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FCC Workshop: Broadband Consumer Context

From the official  FCC event website:

Broadband internet access presents consumers with a range of challenges and opportunities as the internet becomes a focal point for commercial transactions, social networking, and a host of activities pertaining to information gathering and exchange. E-commerce can save consumers time and money as they search out the best bargains from home. Online health care information can give users the wherewithal to ask better questions of their health care providers or seek support and advice from others in the face of a health care problem.

These activities typically involve the sharing of information – financial and personal – with institutions and individuals that make online access worthwhile. This may raise concerns among some consumers about the real or perceived risks that their information may wind up in the wrong hands.

This workshop will examine the broader context of the consumer experience from the perspective of the benefits it confers to consumers, the risks that may be associated with the benefits, and the obligations broadband connectivity may impose on consumers and institutions in an environment of pervasive data sharing and availability.

Workshop/Webinar Information:

Date: Wednesday, 9/9/09
Time: 1:30 pm
Location: Room TW-C305 (Commission Meeting Room)
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20554
Directions
Coordinator: Rachel Kazan
Phone: (202) 418-0651

Agenda and Participant Bios

Topics (Preliminary):

The following are some of the preliminary topics that will be covered at this workshop. If you would like to discuss any other topics, please send us your suggestions.

• What are the nature and scope of consumer benefits to e-commerce, online comparison shopping, and other activities that may confer informational benefits to people in their interactions with government, health care providers, and other institutions? What, for instance, are the efficiency gains from the internet’s capacity to help people organize activities in their communities (e.g., with respect to sports leagues, church activities, and volunteer organizations)?
• To what extent is an individual’s personal information at risk in the course of everyday online activities, whether they are associated with commerce, communication, or collaboration? Are there other online safety considerations?
• As more applications and personal data migrate to “cloud computing” platform, what are the policy challenges pertaining to security of data on such platforms, as well as ownership and control of users’ data?
• Among consumers, industry, government, and civil society institutions, what is the proper locus of responsibility for addressing these policy challenges?

Agenda

1:30 pm	Workshop Introduction, John Horrigan, Consumer Research Director, Omnibus Broadband Initiative, Moderator
1:40 pm	Panel 1- Evolving Technology: New Challenges for Consumers Michael R. Nelson, Visiting Professor, Communication, Culture and Technology, Georgetown University Sascha Meinrath, Director – Open Technology Initiative, New America Foundation Joel Kelsey, Policy Analyst, Consumers Union Ari Schwartz, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Center for Democracy and Technology Debra Berlyn, President, Consumer Policy Solutions
2:05 pm	Panelist Discussion and Responses to Questions
2:50 pm	Break
3:00 pm	Panel 2 – Meeting New Challenges: Tools & Techniques
3:05 pm	Panelists Adam Thierer, Director, Center for Digital Media Freedom and Senior Fellow, Progress and Freedom Foundation Alan Simpson, Director of Policy, Common Sense Media Burke Culligan, Senior Director – Product Management, Yahoo!, Inc. Michael W. McKeehan, Executive Director – Internet and Technology Policy, Verizon Timothy Sparapani, Director, Public Policy, Facebook
3:30 pm	Panelist Discussion and Responses to Questions
4:15 pm	Closing Statements, Moderator
4:30 pm	Adjournment

Can’t make a trip to DC? Attend the workshop online!

You’ll need to register to attend the webinar. You’ll also need to set up the required webinar software prior to the event. Also check to make sure that you have the appropriate players needed to playback the UCF (Universal Communications Format) rich media files. The sooner your computer is properly set up, the sooner you can join the event! If you have problems joining a meeting or viewing the webinar, please contact the events administrator.

Tweet your questions!
Submit questions to panelists from Twitter @fccdotgov. Use hashtag #BBwkshp to have your question asked during the workshop.

Tags: #BBwkshp, blogband, broadband, broadband.gov, Consumer-Driven Healthcare, FCC, Government 2.0, health, Michael, planetrussell, reform, Russell, telehealth, telemedicine, twitter, webinar

FCC Workshop: State & Local Governments – Toolkits and Best Practices

From the official  FCC event website:

The goal of this workshop is to learn from the experiences of state and local governments that have proactively addressed broadband deployment and adoption issues in their communities. The workshop will focus on alternative approaches and challenges facing government officials (e.g., state or city CIOs) throughout the development and implementation of broadband policy. The workshop will consist of two ninety-minute panels, the first of which will address state-level concerns and the second of which will address municipal and county level concerns.

Workshop participants on both panels will discuss the range of issues that policymakers face including: identifying gaps in existing broadband policy, developing necessary infrastructure, securing support from key stakeholders, encouraging adoption, funding broadband initiatives and evaluating the effectiveness of enacted policies. The workshop will also consider the types of resources that are available to government officials or would be helpful to have available when creating broadband policy. Information and data obtained in this workshop will enhance the Commission’s understanding of best practices and the challenges state and local governments face in expanding broadband access and adoption and will be considered as the Commission develops the National Broadband Plan.

• Register to attend the webinar

Topics

The following are some of the preliminary topics that will be covered at this workshop. If you would like to discuss any other topics, please send us your suggestions.

• Starting from zero, where should a city or state begin when formulating broadband policy?
• Are there certain policy elements that should be included in any comprehensive local broadband policy?
• How to identify and address community-specific broadband needs
• What are the hardest issues? What aspects were easier than expected?
• How much of the local approach is policy vs. legislation vs. execution?
• Balancing divergent interests among community stakeholders
• What types of alternative broadband network structures/mechanisms have been proven to work and in what context?
• How can programs be measured over-time?
• Given the speed with which technology changes, how can policies be structured to ensure that they evolve in response to changes in community needs?
• What can the FCC do to foster cooperation and sharing of information or best practices among state and local governments?

Agenda

2:00 pm	Workshop Introduction, Lauren Kravetz, Moderator
2:05 pm	Panel 1: Statewide Efforts Panelist Presentations Commissioner Ray Baum, Oregon Public Utilities Commission John Conley, Deputy State Chief Information Officer, State of Colorado Charles Ghini, Director, Department of Management Services, Division of Telecommunications, State of Florida Karen Jackson, Deputy Secretary of Technology, Commonwealth of Virginia Dr. Craig Orgeron, Director, Strategic Services Division, Department of Information Technology Services, State of Mississippi Jane Patterson, Executive Director, e-NC Authority, State of North Carolina
2:35 pm	Panelist Discussion and Responses to Questions
3:35 pm	Break
3:45 pm	Panel 2: City/Local Efforts Introduction, Moderator
3:50 pm	Panelist Presentations Hardik Bhatt, Chief Information Officer, City of Chicago, and Commissioner, Chicago Department of Innovation and Technology Commissioner Paul Cosgrave, Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, City of New York Joey Durel, City-Parish President, Lafayette, LA Gary Gordier, Chief Information Officer and IT Director, El Paso, TX Lori Sherwood, Cable Administrator, Howard County, MD Chris Vein, Chief Information Officer, City of San Francisco
4:15 pm	Panelist Discussion and Responses to Questions
5:15 pm	Closing Statement, Moderator
5:20 pm	Adjournment

Can’t make the a trip to DC? Attend the workshop online!

You’ll need to register to attend the webinar. You’ll also need to set up the required webinar software prior to the event.  Also check to make sure that you have the appropriate players needed to playback the UCF (Universal Communications Format) rich media files. The sooner your computer is properly set up, the sooner you can join the event! If you have problems joining a meeting or viewing the webinar, please contact the events administrator.

Tags: FCC, Government, Government 2.0, local, state, webinar, workshop