Listics

Among the dozens of professional conference opportunities I’ll be missing this spring, Freedom to Connect stands out.  I’m an introvert so it takes a lot of energy for me to connect with people.  This conference brings together a number of people whom I’ve met and whom I’d like to know better with a number of people I haven’t met but would like the opportunity to meet and hear real-time.  I wouldn’t miss this for anything but the family obligation that has me elsewhere, NOT in Washington DC on March 30 and 31.

The fee is ridiculously low:  $250 for a full two day conference ($350 special procrastinators rate after March 1).  If you have an interest in Internet infrastructure and the policy issues that will channel our opportunities for the next decade or so, then you should attend.  David Isenberg writes,

The future of telecommunications starts now; there’s a new U.S. Telecom Act in the works, there’s unbundling in Europe, fast fiber in Asia, wireless across Africa and networks a-building in cities and villages around the world. Lead the discussion. Shape the debate. Assert your Freedom to Connect.

The need to communicate is primary, like the need to breathe, eat, sleep, reproduce, socialize and learn. Better connections make for better communication. Better connections drive economic growth through better access to suppliers, customers and ideas. Better connections provide for development and testing of ideas in science and the arts. Better connections improve the quality of everyday life. Better connections build stronger democracies. Strong democracies build strong networks.

Freedom to Connect belongs with Freedom of Speech, Press, Religion and Assembly. Each of these freedoms is related to the others and depends on the others, but stands distinct. Freedom to Connect, too, depends on the other four but carries its own meaning. Unlike the others, it does not yet have a body of law and practice surrounding it. There is no Digital Bill of Rights. Freedom to Connect is the place to start.

Too often the discussion of telecommunications policy turns on phrases like "overregulation," and "investment incentives." These are critical issues, to be sure, but like the term "last mile," such phrases frame the issues in network-centric terms. As more and more intelligence migrates to the edge of the network, users of the network need to be part of the policy debate. Let’s put the user back into the picture. Freedom to Connect provides the frame.

There are forty or so speakers, discussants, debaters, and presenters on the program.  Included are at least a dozen top flight professionals who blog… people like Weinberger, AKMA, Crawford, Jarvis, MacKinnon, Malik, Michalski, Werbach, Dewayne Hendricks, Dan Gillmor, and of course David Isenberg.  The registrant list is filling out into a who’s who of smart people informed about stupid networks.  Martin Geddes, Jon Lebkowsky, Judith Meskill and Bob Frankston are on the list as of today.

Vint Cerf and David Weinberger are keynoters.  Charlie Firestone from the Aspen Institute will be there moderating a debate.  Scott Heiferman, the Meetup guy, will be there to represent our interests vis à vis Freedom of Assembly.

I wish I could be there too.

Rony Abovitz blogged Eason Jordan’s observations at Davos about journalist deaths in Iraq.  Rebecca MacKinnon pulls the threads together nicely on this here and here.  We still lack the transcript and the foundation for the remarks.  It never hurts to remind ourselves of the courage and sacrifice of the dozens of journalists that die each year around the world in the pursuit of truth.  It’s not just now.  It’s not just Iraq. 

And murder remains the number one cause of international journalist deaths, including at least nine targeted victims in Iraq in 2024.

How often do we do this around here?  Not often, but this picture just begs for captions…

AP Photo/Ron Edmonds

Dan Gillmor will appear on Madison’s listener sponsored community radio station, WORT, this Friday between noon and 1pm US Central time.  He’ll be interviewed by Diane Farsetta, a senior researcher at the Center for Media and Democracy and the Friday host of WORT’s program, "A Public Affair."  Dan will talk about his newish book (among other things, I’m sure) "We the Media."  You can download and/or purchase the book here.

Diane has kindly invited a local blogger to join her following Dan’s segment.

The smart money seems to be on Klein (or Dave Hughes of course, or Werbach, or Crawford, or me actually… I would sacrifice and take a public service job to help the Bush administration).  Judi Clark checks in with this:

Yes, it seems from the few conversations that I’ve had that Becky Klein is the favored pony to bet on. She’s from TX, experience with PUCs, outlook similar to Powell’s.

Judi goes on to say that Bob Pepper would also be a good choice because it would be good to have someone at the FCC "both in power and in the know."

Jon Lebkowsky responds to my question regarding who should be the next Director of the FCC:

I think I’d favor Dave Hughes! He’d shape up the FCC in no time… and have ‘em all following sherpas up the trail to Everest.

Ken Camp, the guy who wrote the book on VoIP and has long since moved on to new frontiers responds to my "Who would you like to see replace Powell?" question thusly (after affirming that Werbach and Crawford would be good choices):

…Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing someone from farther afield. Bob Metcalfe would be a fresh view to the FCC in my mind. Or someone like that. In the end, I don’t get any input and I think Becky Klein is the most likely. As former Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Texas, and knowing how this administration leans, I think she’s got the strongest chance at the moment. Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone without a strong relevant background appointed as chairman. … Far more extensive is the list of people I hope don’t get tagged into the FCC in any role, but that’s a list I won’t publish. At least not at this point.

Asked to comment on who he favors as a replacement for Michael Powell, telecommunications guru David Isenberg replied: 

Who it should be? My first  choice is Susan Crawford.  Second choice, Kevin Werbach.  Then Jeff Jarvis,  with Peter Huber and Arnold Kling as dissenting members.