RECAP 14 JUL 2026 – NYC PIT CREW LAUNCH

A wide outdoor event scene showing several people standing together behind a blue podium at what appears to be an amusement park or industrial venue. A roller coaster track and structural supports rise in the background alongside a red corrugated building, while bright midday sunlight casts strong shadows. A blue banner spans the top of the image, and the podium carries matching blue branding, creating a coordinated event look. The speaker at center holds a microphone while those beside him smile, giving the image the feel of a ceremonial announcement or press event.
VIDEO | AUDIO | RECAP | ARCHIVE | PERMALINK

On 13 July 2026 at Coney Island’s Luna Park go-kart track, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Chief Technology Officer and Office of Technology & Innovation (OTI) Commissioner Lisa Gelobter announced the launch of ‘Public Interest Technology (PIT) Crew,’ a new initiative that will deploy teams of technologists alongside City agencies to tackle public problems with in-house digital solutions.

The first PIT Crew will team up with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) to build an online portal that allows New Yorkers to easily file complaints against companies that trap customers in hard-to-cancel, costly subscriptions. OTI will deploy a total of five PIT Crews: the first to support Click to Cancel, three more to advance Mayor Mamdani’s agenda of affordability and public excellence, and an additional team developed with support from The Rockefeller Foundation to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. Recruitment information is at nyc.gov/pitcrew.

SPEAKERS
Zohran Mamdani – Mayor, City of New York
Lisa Gelobter – Commissioner and Chief Technology Officer, NYC Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI)
Dr. Rajiv Shah – President, The Rockefeller Foundation
Carmen De La Rosa – Council Member, New York City Council; Chair, Committee on Technology
Kristen Gonzalez – New York State Senator; Chair, Senate Internet and Technology Committee

#PublicInterestTech #NYC #DigitalGovernment #ClickToCancel

10:43 pm on May 16, 2026 · 2026 (252), digital inclusion (15), un (40), WTISD (1)

RECAP 17 MAY 2026 – WTSID Event – From Connectivity to Capability: Building Inclusive Digital Societies

Promotional graphic for World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2026. The banner features a dark blue background with vibrant flowing ribbon-like digital light trails in purple, pink, blue, and gold sweeping across the lower and right portions of the image. Large white text reads: “From Connectivity to Capability: Building Inclusive Digital Societies.” Smaller text above identifies the occasion as “World Telecommunication & Information Society Day.” The date “17 May 2026” appears at the bottom left. Logos for MXR, Defindia.org, CDPP (Centre for Development Policy and Practice), and Crowd Product are displayed across the top. The bottom right corner includes the text “Archived by ISOC.LIVE.”


Promotional graphic for World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2026. The banner features a dark blue background with vibrant flowing ribbon-like digital light trails in purple, pink, blue, and gold sweeping across the lower and right portions of the image. Large white text reads: “From Connectivity to Capability: Building Inclusive Digital Societies.” Smaller text above identifies the occasion as “World Telecommunication & Information Society Day.” The date “17 May 2026” appears at the bottom left. Logos for MXR, Defindia.org, CDPP (Centre for Development Policy and Practice), and Crowd Product are displayed across the top. The bottom right corner includes the text “Archived by ISOC.LIVE.” VIDEO | AUDIO | RECAP | ARCHIVE | PERMALINK

On 17 May 2026, MXR.world, along with partners the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), CDPP (Centre for Development Policy and Practice), and Crowd Product, celebrated World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) with a global virtual dialogue ‘From Connectivity to Capability: Building Inclusive Digital Societies‘. Telecommunications has evolved from basic voice networks to critical digital lifelines. This curated two-hour session brought together leaders from government, civil society, industry, and international organisations to examine progress, challenges and pathways forward.

SEGMENT I – Telecom Evolution and Social Inclusion
Craig Polk – Senior Program Manager, IEEE
Suchit Nanda – Advisor to the Chairperson, Reliance Foundation
Ashish Nainwal – Head of Marketing, Nokia Solutions & Networks India

SEGMENT II – Access, Empowerment and Entrepreneurship
Osama Manzar – Founder, Digital Empowerment Foundation
Anriette Esterhuysen – Senior Advisor, Association for Progressive Communications
Amir Ullah Khan – Member, Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPC) / Research Director, Centre for Development Policy and Practice

SEGMENT III – Ecosystem Collaboration
Chetan Kapoor – CEO, Tech Mahindra Foundation
Sonia Jorge – Executive Director, Global Digital Inclusion Partnership
Shalini Kala – Rural Development & Agriculture Specialist, ex-IDRC, WFP

VIDEO MESSAGES
Abdul Kayum – Advisor, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
Sally Wentworth – CEO & President, Internet Society

CLOSING REMARKS
Vinay Dora K – Crowd Product
Maitri Singh – Digital Empowerment Foundation

MODERATOR
Dr Madanmohan Rao – Co-Founder, MXR.world

#DigitalLifelines #WTISD #DigitalInclusion

6:02 pm on August 7, 2023 · Bangladesh (8), digital inclusion (15)

WEBCAST AUG 9 – Realizing the Rights and Improving Accessible and SMART Services for Persons with Disabilities in Hard-To-Reach Areas

isoc.live

isoc.liveOn Wednesday 9th August 2023 at 19:00-20:30 BST (13:00-14:30 UTC) Friendship NGO in collaboration with Aspire to Innovate (a2i), ICT Division of the Government of Bangladesh hosts a webinar ‘ Realizing the Rights and Improving Accessible and SMART Services for Persons with Disabilities in Hard-To-Reach Areas.’ The aim of this international dialogue is to understand the gaps and discuss possible digital solutions to include persons with disabilities living in hard-to-reach areas in the process of making ‘SMART Bangladesh’.

The SMART Bangladesh Vision 2041, led by the Honorable Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, is about bridging the digital divide by innovating and scaling sustainable digital solutions that all citizens, regardless of their socio-economic background, and all businesses, regardless of their size, can benefit from. This Vision will straddle 4 key pillars: Smart Citizen, Smart Government, Smart Economy, and Smart Society.

DISCUSSANTS
Md. Mahmudul Hossain Khan, Secretary, Coordination & Reforms Cabinet Division, Government of Bangladesh
Anir Chowdhury, Policy Advisor, a2i Programme, Government of Bangladesh / UNDP Bangladesh
Runa Khan, Founder, Friendship NGO
Marc Elvinger, Chair, Friendship Luxembourg / Co-Chair, Friendship International
Vashkar Bhattacharjee, National Consultant- Accessibility Disability Innovation Lab (a2i)
Suzana Brown, Associate Professor, Department of Technology and Society, State University of New York
Ann Gummels, Director, Foundation of Children with Autism
Betteke de Gaay Fortman, Director, Friendship Netherlands
Ahmed Toufiqur Rahman, Deputy Director, Friendship NGO
Barrister Ayesha Taasin Khan, Senior Director & Head of Inclusive Citizenship, Friendship NGO

MODERATOR
Deepak Raj Sapkota, Executive Director of Karuna Foundation, Nepal / the Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

The event will have IS interpretation, and will be live simulcast by the Accessibility Special Interest Group of the Internet Society US New York Chapter (A11ySIG).

LIVESTREAM http://livestream.com/internetsociety/bd-digitalinclusion3

PARTICIPATE VIA ZOOM https://bit.ly/3Ypzi6G

REAL TIME TEXT https://bit.ly/3YwhWoL

TWITTER #digitalsolutions @a2i_bd @friendship_ngo #accessibility #SmartBangladesh2041 #Bangladesh #DigitalInclusion #A11y @a11ySIG @ISOCapac

MASTODON https://mastodon.social/tags/digitalsolutions #digitalsolutions

SIMULCASTS
https://twitter.com/ISOC_Live
https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive
https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/
https://www.facebook.com/isocasiapacific/

ARCHIVE
https://archive.org/details/bd-digitalinclusion3

 

WEBCAST JUN 10-11: 2023 North American School of Internet Governance (NASIG)

isoc live

isoc liveOn Saturday-Sunday June 10-11 2023 AU Inclusive Technology Policy (ITP), AU Internet Governance Lab (IGL), Technology, Law, and Security Program (TLS), and the AU Institute on Disability and Public Policy (IDPP) will host the 2023 North American School of Internet Governance (NASIG) at American University in Washington DC. NASIG is a capacity-building event that aims to teach the principles, norms, rules, policies, and organizations that shape the internet. Internet governance refers to the development and application of shared principles that guide the evolution and use of the internet and the decision-making processes and organizations involved in shaping it. NASIG also seeks to empower the next generation of internet leaders.

The theme for NASIG 2023 is inclusion and accessibility, an important and timely topic in internet governance. Inclusion and accessibility ensure that all individuals have equal opportunities to participate and benefit from the internet regardless of their background or circumstances. This includes universal access, digital literacy, and the inclusion of marginalized and disadvantaged communities.

PROGRAM https://nasig2023.northamericansig.org/program

LIVESTREAM http://livestream.com/internetsociety/nasig2023

PARTICIPATE VIA ZOOM https://bit.ly/nasig2023zoomregistration (Closed captions)

REAL TIME TEXT https://www.streamtext.net/player?event=CFI-NASIG

TWITTER #nasigevents2023 @nasigevents @AUInclusiveTech @IntGovForum @isocpr @teamnaralo

MASTODON #nasigevents2023

SIMULCASTS (OPEN CAPTIONS)
https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive
https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/
https://www.facebook.com/weberomayor
https://www.facebook.com/northamericansig/
https://www.facebook.com/isocpr
https://www.facebook.com/groups/isocpr
https://www.youtube.com/@internetsocietyofpuertoric1879/streams
https://www.youtube.com/@naraloat-large8607/streams

ARCHIVE
https://archive.org/details/nasig2023

WEBCAST MAY 30 – Expert Forum: The Importance of Digital Inclusion for People with Disability

ISOC LIVE

ISOC LIVEOn Tuesday May 30 2023 at 21:00 BST (13:00 UTC) the Aspire to Innovate (a2i) Programme, Bangladesh Directorate of Information and Communication Technology Division, and the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs (G3ict) through its Smart Cities for All (SC4A) Initiative and the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP), a division of G3ict present an expert forum ‘ The Importance of Digital Inclusion for People with Disability’. This 60-minute discussion will be targeted specifically to Bangladesh but open to participants worldwide. It will raise awareness of the importance of digital technology adoption and address the skills and capacities needed to increase the use of digital services and foster digital inclusion.

This event will be in English. Text captions and Bangla Sign Language (BdSL) interpretation will be available.

DISCUSSANTS
Vashkar Bhattacharjee, National Consultant- Accessibility, a2i / G3ict Country Advisor for Bangladesh / Vice Chair, ISOC Accessibility Standing Group
Anir Chowdhury, Policy Advisor, Aspire to Innovate (a2i) Programme, Bangladesh
Monica Duhem, Director, Global Advisory Center, G3ict
Dr. Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir, Project Director, Aspire to Innovate (a2i) Programme, Bangladesh
Dr. Mohammed Ali Loutfy, Director for Capacity Building and Advocacy, G3ict

MODERATOR
María de Lourdes Arreola, IAAP

LIVESTREAM http://livestream.com/internetsociety/bd-digitalinclusion

PARTICIPATE VIA ZOOM https://bit.ly/3WGVRmD (AI CC, BdSL)

REAL TIME TEXT https://bit.ly/3II4h7h

TWITTER #accessibility #Bangladesh #DigitalInclusion #A11y @G3ict @a2i_bd @IAAPOrg
@ictdivision @ISOCapac

SIMULCASTS
https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive
https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/
https://www.facebook.com/isocasiapacific/

ARCHIVE
https://archive.org/details/bd-digitalinclusion

 

WEBCAST SUN: Dialogue on Inclusion: Does the Internet represent diverse voices? Perspectives from gender, linguistic and marginalized communities

livestream

livestreamOn Sunday December 19 2021, at 09:30-11:00 IST (04:00-05:30 UTC), the India Youth IGF, in conjunction with Internet Society’s India Hyderabad Chapter and India Chennai Chapter, hosts a webinar ‘Dialogue on Inclusion: Does the internet represent diverse voices?‘ to unpack the idea of inclusive internet in Indian context. “Internet United” was the thematic chosen for 16th Internet Governance Forum. Taking the conversation forward, we attempt to explore if the internet is really inclusive through the lenses of various communities like LGBTQ, PwD, marginalized and linguistic communities.

SPEAKERS
Divyaa Gupta, independent consultant
Sameer Nair, Youth4Jobs Foundation
Ritushree, The Outcast Collective
Savita Muley, Haqdarshak
Meena Kotwal, The Mooknayak
Vidushi Kapoor, Process9
Shruti Shreya, The Dialogue
Bhuvana Meenakshi Koteeswaran, EmergeAbility,

MODERATOR
Adarsh BU, ISOC Rural Development SIG

KEYNOTE
Dr. Sudha Bhuvaneswari Narayanaswamy, President, ISOC Chennai

HOSTS
Dr.Salman Abdul Moiz, Vice Chair, ISOC Hyderabad
Purnima Tiwari, IGF Youth Ambassador 21
Brinda Dash, Former APrIGF Fellow 2021

LIVESTREAM http://livestream.com/internetsociety/dialogueoninclusion

PARTICIPATE VIA ZOOM https://bit.ly/3ejsHEV

REAL TIME TEXT https://bit.ly/3Ebb5Wf

TWITTER #DigitalInclusion @youthIGFIndia #Internet4All @isochyderabad @isocchennai

SIMULCASTS
https://www.twitter.com/ISOC_Live/
https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive
https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/ (AI Captions)
https://www.facebook.com/isocasiapacific (AI Captions)

ARCHIVE
https://archive.org/details/dialogueoninclusion

 

WEBCAST THU-SAT: Hudson Valley TechFest Conference 2021

livestream

livestreamOn Thursday-Saturday 28-30 October 2021 OpenHub hosts the Hudson Valley TechFest Conference (HVTechFest), with the theme ‘From Digital Divide to Digital Transformation and Collaboration‘. The HVTechFest annual conference is the space where developers, designers, engineers, innovators and emerging talents from across Hudson Valley are getting together to brainstorm challenges, share insights and ideas, get inspired and guided. HVTechFest 2021 will be simulcast by the Internet Society New York Chapter (ISOC-NY).

PROGRAM (all times EDT = UTC-4)
Thursday 1pm-5:30pm (hybrid) Keynote and panels
Friday 10am-4pm Presentations, Talks and Workshops
Saturday 10am-1:30pm Presentations, Talks and Workshops

LIVESTREAM http://livestream.com/internetsociety/hvtechfest2021

AGENDA https://hvtechfest.com/2021/conference

PARTICIPATE VIA ZOOM https://bit.ly/3pOvOvv ($20)

REAL TIME TEXT Day 1 – pt.1 / pt.2 | Day 2 pt.1 / pt.2 | Day 3 all

TWITTER #HVTechFest @HVTechFest #HVDevFest #DigitalTransformation #DigitalInclusion @isocny

SIMULCASTS
https://www.twitter.com/ISOC_Live/
https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive
https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/ (AI Captions)
https://www.facebook.com/isocny

ARCHIVE
https://archive.org/details/hvtechfest2021

 

9:01 pm on September 27, 2021 · 6G (1), digital inclusion (15), marconi society (9)

WEBCAST TUE-THU: 6G Summit on Connecting the Unconnected @MarconiSociety

livestream

livestreamOn Tuesday-Thursday September 28-30 2021, the Marconi Society will host the ‘6G Summit on Connecting the Unconnected‘. This initial three-session track of ‘The Decade of Digital Inclusion‘ Master Class and Symposium focuses on the challenges and opportunities posed by the development of 6G, a technology that is expected to democratize connectivity more than any before. This is the 2nd annual such 6G Summit and is organized in cooperation with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

Tue Sep 28 2021 11:00-13:00 EDT (15:00-17:00 UTC)
6G Summit on Connecting the Unconnected: An Overview of the Possibilities
Mohamed-Slim Alouini (KAUST), Elizabeth Belding (University of California Santa Barbara), Vint Cerf (Google), Paul Garnett (The Vernonburg Group), Ida Jallow (ITU), Tawfik Jelassi (UNESCO), Milo Medin (Google)

Wed Sep 29 2021 11:00-12:30 EDT (15:00-16:30 UTC)
6G Summit on Connecting the Unconnected: From the Middle to the Core
Ana García Armada (Universidad Carlos de Madrid III), Tom Choi (Curvanet), Baris Erkmen (Google X), Anton Monk (ViaSat), Ruth Pritchard-Kelly (OneWeb)

Thu Sep 30 2021 11:00-12:30 EDT (15:00-16:30 UTC)
6G Summit on Connecting the Unconnected: It All Starts With Access
Brian Barritt (Facebook Connectivity Lab), Andrea Goldsmith (Princeton University), Helka-Lina Määttänen (Ericsson), Edward John Oughton (George Mason University), Ken Riordan (HAPS Alliance)

LIVESTREAM http://livestream.com/internetsociety/6gsummit

AGENDA https://6gsummit.org/agenda

PARTICIPATE VIA CVENT https://bit.ly/3kOrJ7D

REAL TIME TEXT (see ISOC.LIVE)

TWITTER #DecadeOfDigitalInclusion  @MarconiSociety #6G #digitalinclusion #internetforeveryone

SIMULCASTS
https://www.twitter.com/ISOC_Live/
https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive
https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/ (AI Captions)

ARCHIVE
https://archive.org/details/6gsummit

 

WEBCAST WED: ‘The Decade of Digital Inclusion: Issues That Keep Us Up at Night’ @MarconiSociety

livestream

livestreamOn Wednesday September 15 2021 at 11:00-12:00 EDT (15:00-16:00 UTC) the Marconi Society will host a panel ‘The Decade of Digital Inclusion: Issues That Keep Us Up at Night‘. Experts from technology, policy, and digital inclusion will join forces to describe what the future could look like, the questions we need to answer, and the different points of view we have to consider. This will set the stage for the forthcoming Marconi Society Master Class and Symposium, The Decade of Digital Inclusion.

PANEL
Vint Cerf, Google
Jane Coffin, Internet Society
Joseph Kakande, Facebook
Muriel Médard, MIT
Colin Rhinesmith, Simmons University
MODERATOR: Sir David Payne, Southampton University

LIVESTREAM: http://livestream.com/internetsociety/marconidecade

PARTICIPATE VIA ZOOM https://bit.ly/2WR2LLc

REAL TIME TEXT https://bit.ly/2YYWxKn

TWITTER #DecadeOfDigitalInclusion @MarconiSociety @vgcerf @jane_coffin Joseph Kakande @Facebook Muriel Médard @MIT @crhinesmith Sir David Payne @orctweets #digitalinclusion #internetforeveryone

SIMULCASTS
https://www.twitter.com/ISOC_Live/
https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive
https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/ (AI Captions)

ARCHIVE
https://archive.org/details/marconidecade

 

11:01 am on March 18, 2021 · digital inclusion (15), itu (44), WTDC (1)

SIMULCAST: The Road to Addis – Connect2Include. Include2Connect RoadToAddis #ITUWTDC @ITU #Connect2Include

Livestream

LivestreamOn Thursday March 18 2021 at 12:00-13:30 UTC the International telecommunications Union (ITU) held a webinar ‘The Road to Addis – Connect2Include. Include2Connect’ as part of the run up to the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), to be held in Addis Ababa from 8-19 November 2021. This session of the Road to Addis Series will aim to address the specific needs for Digital Inclusion of women and girls, youth and elderly, persons with disabilities, children, indigenous people and people living in remote areas to achieve true and meaningful universal connectivity. Another milestone for WTDC, the Connect2Include session will provide all the necessary answers to ensure that no one is left out in this movement for bridging the digital divide and gender gap with the transformative powers of the Internet and ICTs.

The event was simulcast by ISOC.LIVE and included text captions and ISL interpretation.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Sahle-Work Zewde, ​President of Ethiopia

PANELISTS
Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director, ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau
Monica Duhem, CEO HearColors
George Anthony Giannoumis, Vice-rapporteur ITU-D SG & Associate Professor, Oslo Metropolitan University
Lissette Gonzalez, Telecomunicaciones Indigenas Comunitarias A.C., Mexico
​Claudia Gordon, Director of government & Compliance with T-Mobile Accessibility
​Michael Hodin, CEO, Global Coalition on Aging
​​​​Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under-Secretary-General, Executive Director, UN Women
​​Joanne O’Riordan, Activist and Sports Journalist
​Emilce Portillo, CONATEL
​Emma Randall, Youth Eng​​agement, ITU
​​​Hans Vestberg, Chairman & CEO, Verizon Communications
​​​Roland White, Director, Global Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Microsoft UK
​​Judith M. Williams, Head of People Sustainability SVP, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, SAP SE
​Othman Naser Almoamar, Research Lead, Misk Foundation
MODERATOR
David Kirkpatrick, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Techonomy Media.

LIVESTREAM http://livestream.com/internetsociety/roadtoaddis3

TWITTER #RoadToAddis #ITUWTDC #Connect2Include @ITU

SIMULCASTS
https://www.pscp.tv/ISOC_Live/
https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive
https://www.facebook.com/isocny/live

ARCHIVE
https://archive.org/details/roadtoaddis3