Month: March 2014

7:48 am on March 23, 2014 · access (43), e-rate (2), education (21), fcc (92), tom wheeler (9)

@TomWheelerFCC & @JRosenworcel talk #ERate reform at #CCSSOLegCon14 #broadband #fcc #edtech

by
CCNSO Conference

On March 16-18 2014 the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) held its 2014 Legislative Conference. In a session on March 17, FCC Chair Tom Wheeler and FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel addressed the education leaders on E-Rate reform. In pursuit of President Obama’s ConnectED Initiative which includes a commitment to connect 99 percent of all students to high-speed broadband within 5 years, last July the FCC launched the reform effort aka E-Rate 2.0. The proceeding has to date garnered 1800+ comments. In her remarks on Monday Commissioner Rosenworcel Chair Wheeler emphasized the urgency of reform noting that, currently, E-Rate does not even cover W-Fi. He said the FCC had identified $2 Billion of funding to spend over the next two years, solely on improving schools and other anchor institutions’ Internet connections. He announced the formation of a USF Special Strike Force to insure “there is adherence to the rules and the people’s money is wisely spent.” Video is below. Closed captions are available.

CCNSO Conference

View on C-SPAN: http://www.c-span.org/video/?318326-2/education-policy
Transcript of Tom Wheeler remarks: http://www.fcc.gov/document/chairman-wheeler-remarks-ccsso-legislative-conference

8:42 pm on March 22, 2014 · internet public (1), Knight News Challenge (1), nyc (131), Pdf (7), pdm (1)

@Mlsif @Raziej aka @pdmteam propose home for #NYC “Internet Public” @knightfdn

by
Personal Democracy Media

Personal Democracy MediaMicah Sifry and Andrew Raziej of Personal Democracy Media, organizers of the annual Personal Democracy Forum, after extensive studies and research have concluded that the NYC Internet Public needs a permanent gathering center. They write:

Thanks to planning grants from the Omidyar Network, Ford Foundation and Google, we have been working with Kate Krontiris and Matthew Burton, doing intensive research on the broad needs of the open internet and civic tech community. We interviewed a diverse mix of more than 100 stakeholders and held several group design workshops with about 50 of them. Here’s what we’ve learned: people who are fighting for the open web and a better society hunger for a place to come together regularly year round, and not just at large conferences or occasional meetings. They want to gather around something that is bigger than a one- or two-day hackathon, yet less structured than a start-up incubator. They also want a place for curated workshops and events, as well as daily serendipitous encounters. In effect, they want a “third place” where diverse constituencies can cross paths regularly and find common ground by working on actual problems in a deliberate way.

So, what we envision this new center as something like this: A big, beautiful airy space in downtown Manhattan (or Brooklyn), in the heart of New York’s burgeoning tech sector that people can use to work and meet, with room for small and mid-sized events and conferences (and a great stage for livestreaming), individual and group work areas, a bar for coffee during the day and beers at night, with lots and lots of WiFi! We also plan to invite some related organizations as anchor co-tenants to produce their own events and help us expand our community even more. The center would have an innovation lab at its heart, with full and part-time resident fellows, each working on a specific problems and responsible for work-shopping solutions with relevant stakeholders. There would be an ongoing series of daytime and evening talks, seminars, and tech demonstrations open to the public, and with monthly and yearly membership options for people and organizations who want to be able to use PDC as their home base for work and networking.

A Knight News Challenge proposal has been submitted, where they encourage the community to add comments.

7:46 pm on March 22, 2014 · Eben Moglen (11), foss (7), fsf (3), internet freedom (81), libre planet (1), rms (1), surveillance (38)

#LibrePlanet conference underway in Boston #foss #netfreedom

by
Libre Planet

LibrePlanetThis weekend March 22-23 the 2014 LibrePlanet conference is taking place at MIT in Cambridge MA. LibrePlanet is an annual conference for free software enthusiasts. The theme of this year’s event is is “Free Software, Free Society.” Questions: How can free software protect journalists, whistleblowers, activists, and regular computer users from government and corporate surveillance? How can free software, or free software values like copyleft, community development, and transparency, be used by people fighting to create free societies around the world? What challenges are standing between us and our goal of free software ubiquity? Remote participation is available via webcast and IRC chat.

What: Libre Planet 2014 – Free Software, Free Society.
Where: MIT, Cambridge MA
When: Sat/Sun March 22-23 2014 0945-1845 EDT | 1345-2245 UTC
Program: http://libreplanet.org/2014/program/sessions.html
Webcast: http://libreplanet.org/2014/live/menu.html
Twitter: #libreplanet

6:52 am on March 21, 2014 · iana (17), ICANN (195), larry strickling (18), ncuc (12)

VIDEO: Larry #Strickling keynote at @NCUC Conference #ICANN49 @NTIAgov #IANA #ICANN

by
Larry Strickling - YouTube

Here, extracted from the live webcast, are United States Assistant Secretary of Commerce Larry Strickling’s keynote remarks at the NonCommercial Users Constituency (NCUC) Conference in Singapore on Friday March 21 2014, addressing the proposed transfer of stewardship of the IANA functions to the global Internet community.

Larry Strickling - YouTube

  • View on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-OSzgOT3jA&feature=share&t=9h5m42s
10:13 am on March 20, 2014 · ICANN (195), ncuc (12), ntia (34), singapore (2)

WEBCAST TONIGHT: @NCUC Conference: #ICANN and Global Internet Governance: The Road to São Paulo, and Beyond #IANA #ICANN49

by
NCUC

NCUCTomorrow, Friday March 21 2014, just prior to ICANN 49 in Singapore, the NonCommercial Users Constituency (NCUC) of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) will host a one-day conference “ICANN and Global Internet Governance: The Road to São Paulo, and Beyond“. Cross-community panels will discuss recent Internet governance initiatives, core principles and road-maps for globalization and institutional innovation. Speakers include ICANN Chair Steve Crocker, ALAC Chair Olivier Crepin-Leblond, NCSG Chair Rafik Dammak, Erika Mann of facebook, Niels ten Oever of Article 19, Jari Arrko of the IETF, Avri Doria of ISOC-NY, Fiona Alexander of the NTIA, Milton Mueller of the NCUC, former ICANN board member Bertrand de la Chappelle, Markus Kummer of the Internet Society, Alice Munyua of the African Union, and Internet Hall of Famer George Sadowsky. Larry Strickling with give a final keynote. Remote participation will be available via Adobe Connect, and there will be a live webcast. Singapore is exactly half a day ahead of NYC so this all starts at 10pm tonight and runs until 6am.

What: NCUC Conference: ICANN and Global Internet Governance: The Road to São Paulo, and Beyond
Where: Raffles City Convention Centre, Singapore
When: Friday March 21 2014 10am-6pm SGT | 0200-1000 UTC | 2200-0600 EDT
Agenda: http://www.ncuc.org/singapore2014/programme/
Remote Participation: http://singapore49.icann.org/en/schedule/fri-ncuc-ig
Webcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-OSzgOT3jA
Twitter: @ncuc | #ICANN49

9:12 am on March 20, 2014 · harlem. rangel (1), microsoft (10), silicon harlem (35)

MEETUP TONIGHT: @SiliconHarlem Tech Talk: Andrea Taylor aka @USworkers of @Microsoft w/ @CBRangel

by
Silicon Harlem Tech Talk

Silicon Harlem Tech Talk Tonight Thursday March 20, 2014, Silicon Harlem, in celebration of Women in Tech as part of Women’s History Month, will present a Tech Talk with Andrea L. Taylor, Director Citizenship & Public Affairs, Microsoft. Host will be the Hon. Charles B. Rangel, Congressman for District 13. Admission is free, and all are welcome. Registration ends at 4:30pm.

What: Silicon Harlem Tech Talk – Women in Tech: Andrea Taylor
Where: MIST HARLEM, 46 W. 116 St, NYC
When: Thursday March 20, 2014 5.30pm-8.30pm EDT
Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tech-talk-with-charlie-friends-featuring-andrea-taylor-of-microsoft-tickets-10879477811 (free)
Webcast: Will be recorded
Twitter: @SiliconHarlem | @CBRangel | @USworkers

7:32 am on March 20, 2014 · copyright (81), dmca (6), house (28), judiciary (2)

VIDEO: @HouseJudiciary hearing on Section 512 of Title 17 – Mar 13 2014 #dmca #copyright

by

On March 13 2014 the United States House Committee on the Judiciary – Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet held a hearing to review Section 512 of Title 17 aka the DMCA Safe Harbor provision, Witnesses included law professors Sean O’Connor and Annemarie Bridy, Elsevier counsel Paul Doda, Google counsel Katherine Oyama, composer Maria Schneider, and Paul Sieminski of WordPress, who detailed abuses. ISOC-NY has processed the video to improve audio quality, and also indexed it (see “show more” on YouTube page).

View on YouTube: http://youtu.be/H-bWFJ7rVXQ
Transcribe on AMARA: http://www.amara.org/en/videos/LX5loNzkEkiJ/
Twitter: @HouseJudiciary | #dmca | #copyright

5:30 am on March 20, 2014 · copyright (81), dmca (6), iptf (1), ntia (34), USPTO (5)

WEBCAST TODAY: #DMCA Notice and Takedown Multistakeholder Forum #IPTF #copyright @NTIA @USPTO

by
IPTF

IPTFToday, Thursday March 20 2014, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force (Task Force) will hold a full day DMCA Notice and Takedown Multistakeholder Forum at the USPTO HQ in Alexandria, VA. The meeting was called for in the Commerce Department’s Green Paper on Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the Digital Economy released in July 2013. This is the first such meeting. Subsequent meetings will take place approximately every six weeks, alternating between the USPTO main campus and Silicon Valley, at a location to be announced. Further discussions on three additional issues identified in the Green Paper —remixes, first sale, and statutory damages — will be held in several cities over the next few months.

From the Federal Register:

The initial meeting will focus on identifying discrete topics to be addressed through the multistakeholder forum. We also intend to discuss and make decisions about the process for the forum’s ongoing work. The Task Force wants to ensure participation by a wide variety of the notice and takedown system’s current users, including right holders and individual creators, service providers, and any other stakeholders that are directly affected—such as consumer and public interest representatives, technical and engineering experts, and companies in the business of identifying infringing content. The Department’s role in the open multistakeholder process will be to provide a forum for discussion and consensus-building among stakeholders. Stakeholder groups convened for this process will not be advisory committees to the government, as neither the Department of Commerce nor any other Federal agency or office will seek advice or recommendations on policy issues from participants.

The meeting will be webcast with the opportunity for remote public participation. There will be live text transcription.

What: DMCA Notice and Takedown Multistakeholder Forum
Where: USPTO HQ, Alexandria, VA
When: Thursday March 20 2014 9am-4pm EDT | 1300-2000 UTC
Agenda: http://www.uspto.gov/ip/global/copyrights/AGENDA_March-20_Multistakeholder_Forum-FINAL.pdf
Webcast: http://new.livestream.com/uspto/CopyrightMarch2014
Transcript: http://www.captionedtext.com/client/embed.aspx?EventID=2328548
Twitter: #DMCA | #IPTF | #copyright

1:06 pm on March 17, 2014 · big data (9), data & society (5), information law institute (1), NYU (24), nyu law (1)

WEBCAST TODAY: Social, Cultural & Ethical Dimensions Of #BigData @data_society @nyulaw @whitehouseostp @zephoria #datasociety

by
Data & Society

Data & Society Today, Monday March 17 2014, at 5.30pm EDT, the Data & Society Research Institute, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and New York University’s Information Law Institute will be co-hosting a public event entitled The Social, Cultural, & Ethical Dimensions of “Big Data.” at NYU Law School. The purpose of this event, organized by danah boyd, is to convene key stakeholders and thought leaders from across academia, government, industry, and civil society to examine the social, cultural, and ethical implications of “big data,” with an eye to both the challenges and opportunities presented by the phenomenon. Speakers include danah boyd, Kate Crawford (Microsoft Research and MIT), Steven Hodas (NYC Department of Education), Alondra Nelson (Columbia University), and Shamina Singh (MasterCard Center for Inclusive Growth). Anil Dash (ThinkUp / Activate) will moderate the panel. The event will be webcast live.

What: The Social, Cultural, & Ethical Dimensions of “Big Data.”
Where: NYU School of Law, NYC
When: Monday March 17 2014 5.30pm EDT | 2115 UTC
Webcast: http://www.datasociety.net/updates/featured/2014/03/social-cultural-ethical-dimensions-of-big-data/
Twitter: #bigdata | #datasociety | #bigdataprivacy

2:58 am on March 15, 2014 · governance (62), iana (17), ICANN (195), isoc (166), ntia (34)

Internet Technical Leaders Welcome #IANA Globalization Progress @NTIAgov @InternetSociety

by

On Friday March 14 2014 the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it had invited ICANN to make a multistakeholder-derived proposal to take over responsibility for the “IANA functions“, i.e. management of the Internet’s root zone, when the current contract ends in 2015. In response Internet technical organizations, including the Internet Society, issued the following statement:

Internet Technical Leaders Welcome IANA Globalization Progress

The leaders of the Internet technical organizations responsible for coordination of the Internet infrastructure (IETF, IAB, RIRs, ccTLD ROs, ICANN, ISOC, and W3C), welcome the US Government’s announcement of the suggested changes related to the IANA functions contract.

The roles on policy development processes of the Internet technical organizations and ICANN’s role as administrator of the IANA functions, remain unchanged

The transition of the US Government stewardship has been envisaged since the early days of IANA functions contract. This transition is now feasible due to the maturity of the Internet technical organizations involved in performing their respective roles related to the IANA functions, and ICANN will facilitate a global, multi-stakeholder process to plan for the transition.

The strength and stability of the IANA functions within the above organizations (which make up the Internet technical community) are critical to the operation of the Internet. The processes around the IANA functions have always been carefully specified in the communities that our organizations represent. The IANA functions are faithfully administered by ICANN. We are committed to continuing our proven, community-driven processes as we engage in this transition. Our communities are already considering proposals to progress the transition.

Our organizations are committed to open and transparent multi-stakeholder processes. We are also committed to further strengthening our processes and agreements related to the IANA functions, and to building on the existing organizations and their roles. The Internet technical community is strong enough to continue its role, while assuming the stewardship function as it transitions from the US Government.

Participating Leaders

  • Adiel A. Akplogan, CEO African Network Information Center (AFRINIC)
  • Barrack Otieno, Manager, The African Top Level Domains Organization (AFTLD)
  • Paul Wilson, Director General Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC)
  • Don Hollander, General Manager Asia Pacific Top Level Domain Association (APTLD)
  • John Curran, CEO American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN)
  • Peter Van Roste, General Manager, Council for European National Top Level Domain Registries (CENTR)
  • Russ Housley, Chair Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
  • Fadi Chehadé, President and CEO Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
  • Jari Arkko, Chair Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
  • Kathy Brown, President and CEO Internet Society (ISOC)
  • Raúl Echeberría, CEO Latin America and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC)
  • Carolina Aguerre, General Manager, Latin American and Caribbean TLD Association (LACTLD)
  • Axel Pawlik, Managing Director Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC)
  • Jeff Jaffe, CEO World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

Twitter: #IANA | @NTIAgov