Friday, June 23, 2006
All is Not Well in Washington
I thought I would introduce myself just getting here today after arriving from the Identity Mashup at Harvard earlier in the week. I am Identity Woman and also blog on unconferences.
The first session of the morning FCC Commissioner Copps gave a great opening talk about the critical digital issues facing America and how much the small and medium sized innovative companies need to speak up in Washington and bring it to the American people.
I am not a verbatim typer so here is my summary of what he said.
Commissioner Copps articulated the need for a holistic approach to communication technologies.
Access to broad band technology should be considered an all american right. Government, Business and logical communities have all partnered in our history to build out infrastructure starting with the waterways and canals in the east, the transcontinental railway, and more recently the interstate highway network. Working together around a ‘great national objective’ is how we grew as a country.
Our future will be decided by how we master new communication systems. We are 15th in the world in broadband penetration - when first at the FCC5 years ago we used to be 4th in the world. I think America’s broadband ox is in the ditch...
Right now 200kb is called broadband - how 1997 can you get?
There were goals for broadband in the last election to have universal affordable broadband by 2007 - we are three months away from that date and not close to that goal.
What is the FCC doing about this? It reclassified broadband from a title 2 service to a title 1. What this meant was that the nondiscrimiation rules that did apply no longer applied. At my urging the FCC wrote a statement of basic rights of the internet end user - consumers to 1) access content, 2) run applications and services, 3) connect devices 4) enjoy competition. This planted the seed of the dialogue around net-nuetrality - Act 1 if you will.
Act 2 is the dialogue in congress about this.
Websites might have to pay more tolls if first class is going to be reserved for websites that pay extra tolls. The practical effect of what is being proposed to inver the real democratic genius of the web. Changing this by making the pipe intelligent and the user dumb. Companies will have to ask permission to innovate. We must work to preserve the openness that makes it successful. When content and connectivity get fused - vertical integration threatens innovation.
In the media world we have seen changes - alarming increase in media consolidation with the ownership of production and distribution and cornering the market on creativity. This is a threat for innovation and diversity. Two days ago the FCC began the most proceeding to open this year - deciding what future of media is going to look like. A few years ago we (over my objections) eliminated important safeguards. They aloud single community a company could own three television stations, six radio stations, the cable service and newspaper and internet access.
When we did this three million americans wrote and call us to task for what we had done. That outpouring of sentiment and congress spoke up - senate voted twice - (congress was not aloud to vote on this) and the courts sent us back the rules we had made to start at square one.
We need an open public transparent process. Look at what is going on before we vote. We now have a fighting chance to get it right. It is an Internet Freedom issue rather then Net Nutrality.
Some have been expecting that the internet is going hault media consolidation but it could be heading down the very same road. We need independent voices - there is such a ray of hope for more diversity and local coverage and democratic dialogue so the American people can make intelligent decisions.
I would like your help. Issues are to important to leave to the beltway regulars. We need your input - more of your input then we have been getting. Small and medium sized enterprises rather then just the large tech firms. The country needs the high tech community to jump into the washington fray - real serious effort and commitment they have been there from time immemorial - fully armed and robustly financed. If I was a handicapper putting odds on would give them a pretty good chance. The struggle ahead is deep and dark...But we have a chance now to realize potential…
The only way you win is to make sure not biz as usual taking this struggle to all of America. There are millions of american citizens who would help you make sure the wonderful things you have brought us server the wonderful things you have in mind..
There are opportunities to work together to open whole new world of digital possibilities…
These new information technologies are an essential driver of american. Government and stake-holders must build together like we have always.
There was a resounding round of applause including people standing.
