The National Broadband Plan: A Bold Start or Missed Opportunity?
Presenters
- Yochai Benkler
Harvard University
Yochai Benkler is the Berkman Professor of Entrepreneurial Legal Studies at Harvard University, and faculty co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society.
Before joining the faculty at Harvard Law School, he was Joseph M. Field '55 Professor of Law at Yale. He writes about the Internet and the emergence of a networked economy and society, as well as the organization of infrastructure, such as wireless communications. In the 1990s, he played a role in characterizing the centrality of information commons to innovation, information production and freedom in both its autonomy and democracy senses. In the 2000s, he worked on the sources and economic and political significance of radically decentralized individual action and collaboration in the production of information, knowledge and culture.
His work has been widely discussed in both the business sector and civil society. His books include The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom (2006), which received the Don K. Price award from the American Political Science Association for best book on science, technology and politics; the American Sociological Association's CITASA Book Award for an outstanding book related to the sociology of communications or information technology; the Donald McGannon award for best book on social and ethical relevance in communications policy research; and was named best business book about the future by Strategy & Business. In civil society, Benkler received the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Pioneer Award in 2007, and the Public Knowledge IP3 Award in 2006.
- Fabiola Carrión
Progressive States Network
Fabiola Carrión is the broadband and green jobs policy specialist at the Progressive States Network, a national, nonpartisan organization that works with legislators and advocates to develop and advance progressive legislation in the states. Before joining PSN, Fabiola worked for the Advanced Communications and Policy Institute, a think tank that identifies and promotes constructive debate on the key regulatory issues facing the advanced communications sector. She also clerked in the New York Supreme Court, where she drafted a published case extending rights to property owners in risk of foreclosure. In addition, she has worked for New York Congressman Eliot E. Engel through the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and for California State Senator Richard Polanco, co-authoring a report published by U.C. Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies. Fabiola has presented before diverse audiences – state legislators, the media and advocates – on the role of broadband in constructing a sustainable economy. She holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley; a J.D. from American University in Washington, D.C.; and a law degree from Universidad Alfonso X in Spain. She is licensed to practice law in New York State and the European Union.
- J. Scott Holladay
Economics Fellow, Institute for Policy Integrity
J. Scott Holladay joined the Institute for Policy Integrity in August 2009 as an economics fellow. He has studied the economics of government policy for the past ten years. His research examines the economic aspects of network neutrality and the economics of journalism. His paper, "Free To Invest: The Economic Benefits of Preserving Net Neutrality," outlines the tradeoffs the FCC faces in regulating the Internet and highlights the potential economic benefits of network neutrality regulations.
He earned his Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Colorado, where his dissertation focused on the environmental impacts of international trade. Before graduate school he served as a research assistant at the Institute for International Economics in Washington, D.C., studying international trade policy. He has also worked with the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the Homeland Security Institute.
Some of his past projects have included assessing the impact of climate change on Pacific Island Nations, estimating the costs of complying with proposed Homeland Security regulations and developing pricing models for electric power markets. He is originally from Knoxville, Tennessee.
- Sascha Meinrath
Open Technology Initiative, New America Foundation
Sascha Meinrath is the director of the New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative and has been described as a "community Internet pioneer" and an "entrepreneurial visionary." He is a well-known expert on community wireless networks, municipal broadband, and telecommunications policy. In 2009, he was named one of Ars Technica's "Tech Policy People to Watch" and is also the 2009 recipient of the Public Knowledge IP3 Award for excellence in public interest advocacy.
Sascha is a co-founder of Measurement Lab, a distributed server platform for researchers around the world to deploy Internet measurement tools, advance network research, and empower the public with useful information about their broadband connections. He also coordinates the Open Source Wireless Coalition, a global partnership of open source wireless integrators, researchers, implementers and companies dedicated to the development of open source, interoperable, low-cost wireless technologies. He is a regular contributor to Government Technology's Digital Communities, the online portal and comprehensive information resource for the public sector.
Sascha has worked with Free Press, the Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis (CAIDA), the Acorn Active Media Foundation, the Ethos Group, and the CUWiN Foundation. Sascha serves on the Leadership Committee of the CompTIA Education Foundation, as well as the Advisory Council for the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy. He blogs regularly at www.saschameinrath.com.
- Christopher Mitchell
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Christopher Mitchell is director of the Telecommunications as Commons Initiative with the New Rules Project of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. The New Rules Project seeks to change the rules that undermine the strength of local economies and the long-term vitality of communities. Mitchell has worked as a server administrator, Web geek, and in automated quality assurance for software. He earned a master's degree in public policy from the Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota and a bachelor's degree in political science from Macalester College. His research on the advantages to public ownership of broadband systems has been published in Broadband Properties and the NATOA Journal.
Audio
- When
- Friday, April 8, 9:00am - 10:30am
- Where
- Harborview Ballroom 2
map (pdf) - Track
- Policy and Politics
Congress directed the Federal Communications Commission to create the National Broadband Plan to provide a blueprint for federal policy to make at-home broadband connections more available and affordable to people all over the country. When the plan was published, some argued that if executed correctly, it would move the country toward a world-class communications network. Others argued that the plan missed the mark, helping to keep hidden the important structural changes the country must enact in order to keep up with the rest of the developed world. This panel will explore which elements of the NBP are working, which are behind schedule, and which are missing entirely.
