Setting the Table for the National Broadband Plan

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At Clyde's of Gallery Place, 707 7th Street NW

September 15, 2009, Meeting of the Broadband Breakfast Club

"Setting the Table for the National Broadband Plan"

BroadbandCensus.com presents a new series of the Broadband Breakfast Club, beginning on Tuesday, September 15, 2009, at 8 a.m.

The Federal Communications Commission is in the midst of considering a major national initiative: a National Broadband Plan. What are the contours of such a plan likely to resemble? How will this broadband strategy affect deployment, adoption and use of broadband throughout the United States? How will it affect health care, the environment, the digital divide, and online learning?

This new series, the third since BroadbandCensus.com launched the Broadband Breakfast Club in October 2008, features an in-depth look at how individuals and entities across the economy and society will be impacted by the FCC's National Broadband Plan.

The events are hosted by strDrew Clark, Editor and Executive Director of BroadbandCensus.com and a respected journalist covering the politics of telecom, media and technology. Join the conversation for an engaging and in-depth examination of broadband - one of the most vital topics of our day.

The agenda for the series is as follows:

Tuesday, September 15, 2009, 8 a.m. - "Setting the Table"

What have the FCC's summer broadband workshops accomplished? What role will FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and his new staff play in shaping the plan, and how will the process unfold over the next six months? How will the broadband stimulus program already underway affect the development of the FCC's plan?

Panelists:

• Joe Waz, Senior Vice President, Comcast;
  • As Senior Vice President of Comcast Corporation, Joe Waz has primary responsibility for the company's public policy activities. He also serves as President of the Comcast Foundation. Before joining Comcast in 1994, Waz spent 11 years at The Wexler Group in Washington, D.C., serving as executive vice president and general counsel, and began his Washington career with Ralph Nader's Telecommunications Research and Action Center. Waz holds a bachelor's degree cum laude from Boston University and a doctor of laws from the University of Connecticut. Waz has received the cable industry's highest honor, the Vanguard Award, has also been recognized by the Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, the Cable Television Public Affairs Association, and the Minority Media & Telecommunications Council.
    
    
• Aaron Smith, Research Specialist, Pew Internet & American Life Project;
  • Aaron Smith has been with the Pew Internet Project since the spring of 2007. He is the lead author on several reports examining the role of the internet in the 2008 elections, and has co-authored research on teens and technology, the role of technology and family life, and the demographics of internet use. He holds a Masters degree in Public Affairs and an undergraduate degree from the Plan II Honors Program, both from the University of Texas at Austin.
    
    
• Bruce Kushnick, Executive Director, New Networks Institute;
  • Bruce Kushnick has been a telecom analyst for 27 years, and is currently the executive director of New Networks Institute, a market research firm, started in 1992. He is also one of the founders of Teletruth in 2001. He was a member of FCC Consumer Advisory Committee in 2003-2004 and has worked with the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy on competitive issues. Teletruth’s “Send us your phone bills” campaigns has lead to class action suits and major refunds for overcharging, and last year received a grant from the California Consumer Protection Fund. Bruce currently writes on broadband and telecom topics for Harvard Nieman Foundation for Journalism’s Watchdog project.
    
    
• Joanne Hovis, President-Elect, National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors.
  • Joanne Hovis is the incoming President of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) and president of Columbia Telecommunications Corp. (CTC), a national, public interest, communications engineering and consulting firm. As a Director of NATOA, Joanne has represented the position of local government before government agencies in connection with the Recovery Act and the National Broadband Plan. Joanne is an authority on the broadband market and community broadband topics—and on the evolving role of government in the provision of public communications services. Joanne advises foundations, policy non-profits, and major American cities on broadband issues. She has also provided expert presentations to organizations including the National League of Cities, NATOA, and the Congressional Internet Caucus.
    
    

Tuesday, October 13, 2009, 8 a.m. - Health Care and Telemedicine

How will broadband affect burgeoning controversies over health care? Are the cost savings available through telemedicine as good as promised? Will information technologies be part of the solution - or just another complicating factor in the intricate medical system?

Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 8 a.m. - The Environment and Telecommuting

How carbon-positive a technology is broadband? What's keeping telecommuting from being more widely adopted as a technology? What are the other "green" benefits of broadband communication, and how can the National Broadband Plan best encourage them?

Tuesday, December 8, 2009, 8 a.m. - Bridging the Digital Divide

Increasingly, access to broadband is being seen as a civil right. Is the promise of broadband technology truly available to all? What are the best ways to "move the needle" in this country on broadband adoption? Globally, what lessons have and can be learned from other nations' experiences in ameliorating the digital divide?

Tuesday, January 12, 2010, 8 a.m. - Education and Distance Learning

As with telemedicine, broadband has long offered the prospect that rural residents will be able to take advantage of something generally available only in urban or suburban areas: the best that higher education has to offer. Is broadband living up to this educational promise? Also, what role can both secondary and specialized forms of education play in helping turbo-charge the FCC's National Broadband Plan?

Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 8 a.m. - TBD

One week before the FCC's National Broadband Plan is due to Congress, the concluding event in this series of the Broadband Breakfast Club will consider a topic to be determined.

Telecommunications policy advocates, attorneys, policy-makers and journalists seeking to obtain insights from top officials in Washington can attend the Broadband Breakfast Club, which includes a full American and Continental breakfast, for as little as $45.00, plus a modest registration fee. The events are on the record and open to the public. Register here for the next breakfast event.

Beginning at 8 a.m., an American plus Continental breakfast is available upstairs in the spacious Piedmont Room. This is followed by a discussion, beginning shortly after 8:30 a.m. and ending by 10 a.m.

PLEASE NOTE: The Broadband Breakfast Club has moved to Clyde's of Gallery Place, at 707 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001. Conveniently located next to the Gallery Place Metro Station, on the Red and

Sponsored Breakfast Club Tables be available for the Broadband Breakfast Club. For further information, contact sales@broadbandcensus.com, or call 202-580-8196.

The Broadband Breakfast Club is produced by Broadband Census News LLC.

The Broadband Breakfast Club is Sponsored by:

International Broadband Electric Communications, Inc.

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