Congresswoman Diane Watson + KEYNOTE by the FCC's Adoption and Use Director on Setting the Table for the National Broadband Plan: Bridging the Digital Divide

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Setting the Table for the National Broadband Plan:
Bridging the Digital Divide

NEW! Welcome by Congresswoman Diane Watson

Keynote Address by Brian David, Adoption and Usage Director, FCC's Broadband Initiative

The newest series of the Broadband Breakfast Club continues with a look at the developing National Broadband Plan. What is such a plan likely to resemble? How will it affect deployment, adoption and the use of broadband throughout the United States? How will it affect health care, the environment, the digital divide, and online learning?

Telecommunications advocates, policy-makers, journalists, and top officials seeking to trade insights on these important issue can attend the Broadband Breakfast Club, which includes a full American and Continental breakfast, for as little as $45.00, plus a modest registration fee. The events are on the record and open to the public.

The topic of discussion for this breakfast in the series is:

Tuesday, December 8, 2009, 8 a.m. - Bridging the Digital Divide

NEW! Welcoming Remarks by Congresswoman Diane E. Watson

Watson is a lifetime resident of and represents California’s 33rd Congressional District, which includes Culver City, portions of the City of Los Angeles, and unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. A former Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia, Congresswoman Watson serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. In that capacity she serves on the Subcommittee for Africa and Global Health, the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Global Environment, and the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.

She is poised to speak on not only on bridging the digital divide in the U.S., but on ensuring that — internationally — broadband access is available and affordable. She is also a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and is Chair of the Congressional Entertainment Industries Caucus.

Keynote Remarks by Brian David of the Federal Communications Commission

• Brian David, Adoption and Usage Director, FCC's Omnibus Broadband Initiative
  • Brian David joined the FCC this summer as part of the leadership team for the Omnibus Broadband Initiative, as the Program Director for Adoption and Usage. In that role, he oversees the portions of the national broadband plan related to serving non-adopters of broadband. He also leads the teams focused on application/usage research, international comparisons, business research, micro- and macro-economics, and spectrum-related efforts. He came to the FCC from Yodle, Inc. where he oversaw Channel Marketing and Business Development. Prior to Yodle, he was senior vice president of business development at mobile systems provider Visage Mobile. Prior to Visage, he was the Director of Business Development for Moxi Digital. Previously, Brian was a telecommunications, media and technology consultant at Bain & Company and Goldman, Sachs & Co. He has a BA from Duke University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, and serves on the Boards of Aim High Schools and the Full Circle Fund, both in San Francisco, and on the National Leadership Council for the Emily Krzyzewski Center based in Durham, N.C.

Confirmed panelists for this event include:

• Robert Cornell, Washington Island Electric Cooperative
  • As the Manager of the Washington Island Electric Cooperative, Inc., of Washington Island, Wisconsin, Robert Cornell grew up and attended school on the 25-square mile island in Lake Michigan that is accessible only by ferry or airplane. He studied electrical engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Platteville, and spent 13 years working in manufacturing and plant engineering. He returned home to manage the cooperative, which serves approximately 850 members with electricity purchased wholesale from Wisconsin Public Service and maintains full generating capacity. In partnership with International Broadband Electric Communications, Inc., the cooperative offers broadband over power lines to its members.
• Alan Inouye, Director, Office of Information Technology Policy, American Library Association
  • In addition to overseeing the OITP at the American Library Association, Alan also serves as the Director of the Program on America's Libraries in the 21st Century. From 2004 to 2007, he served as the Coordinator of the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee  and the Coordinator of the Information Technology Subcommittee of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, where he oversaw the development and completion of three major reports. Previously, he worked  as a computer programmer for Atari, a statistician for Verbatim, and a manager of information systems for Amdahl . He has a Ph.D. in library and information studies at the University of California at Berkeley.
• Bruce Lincoln, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Columbia University
  • As the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Center for Technology, Innovation and Community Engagement (CTICE) at the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, Columbia University, Bruce Lincoln is also an Affiliated Scholar at the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information, Graduate School of Business. From 1994 until 2004, Bruce was the Senior Educational Technologist and Manager of Community Outreach at the Institute for Learning Technologies at Teachers College, Columbia University. From 1998 through 2001, under the Clinton Administration, Bruce served as a member of the PITAC, the President’s Information Technology Advisory Committee and as an advisor to the White House.
• Karen Archer Perry, Founder and President, Karacomm
  • Karen Archer Perry has had five years of leadership in digital inclusion and broadband program development and twenty-five years in traditional telecom at Lucent, AT&T and Bell Laboratories. In her role as Director, Connected Communities Team at the Knight Center of Digital Excellence, Karen worked with communities across the country to develop sustainable public-interest broadband programs. She co-chaired a recent report on adoption and use from the U.S. Broadband Coalition and coauthored a digital inclusion toolkit with Microsoft. Karen implemented broadband-related programs in Philadelphia, San Francisco, Miami, Akron, Detroit, Aberdeen (SD), Lexington (KY), El Paso (TX). Karen holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University.
  An additional panelist has been invited.

Increasingly, access to broadband is being seen as a civil right. Is the promise of broadband technology truly available to all? What are the best ways to "move the needle" in this country on broadband adoption? What lessons can be learned from other nations' experiences in ameliorating the digital divide?

The event is moderated by Drew Clark, Editor and Executive Director of BroadbandCensus.com. The breakfast begins at 8 a.m., followed by a discussion, beginning shortly after 8:30 a.m. and ending by 10 a.m. Join the conversation for an engaging and in-depth examination of broadband - one of the most vital topics of our day.

Register above for this breakfast event, or click here to register for future events. The Broadband Breakfast Club is a "widely attended event" under Houseof Representatives Rule 25, clause 5(a)(4)(A).

PLEASE NOTE: The Broadband Breakfast Club has moved to Clyde's of Gallery Place, at 707 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001, conveniently located adjacent to the Gallery Place Metro Station on the Red Line.

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For individuals outside of Washington, or those whose schedule doesn’t permit attendance in person, archived webcasts of the Broadband Breakfast Club are available for free on BroadbandBreakfast.com.

Sponsored tables, including promotional opportunities for the sponsor, may be available. For further information, contact sales@broadbandcensus.com, or call 202-580-8196. The Broadband Breakfast Club is produced by Broadband Census News LLC.

The Broadband Breakfast Club is Sponsored by:

International Broadband Electric Communications, Inc.