Broadband

The new Clearwire could be game-changing, but the rules of the game may not be quite as Clearwire presents them. I have been wondering since last July whether something significant would happen in the Google/Sprint world. The deal announcement earlier this weekseems to be that key development. (Here’s the press release and here are slides describing the transaction.)

American Association for the Advancement of Science
1200 New York Avenue NW
Washington, DC

The New America Foundation’s Wireless Future Program is pleased to announce that the International Summit for Community Wireless Networks (IS4CWN). Co-hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) at its downtown headquarters, IS4CWN is the largest gathering of community wireless networking developers, implementers, policy advocates and allies working to build universal, low-cost wireless broadband networks around the globe.

For the full list of speakers and registration information, visit www.wirelesssummit.org.

Pope Auditorium
Fordham University
New York, NY

Co-Sponsored by the Intellectual Property & Communication Law Program at the Michigan State University College of Law, the Donald McGannon Communication Research Center at Fordham University, and the Quello Center for Telecommunications Management and Law at Michigan State University.

For program and registration information please visit: http://www.law.msu.edu/ipclp/information/

I just got back from a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing on the future of the Internet. Much was said on both sides of the panelist table, so I’ll just take a moment to hit some highlights: competition and innovation, media consolidation and content, and FCC authority. One disclaimer: this summary represents (of course) how I interpreted the statements at the hearing. Where I can, I’ve included timestamps into the video; if you want more detail, watch the hearing direct from the Senate’s web site. Also, check out our press release.

Yesterday, the FCC took a field trip to the campus of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. There it heard from two panels of experts and policy shapers on the issue of network management and more broadly net neutrality. If you didn’t see it, or listen to the FCC’s stream of it, thankfully, it’s been video recorded and put on the web…

Panel I: Network Management and Consumer Expectations

Professor Lessig presented one of his illustrative keynotes at the start, and apparently he recorded the live audio and dubbed it to the video later:

What’s New:

• Protect Text Messaging from Discrimination
• 700 Mhz Auction: And the Winner is…
• Comcast Cozies Up to BitTorrent
• FCC Chairman Calls for Dismissal of Skype Petition

Update: The Kentucky State Legislature adjourned early Wed. (April 16) without voting to override any of Gov. Steve Beshear’s vetoes, including Connect Kentucky’s two-year, $2.4 million budget.

The original story is below:

While Connected Nation is expanding around the country, it hit a big snag at home.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear (D) Monday let the world know what his administration thinks of the controversial Connect Kentucky program. He vetoed $2.4 million in funds for the organization, which was founded under his predecessor, Republican Ernie Fletcher. Background on the program is here.

Connect had tried to obtain a 26 percent increase in funding over the last budget cycle, and Beshear wasn’t going to let them have it at a time when there were severe budget cuts all over the state.

A constant complaint of net neutrality naysayers is that no one knows what net neutrality is. Lacking an agreed-upon definition, the debate swirls into a maelstrom full of red herrings, as various ISP spokespeople talk about how net neutrality threatens legitimate network management, or will interfere with quality of service.

It’s high time we moved past that argument, define some terms, and get on with things. That’s one of the accomplishments of the recent resolution on net neutrality issued by the Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialog(TACD). PK’s press release on the resolution is here; Ars Technica has a nice writeup here.

The Westin Embassy Row
Washington, DC

Pike & Fischer’s preeminent communications policy forum will once again play host to over 200 of the nation’s top executives, regulators and legislators — including PK President Gigi Sohn — as they debate and discuss the future of the broadband landscape.

For schedule and registration information please visit: http://www.broadbandpolicysummit.com/

Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society
Palo Alto, CA

The Commission will hear from expert panelists regarding broadband network management practices and Internet-related issues. The hearing at Stanford Universityis open to the public, and seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Additional details on this hearing will be forthcoming.

For additional information please visit: http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/node/5729