Telecom & Technology: New America Events

International Summit for Community Wireless Networks 2008

Communications — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
05/28/2008 - 4:00pm

The New America Foundation/Wireless Future Program is pleased to announce that the International Summit for Community Wireless Networks (ISC4CWN) will be held on May 28th – May 30th, 2008 in Washington, DC.

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 and allies working to build universal, low-cost wireless broadband networks around the world. The Summit serves as an integral lynch pin for connecting and supporting an alliance between technologists, government leaders and community advocates implementing wireless networks worldwide, and providing a rare international forum for discussion of technology, policy and practical solutions to problems facing community wireless.

Since the first National Summit for Community Wireless Networks in 2004, over 300 Community Internet and municipal broadband projects have sprung up in the United States alone. Previous summits have also helped to spur the development of community wireless networks in places such as Chile and Venezuela, Ghana and South Africa, and throughout Europe. This year’s Summit will focus on how these networks can better serve their target populations, the policies needed to support broader deployment of community wireless systems, and the latest technological and software innovations.

For more information and to register, please visit the conference website.

The Power of Organizing Without Organizations

Communications — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:15:00 -0500

A New America Event
03/06/2008 - 12:15pm

The Internet, social networking and peer-to-peer (p2p) communication have transformed how people connect, as well as the scope, scale and speed of mass collaborations. This transformation has opened the door for self-emerging and increasingly complex virtual forums, allowing individuals to collaborate and organize from worlds apart.

Please join us for a discussion about what happens when people are given the tools to do things together, without needing traditional organizational structures. Shirky will discuss his new book, Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, which explains how the Internet, social networking, p2p technologies are just beginning their revolutionary impact on cultural creation, social movements, business, and traditional hierarchical structures and organizations.

Clay Shirky was an expert on the Internet and emerging technology even before there was a World Wide Web. He has written extensively about the Internet since 1996, with regular columns in Business 2.0, FEED, OpenP2P.com and ACM Net Worker, as well as articles that have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Harvard Business Review, Wired, and other leading outlets.

The Future of Municipal Wireless

Communications — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
02/06/2008 - 12:00pm

When EarthLink announced its decision to withdraw further investments in municipal wireless networks in November 2007, the future of Philadelphia's network, along with hundreds of municipal wireless projects, became uncertain. Wireless Philadelphia, the nation's first big-city municipal wireless initiative, led the way for cities to invest in broadband infrastructure. Although a number of other muni wireless networks have been set up and are running successfully (such as St. Cloud, FL and Chaska and Minneapolis, MN) troubles with the Philadelphia model serve as a warning for the future of municipal wireless. Meanwhile, cities like Pittsburgh must overcome state pre-emption laws, pushed through by incumbent carriers, aimed at preventing towns and counties from filling broadband gaps with government-subsidized services.

Two new reports from the New America Foundation on the state of municipal wireless in Philadelphia were released at this event: Joshua Breitbart, author of The Philadelphia Story: Learning from a Wireless Pioneer, discussed how Wireless Philadelphia evolved and will continue to impact the future of public and private investment in municipal networks. Dr. Jon Peha used Pittsburgh, PA as a case study for his new economic analysis that compares four alternative models for muni wireless networks: Sustainability of Possible Models for a Wireless Metropolitan-Area Network.

Other panelists described several innovative and successful community wireless networks including: the FunkFeuer network in Austria; the Austin Wireless City Project of Texas; the City of St. Cloud's free citywide WiFi network in Florida; and Minneapolis's wireless network in Minnesota.

'Free My Phone!'

Communications — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:30:00 -0500

A New America Event
01/22/2008 - 11:30am

"Free My Phone" was the impassioned headline of Wall Street Journal personal technology columnist, Walt Mossberg, who took both the wireless carriers and the FCC to task for not giving consumers the choice to use the devices and applications of their choice. Currently, wireless carriers can restrict the phones and other devices consumers can use on their network, what device features they can access, and what software applications and content they can download. This "locking and blocking" has been prohibited in relation to traditional wireline telephone service since the 1968 Carterfone decision by the FCC gave consumers the right to purchase their choice of equipment and to connect any telephone or safe device without carrier-imposed limitations.

The event examined the current debate regarding the ability of wireless carriers to limit consumer freedom and whether an increasing marketplace trend toward more openness will be sufficient, or if regulation extending the wireline Carterfone rules is needed to ensure consumer choice and freedom in the wireless telecommunications market. New America also released a paper by Rob Frieden of Penn State University, which described the FCC precedent for wireless Carterfone regulation.

FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps served as keynote speaker. Commissioner Copps commended pledges from Verizon and others to increase openness on their wireless networks, but cautioned that the FCC should “trust but verify” those promises. “I really hope that, when I open my Wall Street Journal and Business Week in 2009, our next panelists will be telling me that the wireless marketplace is every bit as vibrant as the rest of the consumer electronics marketplace,” Copps said.

Walt Mossberg highlighted the growing need for government intervention to pry open the wireless market and increase consumer freedom. He noted that when consumers purchase a new computer, they do not have to get permission from their Internet service provider (ISP). Stephen Wildstrom agreed with Mossberg and further expressed concern over the increasing practice of wireless and wired providers to interfere with Internet content and services under the pretext of network management.

Robert W. Quinn noted that AT&T had a longstanding policy to allow outside devices and applications on its wireless network. Anthony Lewis offered that Verizon through its "Any Apps, Any Device" -- an Open Development Initiative, wants to encourage new types of devices and work with developers to create innovation. "This will not work if I dictate to my customers," he said. Bob Calaff, T-mobile technology policy director, said the government needs to be careful about imposing new regulations on wireless carriers. "We're not talking about a toaster or a refrigerator or even a landline phone or a PC," he said. "When we head into these policy debates, we have to be mindful that these are integral components of the network and that one size does not fit all."

Rob Frieden argued that the FCC has ample statutory authority to extend Carterfone rules to wireless carriers and has extended similar consumer protections to other technologies and services. He provided that wireless carries have an economic incentive to limit consumer freedom. “Locking and limiting subsidized handsets helps carriers foreclose subscriber access to services, content and applications available from third parties that make no financial contribution to the wireless carrier and possibly compete with services offered by the carriers,” he said.

Chistopher Libertelli of Skype, echoed Commissioner Copps reservations concerning promises by carriers to open their networks. "Sitting here, we can't predict how these press released will turn into real consumer rights," Libertelli said. Blair Levin also expressed caution about Verizon’s Open Development Initiative, noting that Verizon would only move forward if the new network created both an additional revenue source, and did not take revenue away from its established proprietary network.

The Philadelphia Story: Learning from a Municipal Wireless Pioneer

Communications — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
12/11/2007 - 2:00pm

On Tuesday, December 11th, New America Foundation, The Ethos Group, and the Center for International Media Action will release an in-depth analysis and report on Philadelphia’s efforts to build a municipal wireless network. Philadelphia’s initiative to promote wireless technology and address the problem of the digital divide has influenced municipal wireless projects nationwide and helped shape the national discussion over municipal broadband.

The New America Foundation and the Media Mobilizing Project will host a panel of municipal broadband experts to discuss the report's findings and implications. The panel presents a unique opportunity to discuss the future of municipal networks, provide insight on the features of the Philadelphia network, and increase public engagement on the city’s efforts to promote broadband adoption.

Driving Wireless Broadband and Innovation

Communications — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 09:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/02/2007 - 1:00pm

When the transition to digital TV is completed in February 2009, broadcasters will retain channels 2 to 51, but will actually be using less than half of that spectrum to broadcast over-the-air DTV signals. Local TV stations will be separated by empty channels, known as "white space" -- underutilized spectrum that new “smart radio” technologies can use for productive activities, including wireless broadband, without interfering with television reception. DARPA and other wireless innovators have already developed far more advanced systems that can detect unoccupied frequencies across the spectrum and operate in these white spaces without disturbing licensed services.

If the FCC opens up unused spectrum white space for unlicensed access -- just as devices like garage door openers, baby monitors, and home wi-fi devices can do now -- the result would be a proliferation of technological innovation, including new broadband wireless applications. Yet broadcasters seek to lock up this unused spectrum and in so doing, seek to limit innovation and consumer choice. Pending legislation in Congress would require the FCC to allocate this unused spectrum to unlicensed, “open innovation” uses.

Video of this event is available at right, while an MP3 audio recording can be downloaded below.

America's $480 Billion Spectrum Giveaway

Communications — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 02:59:00 -0400

A New America Event
07/17/2007 - 12:30pm

Spectrum has become one of the most valuable natural resources of the Information Age. Unlike other comparably valuable natural resources such as land and oil, it is owned by the public and allocated exclusively by the federal government. Also, unlike those resources, it is invisible both literally and figuratively: the general public does not understand—and consequently does not care about—its allocation. This combination of huge amounts of money at stake and public ignorance creates the classic conditions for special interest politics.

J.H. Snider, Research Director of the New America Foundation's Wireless Future Program, describes the causes and consequences of this special interest politics in his new report, The Art of Spectrum Lobbying: America's $480 Billion Spectrum Giveaway, How it Happened, and How to Prevent it from Recurring. At this brownbag lunch forum, Dr. Snider will present the findings of his study. This will be followed by a discussion by a distinguished panel of experts on natural resources, good government, and spectrum policy. The report is timely, as the FCC is currently considering auction reform in the 700 MHz band and numerous “minor” modifications worth tens of billions of dollars in the broadcast and satellite bands.

A Broadband Pipe, or a $12B Pipe Dream?

Communications — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
06/01/2007 - 12:00pm

In the coming weeks, the FCC will set the bidding and service rules for the auction of the 700MHz channels being freed up by the DTV transition—“beachfront” airwaves ideal for the provision of high-speed wireless broadband services. This last big sale of prime spectrum is expected to raise $10 to $20 billion in federal revenue. But far more important to the economy and to consumers is whether this auction promotes broadband deployment and price competition in every part of the country—or, instead, further consolidates the nation's over-priced and under-performing broadband duopoly.

Thousands of potential wireless broadband competitors could extend coverage and improve quality if they had greater access to these high-penetration frequencies, but under current FCC auction rules, incumbents are likely to lock out new entrants. Recent studies demonstrate that the FCC's spectrum auction process is fundamentally flawed, both thwarting competitive entry and depressing potential public revenue. For example, in a new study released at this event, economist Gregory Rose finds that while last year's big AWS spectrum auction brought in over $13 billion, the auction rules allowed incumbent providers to collude to block the entrance of new national wireless providers, ultimately reducing auction revenues as well.

Recently, a coalition of consumer and media policy groups (Public Interest Spectrum Coalition)* filed comments at the FCC seeking rules to maximize competition and consumer choice in wireless broadband. The groups asked the FCC to remedy flaws in its auction rules by adopting “anonymous” bidding, “package” bidding, and other mechanisms to encourage competitive entry. The group also requested the FCC to ensure "open" (wholesale) access to this valuable portion of the public airwaves and to adopt basic consumer protection and openness principles for wireless broadband.

These reforms were debated at the event, along with a proposal by Google to facilitate a real-time wholesale auction mechanism to provide spectrum access to any broadband competitor on an as-needed basis. Video of the discussion is available at right, while an MP3 audio recording can be downloaded below.

*The Public Interest Spectrum Coalition (PISC) includes the New America Foundation, the Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, EDUCAUSE, Free Press, Media Access Project, Public Knowledge, and U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

Wireless Net Neutrality

Communications — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
03/07/2007 - 12:00pm

As broadband data communication moves into the mobile, wireless world, should basic concepts of “network neutrality” that exist in the wireline world be applied to the wireless industry? On February 21, Voice-over-IP provider Skype filed a petition requesting that the FCC affirm the right of consumers to attach any legal device (such as a VoIP-enabled cell phone) to cellular networks, as embodied in the Commission’s Carterfone rules that are currently observed in the wireline telephone world.

Skype’s petition referred extensively to evidence and arguments from a new paper released by the New America Foundation, authored by network neutrality expert Tim Wu. In the paper, entitled, “Wireless Net Neutrality: Cellular Carterfone and Consumer Choice in Mobile Broadband,” Wu offers a scathing critique of today’s dominant mobile phone carriers. He demonstrates that wireless carriers inhibit innovation and violate network neutrality by exerting undue control over the wireless device and applications industries, and by offering discriminatory broadband data services with undisclosed bandwidth limits and restrictions on access to content and applications. The report recommends, among other things, applying the FCC’s Carterfone rules and other network neutrality principles to the world of mobile phones in order to jumpstart innovation and enhance consumer welfare.

The cellular industry disagrees with the call to apply network neutrality principles to the wireless world, arguing that current industry practices already promote consumer welfare and are necessary to maintain network service and security. At this lunchtime policy forum, representatives from different sides of the debate weighed in.

Tim Wu introduced his headline-grabbing new paper. Christopher Libertelli of Skype and consumer advocate Jeannine Kenney discussed why wireless network neutrality will benefit innovators and consumers. Michael Altschul of CTIA argued why carriers believe wireless network neutrality is unnecessary. And investment analyst Blair Levin discussed the potential market implications of applying network neutrality to the wireless industry.

Beyond Bioethics

Communications — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 18:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
03/02/2007 - 11:45am

Beyond Bioethics, a new report by Dr. Francis Fukuyama and Dr. Franco Furger, provides the most comprehensive examination to date of legislative and/or regulatory answers to the challenges raised by human biotechnologies in the United States. The report's premise is that reaping the benefits of medical progress offered by biotechnology while preventing possible abuses requires that we create a new regulatory agency. Dr. Fukuyama and Dr. Furger discussed legislative developments at the national and international level and explore public attitudes towards controversial reproductive technologies.

Following their presentation, Richard Hayes of the Center for Genetics and Society, William Galston of The Brookings Institution, and Shannon Brownlee of New America Foundation discussed possible policy implications for biotechnology. Steven Clemons moderated a question and answer session.

Video of the event is available at right, while an MP3 audio recording can be downloaded below. To download a copy of the report, please click here.

This event was co-sponsored with Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Wireless Future

Communications — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
02/23/2007 - 12:00pm

With U.S. broadband penetration still lagging far behind other advanced economies—and rural and low-income areas in particular being left on the wrong side of the digital divide—a variety of emerging wireless technologies offer the potential to quickly and cost-effectively bring affordable and ubiquitous broadband access to all Americans. While these wireless solutions offer great promise, they all suffer from a lack of adequate access to the public airwaves (spectrum)—either on an exclusive licensed or shared, unlicensed basis.

Recently, two start-ups have proposed innovative but controversial new nationwide wireless broadband networks, premised not on spectrum auctions, but on valuable grants of spectrum in return for extensive public interest service obligations. M2Z Networks, co-founded by former FCC Wireless Bureau Chief John Muleta, has requested 20 MHz of currently unassigned, fallow spectrum to provide a two-tier “family friendly” broadband service (including a basic free offering and a faster, premium service) reaching 95% of the U.S. population. Cyren Call, headed by Nextel co-founder Morgan O’Brien, has proposed reallocating 30 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band, currently set to be auctioned in 2008, for a Public Safety Broadband Trust. This trust would partner with private companies to build a seamless nationwide broadband network optimized for public safety use, but with excess capacity used for commercial services.

At this event, Muleta and O’Brien compared and contrasted their respective proposals. Other panelists discussed the other contending models for providing wireless broadband services:

Ben Scott of Free Press focused on municipal and nonprofit community broadband networks.
Marty Dougherty discussed the important role of commercial Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) utilizing primarily unlicensed spectrum -- and the need for access to more and better unlicensed spectrum in the form of vacant TV channels ("white spaces").
Chris Guttman-McCabe of CTIA discussed emerging 3G cellular and fixed wireless (WiMax) services operating on licensed spectrum (much of which was acquired by carriers at auction).

Panelists also debated the role of Universal Service reform in furthering wireless broadband deployment.

Video of this event is available at right. There are direct links to video clips of each participant's remarks below, and an MP3 audio recording of the full event can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.

From TV to Public Safety

Communications — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 14:15:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/26/2006 - 12:15pm

After watching first responder communications systems fail on 9/11 and after Hurricane Katrina, with tragic results, the vital importance of spectrum management for public safety communications has taken center stage in recent years. Congress recently passed legislation to reallocate 24 MHz of prime spectrum from TV to public safety in 2009, as part of America’s transition from analog to digital television. Currently, this new spectrum is set to be managed under the same assumptions and orthodoxies as current public safety spectrum allocations -- in which spectrum and equipment are designated exclusively for public safety; management is highly decentralized, without national or regional coordination; and narrowband voice communication is the principal application.

Is it time to consider fundamental reform in the way new public safety spectrum is managed? In a new paper released at this forum, Jon M. Peha, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, argues that fundamental reform would make it possible to achieve critical goals of interoperability, spectral efficiency, dependability, and security while lowering costs and providing access to more advanced mobile data applications. Peha argues that such reforms could include: moving toward a consistent nationwide network architecture, allowing commercial carriers to operate public safety networks, and making greater use of shared municipal and commercial broadband wireless networks for data applications. Click here for video of Peha's presentation at this event.

At the forum itself, participants debated alternative proposals for public safety spectrum reform. Michael Gottdenker, CEO of Access Spectrum, described an incremental approach to reorganize newly-allocated public safety bands to promote efficient use of spectrum, while Morgan O’Brien, CEO of Cyren Call and co-founder of Nextel, outlined his controversial proposal to use 30 MHz of returned TV band spectrum to build a shared commercial/public safety network.

Other panelists, including David Aylward, Director of the COMCARE Alliance, and Robert LeGrande of the Spectrum Coalition for Public Safety, reacted to these proposals and offered alternative approaches to support wireless broadband data applications for first responders. These various approaches to reform also were contrasted with current plans for the management and use of new public safety spectrum.

Full-length video of the event is available at right, while an MP3 audio recording, presentation materials and other supporting documents can be downloaded below.

Removing Barriers to Wireless Broadband

Communications — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 18:41:00 -0400

A New America Event
09/20/2006 - 12:00pm

On June 28, 2006, the Senate Commerce Committee approved wide-ranging (and highly-contentious) telecommunications legislation which is now awaiting action on the Senate floor. The Advanced Telecommunications Opportunity and Reform Act (HR 5252) includes two key sections meant to remove barriers to rural and municipal wireless broadband networks. Title VI would open up much-needed -- and currently unused -- TV spectrum for use by unlicensed wireless broadband devices, and Title V would lift state-level restrictions on municipal broadband networks.

Across the country, local governments, nonprofit community groups, campuses and thousands of start-up commercial providers are already deploying wireless broadband networks on unlicensed spectrum to enhance government efficiency and public safety, and to extend affordable high-speed access to homes, businesses, and schools. However, rural and muni wireless broadband providers in particular need more and better access to the airwaves in order to achieve the goal of universally affordable and pervasive connectivity.

This Capitol Hill event offered a variety of perspectives on how freeing up unused TV spectrum and asserting local telecommunications freedom are vital steps to fostering broadband deployment—and how rural areas, small businesses, educational institutions, local governments, and consumers stand to benefit.

The event also marked the release of two New America Foundation papers:

Populating the Vacant Channels, by Pierre de Vries, former Senior Director of Advanced Technology Policy at Microsoft, affirms that an unlicensed allocation of the TV white space would be the most productive way to use this currently wasted spectrum, spurring technical and commercial innovation.
Why Unlicensed Use of Vacant TV Spectrum Will Not Interfere with Television Reception, authored by three of the nation’s most respected spectrum engineers, explains why the use of “smart radios,” in combination with the conventional FCC rulemaking and device testing process, will be adequate to protect DTV viewers from harmful interference.

Guiding Principles of Competition, Featuring Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith

Communications — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 14:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
07/19/2006 - 12:00pm

In the rapidly evolving technology industry, software platforms offer the benefits of innovation broadly to a wide "ecosystem" of partners and competitors. As successful high tech companies develop new products and platforms, they must balance the demand of consumers and partners for cutting-edge technology with the need to fully preserve opportunities for others to offer technologies that may complement or compete with parts of the platform itself.

As Microsoft prepares to launch Windows Vista, enhancements to its Windows platform are being closely watched by customers, partners, competitors and antitrust authorities. This scrutiny is informed by more than ten years of analysis of the development of the Windows operating system by antitrust enforcement officials and courts, in the United States and abroad.

The New America Foundation invites you to attend this policy luncheon address by Brad Smith, General Counsel of Microsoft, who will share Microsoft's competitive vision and guiding principles for the Windows Vista operating system and future Windows operating system releases.

Sharpening Our Competitive Edge Through Investment in Advanced Technology Tools for Learning

Communications — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 23:30:00 -0400

A New America Event
06/14/2006 - 10:00am

In its recent report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, the National Academies concluded what many have long feared to be true -- that the nation's outdated K-12 educational system is inadequately preparing America's youth for the jobs and global competition of the 21st Century. One of the most promising ways to remedy this is by investing in the research and development of advanced learning technologies, a.k.a. “Serious Games.” To commemorate House Innovation Week, the New America Foundation and Digital Promise, in cooperation with Congressman Ralph Regula (R-OH), invite you to a briefing and demonstration on advanced learning technologies.

This is the complement to our popular Senate briefing in May, so if you missed it, here's another opportunity to learn about the importance of R&D into advanced technology tools for teaching and training -- an essential investment to maintain America's innovative potential and competitive edge.

Please join us and see for yourself how we can harness the power of virtual reality, high-tech gaming platforms, intelligent computer tutors and other cutting-edge technology for teaching, learning and workforce training. You will be able to see and "play" prototypes of advanced learning games created under the leadership of the Federation of American Scientists, including:

Immune Attack! -- an advanced video game teaching human immunology from the 9th grade to the college level;
Discover Babylon -- a cultural, educational and historical virtual reality of ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq);
Mass Casualty Incident Responder -- a high-stress, interactive real-time decision-making training simulation to teach firefighters and serve as a model for other first responder training.

The briefing and demonstration will highlight the potential impact of the Digital Opportunity Investment Trust (DO IT) legislation (HR.2512, S.1023) sponsored by Representatives Regula (R-OH), Markey (D-MA), Gillmor (R-OH), Holt (D-NJ), Boucher (D-VA) and Wolf (R-VA) in the House, and Senators Dodd (D-CT), Snowe (R-ME), Durbin (D-IL), and Burns (R-MT) in the Senate. DO IT is a proposal for increased federal leadership and investment in R&D for advanced learning technologies to ensure innovation and competitiveness in the knowledge-based economy. Industry representatives will also speak to the need for federal leadership in investing in research for new technologies for teaching and training.

Beyond Censorship

Communications — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 08:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
06/07/2006 - 11:00am

With the FCC dramatically increasing fines for indecency over broadcast TV -- and influential members of Congress threatening to extend decency standards to cable and satellite networks -- the debate over how best to protect children from inappropriate media has reached a fever pitch.

The problem is real: A plethora of studies show that repeated exposure to violence in the mass media increases aggression, desensitizes children to acts of violence and heightens their fears of becoming a victim of violence. Even benign entertainment programming is associated with soaring rates of obesity and diabetes among the young due to advertising for junk foods. And while television is today's primary battleground, it won't be long before most children have access to a portable wireless device with 24/7 access to unlimited video content over the Internet.

The main issue becomes: who is responsible for protecting kids from inappropriate media -- industry, the government, or parents armed with new technologies? This policy summit will bring together a diverse group of leading players from industry, government, academia and child and family advocacy groups to discuss and debate the best approach to protecting kids from inappropriate media -- and, ideally, facilitating parents' efforts to identify positive media programming. After brief "provocations" put key proposals on the table, participants will engage in an open discussion and debate concerning regulatory approaches and marketplace/technology approaches, as well as a more futuristic dive into what is to be done as mobile video over the Internet becomes ubiquitous.

Although the regulatory approaches -- V-chips, fines, family hours -- have emphasized the censorship of inappropriate content, less known are emerging technologies that promise to "guide" parents to educational programming and facilitate the filtering of good content from bad. For example, uniform ratings can warn about sex and violence, but they don't do much to guide parents toward the best programming. While the government's focus has been to block harmful programming, other research has established that well-designed educational shows -- such as PBS's Sesame Street, Between the Lions and Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues -- significantly enhance the cognitive development of pre-school-age children. New personal video recorder (PVR) and video on demand (VOD) technologies -- such as TiVo's KidZone -- will be previewed as tools to facilitate parental choice.

Video of Michael Calabrese's opening remarks and the first presentations can be played at right. For all video from this event, please click here. And for additional documents related to this event, please see below.

Serious Games

Communications — Wed, 03 May 2006 21:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
05/03/2006 - 12:05pm

In its recent report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, the National Academies concluded what many have long feared to be true — that the nation's outdated K-12 educational system is inadequately preparing America's youth for the jobs and global competition of the 21st Century. One of the most promising ways to remedy this is by investing in the research and development of advanced learning technologies, a.k.a. “Serious Games.” We all know of the power of video games to captivate and engross. Please join us and see for yourself how we could harness the power of virtual reality, advanced gaming platforms, intelligent computer tutors and other cutting-edge technology for teaching, learning and workforce training. You will be able to see and "play" prototypes of advanced learning games created under the leadership of the Federation of American Scientists, including:

Immune Attack! — an advanced video game teaching human immunology from the 9th grade to the college level;
Discover Babylon — a cultural, educational and historical virtual reality of ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq);
Mass Casualty Incident Responder — a high-stress, interactive real-time decision-making training simulation to teach firefighters and serve as a model for other first responder training.

The briefing and demonstration will highlight the potential impact of the Digital Opportunity Investment Trust (DO IT) legislation (S.1023) sponsored by Senators Dodd, Snowe, Durbin and Burns. DO IT is a proposal for increased federal leadership and investment in R&D for advanced learning technologies to ensure innovation and competitiveness in the knowledge-based economy. In addition to the demonstrations, we will present recent research findings on the effectiveness of technology for education and training.

The educational innovation emerging from this Serious Games movement is also very relevant to other pending legislation aimed at enhancing U.S. math and science education. One is the National Innovation Act (S.2109), introduced by Sens. Ensign and Lieberman; the others are a trio of related bills, collectively titled the Protecting America's Competitive Edge (PACE) Act, co-sponsored by Sens. Domenici, Alexander, Bingaman and Mikulski.

Terror on the Internet

Communications — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 23:15:00 -0400

A New America Event
04/19/2006 - 11:00am

Terrorists have discovered the internet as a valuable medium for furthering their cause. The number of websites operated by terrorists exploded from only 12 in 1998 to more than 4,800 today. “Postmodern terrorism… is less centralized, less structured, less organized, and far more dangerous than the terrorism of the late twentieth century,” asserts Gabriel Weimann in his newly released book Terror on the Internet: The New Arena, the New Challenges.

Using data gathered from an exhaustive eight year study spanning four continents, twenty languages, and numerous dialects, Weimann analyzes how terrorists’ daily use of the Internet aids in planning deadly attacks. He tracks how terrorists participate in data mining, networking, recruiting and mobilizing, distributing instructions and online manuals, planning and coordinating attacks, and fundraising over the web. Weimann focuses on terrorist organizations including al Qaeda, the Chechen rebels, Afghanistan’s Laskhar e-Toyba, and Hamas to reveal the pervasiveness of using internet forums, chat rooms, and web sites for modern terrorist operations.

New America Foundation Schwartz Fellow and CNN Terrorism Expert Peter Bergen, author of The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of Al Qaeda’s Leader and Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden, moderated.

An audio recording of this event (in MP3 format) can be downloaded here.

How Will the BBC and PBS Transform Themselves in the Emerging Era of Online, On-Demand Media?

Communications — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 07:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
03/30/2006 - 12:00pm

As the era of broadcasting as a primarily scheduled and one-way service fades to black, public broadcasting both here and abroad will need to transform itself to keep pace with commercial media. As the public becomes accustomed to consuming video anytime and anyplace -- including in bite-size segments on mobile wireless devices 24/7 -- traditional broadcasting will be eclipsed by a wide variety of new digital media formats and distribution platforms.

Our distinguished panel will offer unique insights into the opportunities and challenges presented by this historic transformation in the U.K. and the U.S.

David Levy, who directs public policy for the BBC, has been at the center of the system's Royal Charter Review. He will describe the government's long-term vision, described in a White Paper presented to Parliament this month by the Minister of Culture, Media and Sport, entitled: "A Public Service for All: The BBC in the Digital Age." Dr. Levy will share the results of the recently-completed BBC test of an online, on-demand video service -- and it's potential for expanding public access to public media.

John Wilson and Dennis Haarsager will contrast the BBC's plans with the digital transformation underway here in the U.S. -- including experiments with innovative new distribution platforms. In December, a report by the Digital Future Initiative -- a bipartisan panel initiated by PBS and co-chaired by former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt and former Netscape CEO Jim Barksdale -- recommended the creation of a public service media ‘web engine' to facilitate access to a very broad range of non-commercial multimedia content. Such a system would have particular benefit for education, facilitating access by students, parents and teachers to high-quality multimedia educational content. Dr. Haarsager has led a group of public TV and radio stations in launching a prototype online portal for public media content, the Public Service Publisher. He will describe PSP's results after nearly one year in operation.

Digital Future Initiative Summit

Communications — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 11:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
12/15/2005 - 12:12pm

Business, philanthropic, education and public broadcasting leaders from across the country gather in Washington, DC today for the Digital Future Initiative (DFI) Summit, an invitation-only event where participants will explore the future of America’s public service media.

The Summit features the release of the final report of the bipartisan DFI panel and the launch of working groups to implement key DFI recommendations to develop, fund and launch major new initiatives addressing America’s crises in education, civic engagement, public health and emergency preparedness. Co-chaired by James Barksdale, the former CEO of Netscape, and Reed Hundt, former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, the DFI panel is a distinguished group of 15 prominent experts from both inside and outside of the public broadcasting system.

The Summit occurs precisely one year after the panel first convened in December 2004 with a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The DFI Panel’s report, Digital Future Initiative: Challenges and Opportunities for Public Service Media in the Digital Age, calls for major new initiatives in several areas where the public broadcasting system’s strengths coincide with pressing national needs. The panel has identified education, civic engagement, health care and emergency preparedness as areas that are critically important to the future of our nation and where public broadcasting can make a unique impact by leveraging a combination of multimedia, on-demand content with new broad-based partnerships.

The report argues that public broadcasters should harness the on-demand and interactive digital platforms of the 21st century as they did analog TV and radio in the 20th century, using these new and powerful communications technologies to advance the public good in innovative ways.

In a Foreword to the 135-page report, Mr. Barksdale and Mr. Hundt emphasize that unlike many other leading nations, America’s public service media system currently does not have the resources to make a robust digital content transformation the nation needs. “[T]oday, public broadcasting cannot make realistic plans at any level – stations or network – commensurate with the challenges and opportunities of the new digital era. The system is too dependent on the vagaries of year-to-year congressional appropriations. It is also too dependent on the vagaries of various drives for charitable contributions. Public service media needs new, substantial and sustainable resources to be sure it can not only keep the doors open, but also keep pace with the public’s growing need for trusted, noncommercial media.”