From: "Newman, Russ (Durbin)" <Russ_Newman@durbin.senate.gov>Date: July 23, 2007 2:57:09 PM EDTTo: <dharma@ethoswireless.com>Subject: Coming Tuesday: Help shape America's national broadband strategyDharma:
Great to talk yesterday! Here are the details. Anything that can help get the word out would be tremendously appreciated. Should be fascinating.
Starting this Tuesday evening, July 24 and each evening this week at 7pm EST on OpenLeft.com, Senator Durbin and his staff will blog nightly on a broad swath of broadband policy issues. Based on this discussion, the Senator wants to attempt to write legislation this session. Each evening kicks off with discussion from individuals who have worked a long time on the topic of the evening, but the intent is to spur broader comment from as many as is possible. This is no meaningless exercise: it is a genuine attempt to try to open up the legislative process. All input matters in a very real way.
I've attached below links to the letter announcing the initiative as well as the schedule for the week. Please feel free to share it with those you think might be interested in taking part. It is my hope that those who care deeply about these issues will blog about it, point folks to our discussion, and comment themselves. We'll also be scouring the web for other places that related discussion happens this week.
I hope you'll join us and help to get the word out. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Press release: http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=279504
Open Letter: http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=318Russell Newman
Fellow, Office of Senator Richard Durbin-----
Schedule (topics are guidelines):
Tuesday, 7pm EST (and ongoing thereafter): Broad-strokes introduction. How should we frame broadband policy debates? What would comprise a national broadband strategy?
Wednesday, 7pm EST (and ongoing thereafter): Net neutrality, questions of 'how the Internet works', privacy
Thursday, 7pm EST (and ongoing thereafter): Municipal infrastructure initiatives, focusing on use of public airwaves to provide broadband; iPhone politics, spectrum auctions, models for deployment
Friday, 7pm EST (and ongoing thereafter): Practicalities of broadband deployment in terms of public/private initiatives, municipal fiber projects, USF/USDA reform.