans. If you ask him, he will tell you that he enjoys: long walks on the beach ,getting nasty, history, and Unix.
Michael Peralta is a Native American Indian of Luiseno descent. He is a member of the Rincon Band of Mission Indians. He resides on the Rincon Indian Reservation in San Diego County in Southern California. He has attended college at Palomar Community College in San Marcos, Ca. Mr. Peralta has spent the last 5 years as a Tutor/Mentor for youth on the Rincon Indian Reservation. He has been devoted to motivating the youth to pursue higher education and helping them become positive influences in the community. For the last 2 years he has been working for the Tribal Digital Village in an effort to bridge the technological divide that exists for Native American Indians in San Diego County. The Tribal Digital Village has created a High Speed Broadband Network connecting the 18 reservations in San Diego County. Their goal is to provide access to technology and the information highway to the underrepresented peoples of San Diego County. Mr. Peralta has also partnered with his co-workers to start a wireless technology company called Tribal Technologies. Tribal Technologies is currently planning several wireless deployments throughout Southern California.
Chase has been a furious hacker since his early days of assembling Legos in ways God never intended. He's worked at NCSA and ANL, and in 2004 went West on a mission for the Mozilla Project. He now focuses on a private affair during the day and public efforts once the Sun sets. He's Rick James, *****!
Victor Pickard is a doctoral student in the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois. He spent the summer of 2005 working on media policy in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Telecommunications Policy Fellow for Congresswoman Diane Watson. His research on Indymedia, Internet governance, and political communication has been published in a number of leading academic journals, including the Journal of Communication, Global Media and Communication, Media, Culture & Society and Critical Studies in Media Communication. He is currently writing a dissertation on mid 1940s communication policy and normative theories of media democracy.
Alison Powell is a PhD candidate in the Communication Studies department at Concordia University in Montreal. Her work focuses on the uses of mobile and wireless internet technologies in public spaces, as well as on the politics and culture of community wireless groups, and their impact on the development of communications policies and practices. She is a member of the Canadian Research Alliance on Community Innovation and Networking (CRACIN), where she examines community and municipal wireless projects. She is also a member of the LabCMO research group on computer-mediated communication, at Université du Québec à Montréal. She has presented and published on the relationships between ICTs, citizenship, and public space, as well as on the emergence of community technology groups in Canada. Her latest work is forthcoming in Government Information Quarterly. She is also the academic liaison for the community wireless network Île Sans Fil. In Summer 2006 she will be an invited researcher at l’École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications in Paris.
Matthew Rantanen was born in Washington, D.C. in 1969, an American, a descendant of The Cree Indian Nation, Finland & Scandinavia. His immediate family moved quite a bit until he was 14. His family followed his father's career in the Air Force and then the private Thoroughbred Veterinary World, taking him to Germany, Texas, Washington State, Kentucky, and California. He graduated from Washington State University in 1992 with a B.F.A., Graphic Design He then moved to San Diego, CA and started a Freelance Design Business, MRRDesign, which led him to a fulltime position as a Senior Web Designer, Artist, and Animator for Blue Mountain Arts / Bluemountain.com / Excite @ Home from 1994-2001, this position exposed him to technology in every aspect. He is fluent in Computer Graphics Applications, Website Construction and Management, and well-versed in networking and troubleshooting of computer problems. He is currently the Director of Technology and Web Services for SCTCA/Tribal Digital Village providing IT and Infrastructure Team Management and Solutions. He has been with SCTCA and the Tribal Digital Village since 2001. As part of this role he also provides technical advice and creates and manages all of the web entities that support SCTCA and the Tribal Digital Village.
David Sandel is the Executive VP and Chief Technology Officer for Net Labs. He is also involved with the St. Louis Regional Exchange Collaborative, the first municipally sponsored not for profit that includes all the surrounding counties and the City of St. Louis on both sides of the river including Missouri and Illinois. The Collaborative organization and business model addresses both the wired and wireless portions for regional infrastructure.
Dr. Christian Sandvig is an assistant professor in Speech Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he studies communication technology and public policy. In 2002 Sandvig was named a "next-generation leader in science and technology policy" in a junior faculty competition organized by Columbia, Rutgers, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Mayor Glenn Sangiovanni is in his fifth term in St. Cloud. He has served in a Leadership position on various boards. He has served as President of American Cancer Society, Tri-County Florida League of Cities, Chairman of Metroplan Advisory Board, and Intergovernmental Relations committee for the Florida League of Cities, Vice President of St.Cloud Little League. Manager of St.Cloud Youth Basketball, Baseball, Softball, and Football. Mayor Sangiovanni brings unique leadership skills and insight from the management of Information Technology systems to Government. Mayor Sangiovanni led the charge for City Council on the Cyber Spot, bringing 100% free high-speed wireless Internet access to every citizen in his community as a public service.
Gabe Sawhney is a hacker working at the edges of code and culture. He is co-creator, producer, and technical director of [murmur] (murmur.info), a location-specific oral storytelling project that makes accessible the hidden stories of Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary. He is the co-founder of WirelessToronto(.ca), and has collaborated on several other interactive media installation projects.
With an academic background in architecture, film and semiotics, Gabe balances an understanding of technology with an interest in visual design, usability and information architecture. Proficient in a range of wireless and locative technologies, his heart rests with the simple, the intuitive and the cheap.
Ben Scott is a Policy Analyst in the Washington office of Free Press. Previously, he served as a Legislative Fellow in the House of Representatives, handling telecommunications policy in the office of Congressman Bernie Sanders (I-VT). He is also currently completing his doctoral work at the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He has written several articles on the history of American journalism and media policy making. Most recently, he is the editor, with Robert W. McChesney, of Our Unfree Press: 100 Years of Radical Media Criticism (2004).
John Scrivner has more than 20 years experience in cable television and Internet related businesses. He started an ISP called Mt. Vernon. Net, Inc. in 1997 with his business partner Dan Hamilton. The business began providing fixed wireless broadband services in 1999 and has developed into a very successful operation serving all levels of government, business, education and residents of Mt.
Vernon, Illinois and surrounding rural areas. In 2005 John became the founding President of WISPA which is the first non-profit trade association built to serve the needs of WISP operators. The organization has been very active and effective in areas such as communications lobbying and disaster communications help during Katrina.
Paul Smith is the CNT's webmaster and systems administrator, as well as the technical lead on the Wireless Community Network project. He's been with the Center for Neighborhood Technologies since 1999.
Jim Snider is a Senior Research Fellow at the New America Foundation. His work focuses on reforming America's telecommunications policies. Mr. Snider holds degrees from Northwestern University and Harvard Business School. He is the co-author of Future Shop, one of the first books on the emerging area of e-commerce. He has also published numerous reports, including the acclaimed Citizen's Guide to the Airwaves.
Dana Spiegel also serves as the Executive Director and a member of the Board of Directors of NYCwireless, a New York City non-profit organization that advocates and enables the growth of free, public wireless networks. The organization was formed in 2001, and is primarily focused in New York City and surrounding areas. It is most widely recognized for its work in deploying free Wi-Fi access a number of New York City public spaces, including Bryant Park, City Hall Park, Tomkins Square Park, and the South Street Seaport. NYCwireless is a member of the FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee, and is an international leader among Community Wireless Groups. As Executive Director, Dana created and produced Spectropolis: Mobile Media, Art and the City, a three-day event in the Fall of 2003 and 2004 that highlights the diverse ways artists, technical innovators and activists are using communication technologies to generate new urban experience and public voice. Spectropolis was co-produced by the Lower Manahattan Cultural Council and sponsored by the Alliance for Downtown New York. He has also appeared as a speaker at Wireless and Media Industry conferences, and has guest lectured at NYU, SUNY Purchase, Parsons School of Design, and The New School University.
Angela Stuber has been the Executive Director of the Ohio Community Computing Network (OCCN) since 2000. OCCN has coordinated the grants process for over 5 million dollars in funds from telecommunications settlements while also providing support services to Ohio’s community technology service providers. The OCCN VISTA Program has been awarded over $250,000 in federal funds each year for the past four years to coordinate the statewide 20-member VISTA program for CTCs. Before moving to the Columbus area, Angela was the Project Coordinator of the Coalition to Access Technology and Networking in Toledo (CATNeT). CATNeT was Ohio’s first citywide network of community technology centers and others interested in technology equality. Angela assisted in the creation of CATNeT when she was a graduate assistant at the University of Toledo Urban Affairs Center. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Sociology with an emphasis on Urban Issues from the University of Toledo. In February 2004, the John Glenn Institute named Angela one of the first John Glenn Social Capital Scholar. Angela is currently the CTCNet Board President and has served on the CTCNet Board of Directors since 2001.
Jim Sturm has been a Math/Science teacher for the past 29 years and is affiliated with the School District of Clayton in Clayton, MO. As a teacher, Jim has spent his career finding ways to introduce, expand, and implement technologies that are useful to students and teachers. Beginning in 1977, Jim first introduced students to computers in a Chemistry classroom, using and creating programs to help students understand concepts they uncovered in the lab. As the power of computers, networking, and communications expanded, Jim brought increasing levels of usefulness to the classroom. Over the past three years, he and his colleagues have used the TSIS's (Transportable Satellite Internet System) video conferencing and streaming video capabilities to retrace the Lewis and Clark Trail from Pennsylvania to Oregon, bringing people from the world to events and places in real time. As the Lewis and Clark events wind down, Jim looks to use the TSIS to take students to places they could not ordinarily go.
Bogdan Tančić is one of the founders and network administrator of BGWireless community network, a non-profit organization that promotes information technology and builds independent network infrastructure in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. As the biggest network in region, their goal is to become very relevant factor of the telecommunications branch in the country. Many technical projects from this community network are used worldwide. Working for Siemens, Bogdan Tančić did considerable research on the telecommunications industry in Serbia. Also, he has been a lecturer in many seminars in Serbia. He is finishing studies on Electrotehnical faculty in the department for computer technology and informatics.
Esme Vos is the founder of Muniwireless.com, the portal for news and information about municipal wireless broadband projects. Since its launch in June 2003, Muniwireless.com has become the primary resource for cities, counties, consultants, systems integrators, vendors, and service providers in this space. Muniwireless organizes conferences and roundtables, and publishes a quarterly magazine. Vos is an intellectual property lawyer and runs her own company, Lemon Cloud BV, based in Amsterdam. She has served as Chief Legal Officer of Spray Network, a pan-European portal and Director Legal Affairs for Baan Business Systems worldwide.
Jo Walsh is a software artist often living in London. She works on the intersection between the semantic web, GIS, bots and wireless networks, helping build different open source software projects to augment the semantic web and bring knowledge representation to more people. She is a co-author of "Mapping Hacks" and a self-appointed organiser of the World Summit on Free Information Infrastructures.
Matt Westervelt (http://seattlewireless.net/~mattw/), founder of Seattle Wireless (http://seattlewireless.net/), and an evangelist for FreeNetworks worldwide. He left the corporate world to start Metrix Communication LLC, a company created to supply FreeNet workers with high quality, standards-based wireless networking products. As a child he watched a lot of Sesame Street and has a firm (perhaps misguided) belief that cooperation can solve a lot of the world's problems.
David Young graduated from Cornell University in 1999, with a bachelor's degree in computer science. He is a software engineer with OJC Technologies in Urbana, Illinois. For three years, he has dedicated himself to lead software development for the Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN). His professional goal is to support grassroots networking initiatives around the world, by writing open-source software that runs large-scale rooftop mesh networks.
John Zoltner is Director of Strategy and Development for the Community Technology Centers’ Network. At CTCNet, John is tasked with designing organizational strategy and securing resources to ensure that CTCNet reaches its full potential to serve its members. In addition to his work at CTCNet, John is Co-Chair of the Board of the National Capital Area Neighborhood Networks Consortium and a founding Steering Committee member of the Telecenters of the Americas Partnership, a collaboration between CTCNet, Aspira, Latin America’s Somos@Telecentros network, and Canada’s Pacific Community Networks Association.
All locations listed are at the Spellmann Campus Center unless otherwise specified. Times provided are Central Daylight Time. You can click on panelists' names for biographical information. Attire is casual to business casual, but feel free to dress up if you'd rather.
THE PRE-SUMMIT IS FREE AND OPEN TO ALL!!
All Pre-Summit activities will be held at the St. Charles Convention Center.
| Registration 9:00-9:30am | ||
|---|---|---|
| 9:30pm | Welcome Opening Overview Introduction |
James Evans, Provost, Lindenwood University Rick Dearborn, Tech-Zone Radio Show Host TBA, City of St. Charles |
| 9:45am | Municipal Wireless Broadband providing "Free WiFi" in St. Cloud, Florida | Glenn Sangiovanni, Mayor of St. Cloud Jonathan Baltuch, Founding Partner, MRI Ken DiPietro, Senior Network Engineer, Conxx |
| Break 10:45-11:00am | ||
| 11:00pm | Municipal Wireless: What, Why & How - The Corpus Christi Wireless Initiative | Jeffrey King, Northrop Grumman IT Ken DiPietro, Senior Network Engineer, Conxx |
| Lunch 12:00-1:30pm | ||
| 1:30pm | Building Municipal Multi-Application Networks | Bruce Alexander, Cisco Ken DiPietro, Senior Network Engineer, Conxx |
| Break 2:30-2:45pm | ||
| 2:45pm | Municipal Wireless Technologies & Strategies | Ken DiPietro, Senior Network Engineer, Conxx |
| 3:45pm | Wrap-up and Closing | Rick Dearborn, Tech-Zone Radio Show Host Steve Schwendemann, Tech-Zone Radio Show Host Ron Bauer, Founder, Mid Rivers Wireless Initiative |
St. Charles Convention Center
Check-in/Registration, Open House, & Social.
Sascha Meinrath, Summit Director: Summit Legistics
Dinner (on your own).
Friday Night Social -- Maryland Yards at the Water Works: a 19th Century city waterworks building converted into a 3-story bar with outdoor deck overlooking the river.
ALL SESSIONS ON SATURDAY ARE AT THE SPELLMANN CENTER ON THE LINDENWOOD CAMPUS.
Saturday Breakfast, Social, Registration, and Demonstrations -- 2nd Floor Commons.
1st Session.
| Tech Track | |
| I. Introduction to Wireless Technologies |
While wired technologies have become commonplace in the world of information technology, wireless technologies represent a rapidly expanding range of possibilities for IT new-comers. This session will engage the novice user with the exciting field of wireless technologies.
View the notes (31KB) |
| II. Open Source Wireless |
Open Source technologies utilize a dispersed development model in order to provide software that is more flexible to diverse situations on the ground. This session will discuss the opportunities and challenges of implementing this model.
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| Implementation Track | |
| I. Community Wireless Networks 101 |
Imagine a free wireless networking system that any municipality, company, or group of neighbors could easily set up themselves. This panel addresses the fundamentals of getting community wireless networks off the ground. A great panel for those just getting their feet wet.
View the notes (52KB) |
| II. International Wireless Networks |
Wireless Networks are flexible enough to meet the demands of diverse communities, whether in “old Europe” or developing areas like Mamelodi, South Africa, and Apirede, Ghana. This panel focuses on international implementations of wireless networks and the possibilities for international cooperation on these projects.
View the notes (39KB) |
| Policy & Outreach Track | |
| I. National Wireless Policy 101 |
Interested in the state of wireless networking from a legislative point of view? Curious about what is happening in the development of wireless networking legislation but don't know where to begin? National Wireless Policy 101 will introduce the players and agendas at work in Washington.
Download the notes (23.5KB). |
| II. How to Put the Community in Your Community Wireless Network |
Setting up a wireless infrastructure is the easy part. How do you get the local community to take ownership of it? How can you organize people to fight for better policy or healthy municipal involvement? We'll discuss some strategies for community organizing as they apply to the wireless world.
View the notes (25KB) |
Saturday Lunch, Social, & Exhibitors - 2nd Floor Commons.
2nd Session.
| Tech Track | |
| I. Tech Focus: WiFiDog, Île Sans Fil, and Hacking Your City |
An 80 minute discussion of how community wireless networks can be a way to make an impact in your community on matters of social cohesion, art, culture, and civic information. Lead by Michael Lenczner (Île Sans Fil) and Jo Walsh (World Summit of Free Information Infrastructures). Following, a 40 minute explanation and Q+A on WifiDog--a captive portal designed for these uses--with lead developer, Benoit Grégoire.
View the WiFi Dog presentation (33KB). |
| II. Community Wireless During Post-Katrina Disaster Recovery |
Community Wireless networks provided emergency communication services when information infrastructure was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. In the post-Katrina reconstruction, community wireless networks continue to provide a robust and cost-effective alternative to traditional media.
Download the notes (28KB). |
| Implementation Track | |
| I. Municipal Wireless Business Models |
Municipal wireless networks challenge major telecommunications companies, but how should municipal wireless programs organize the work they do? Do existing business models work? What about non-profit models, or are new models required for municipal wireless?
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| II. Alternative Internet Connectivity for Rural Community Wireless Networks |
Rural communities suffered from the deregulation of the 1996 Federal Communications Act, often being cut-off from the broadband developments of the last decade. Community wireless networks present a valuable alternative to high-priced, high-speed connections in rural areas. Presentations will include a primer on satellite communications, a discussion on the use of 900 MHz point-to-point wireless links in community wireless systems, and a demonstration of providing broadband access to remote locations using a small satellite station.
Download the notes (23.5KB). |
| Policy & Organizing Track | |
| I. State Wireless Policy 101 |
As recent legislation in Pennsylvania suggests, state policy presents opportunities for and challenges to wireless communication. How do state wireless policies differ from federal policies? In what ways can states become partners in developing wireless community networks? What special challenges do state policies present to community wireless networks?
Download the notes (35.5KB). |
| II. Get involved: Open House Part I |
Whether you're just getting started or want to learn how to get people started, this is an open space for sharing beginner-level tips and tools. It's an open house, meaning you can come and go throughout the session period and there's space for one-on-one interaction. Part I will focus on questions, answers, and straightforward explanations of wireless policy and technology. Organized by the Prometheus Radio Project and Media Tank Make Your Own Wireless Antenna & Ethernet Cables
Tech Questions Answered Here
Sharing the Work, Sharing the Fun: Volunteers, Outreach, Activism and Excitement
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Break.
3rd Session.
| Tech Track | |
| I. Advanced Wireless Technologies (Protocols, Routing, etc.) |
Discuss the latest developments in wireless technologies, including routing, protocols, and hardware developments.
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| II. Angel Investment and Venture Capital for Open-Source Wireless Technologies |
The challenges that wireless networks pose to major telecom companies make wireless technologies prime targets for investors and venture capitalists. Learn more about the investment opportunities available to wireless technology developers.
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| Implementation Track | |
| I. Regional Municipal Broadband Projects |
Regional municipal broadband networks demonstrate the scalability of wireless networks. Discuss the experiences of current regional municipal broadband projects.
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| II. Multimedia Applications & Wireless Integration |
Community wireless networks provide exciting multimedia possibilities. Interact with wireless professionals who are developing multimedia applications.
Download the notes (21KB). |
| Policy & Organizing Track | |
| I. Network Neutrality |
The success of the Internet is in some part due to network neutrality, an implied understanding that proprietary data should not be prioritized on networks. Will Congress act to ensure network neutrality or bend to the will of telecom giants?
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| II. Get Into It: Open House Part II |
Whether you're just getting started or want to learn how to get people started, this is an open space for sharing beginner-level tips and tools. It's an open house, meaning you can come and go throughout the session period and there's space for one-on-one interaction. Part II will focus on the kinds of hands-on how-tos that get people excited, like making a cantenna, crimping cable, or hacking a wireless router. Organized by the Prometheus Radio Project and Media Tank Make Your Own Wireless Antenna & Ethernet Cables
Tech Questions Answered Here
Sharing the Work, Sharing the Fun: Volunteers, Outreach, Activism and Excitement
View the notes (3KB) |
Dinner (on your own).
Saturday Evening Social -- Trailhead Brewery: Nestled in the historic district of Old St. Charles, Trailhead offers traditional hand-crafted beers in their brewery located in the Old Grist Mill at the corner of Boone’s Lick and Main Street.
Sunday Breakfast, Social, Registration, and Demonstrations -- 2nd Floor Commons.
Plenary: Strategizing & Next Steps.
View the notes (14KB)
Sunday Lunch, Social, & Demonstrations - 2nd Floor Commons.
Closing Plenary.