Monday, March 1, 2010
Begins 4 pm
E51-115 (Wong Aud.)
Tang Center, MIT

Free and open to the public.

MIT's Center for Future Civic Media and the Communications Forum in cooperation with the Federal Communications Commission will host a symposium to preview the National Broadband Plan’s civic engagement recommendations before thought leaders and public interest advocates.

Keynote (4-4:40 pm)

Eugene Huang, Director of Government Operations for the FCC's National Broadband Task Force, will share preliminary findings of a report about broadband and civic engagement being prepared by the Task Force. VIDEO:

Huang's announcement will be followed by two panel discussions:

The Future of Government-Citizen Engagement (4:55-5:40 pm)
From the Mayor of Newark’s tweets to the President’s online town halls, technology has already changed how the public engages with their government. In a world of ubiquitous broadband, this interaction can radically change how government operates and develops policy. This panel will explore how broadband can transform government-citizen:
Nick Grossman, The Open Planning Project
Laurel Ruma, O'Reilly Media
John Wonderlich, Sunlight Foundation
Moderator: Jerry Mechling, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
VIDEO:



The Future of Digital Public Media (5:45-6:30 pm)
Public media has always played a critical role in our democracy, informing citizens, leading our public conversation, and fostering civic engagement. However, broadband presents an historic opportunity for public media to reach even greater heights. This panel will explore the challenges and opportunities for the 21st century digital public media ecosystem:
Robert Bole, Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Keith Neisler, WEKU (Lexington)
Marita Rivero (scroll down) , WGBH (Boston)
Kinsey Wilson, National Public Radio
Moderator: Jake Shapiro, Public Radio Exchange
VIDEO:

Closing Remarks (6:30)
Damian Thorman, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation