This is how it should be - a conference on community broadband that has wireless in the hall. Instant, easy.

So I will try to post notes on the proceedings.

And before the sessions even start, I meet two inspiring people. Don Samuelson of DSSA (who is way out ahead of me in community broadband networks) and Tony Wilhelm of the Benton Foundation. The rest of the day might not match the pleasure and recognition of this first exchange.

(notes below - click MORE)

Welcome from Bruce Lincoln: digital divide not a bad word.

Now Terence Rogers - 2005 a new wave of technology, hundreds of net connected devices, net not browser, but communication. Question is: What do we do with this stuff? Free people from the unrealized boundaries of where they grew up. From families, neighborhood, media. Focus on Media - TV very passive. Next wave more interactive, proactive. Kids reaching out across the world to collaborate with others. Equalizer, levels playing field. "My stuff is on the web!" What sort of jobs will all this create?

Greg Rohde - We deal with world through language, maps, we create devices to help us. Internet use Asions highest blacks lowest, Cty highest, Ineer city lowest, lower than rural. Broadband only 20% of internet access in USA. 10% of society. Canada 20%. Korea over 50%.

Broadband Challenge: Infrastructure (last mile), Demand (applications), Financing

New York Broadband needs:
The Under-Served
Small Business development
Emergency Communications
Municipal Services
Homeland Security applications

NYC Broadband solution: CTC Bank, E Copernicus, Typhoon:
Typhoon Meshnetwork Infrastructure
CTC's - local
Emergency communications

Fixed and mobile
COntent and training
Aggregates demand

FIRST PANEL Planning for a CTC Wireless Broadband Network

Don Samuelson, DSSA: Distinction between schooling and education, fundamental tools vs lifelong learning 50, 000 housing projects, housing as wedge to serve communities, human capital building exercise, add technology - computers, smart buildings, bring broadband, Cat-6, Waps, Motorola Canopy for backhaul. His project in Englewood (near Chicago)
Robert Proulx, Xit telecom: from Canada, we are ruled by monopolies, 1997 they started own infrastructure, private fiber optic network between universities in Quebec, then school board 15,000 km of fiber, by 2004 all schools connected. Next step, how do we reach all residents?
Francois Menard, Xit: Looking to recreate same environment elsewhere - like NYC. Important - fiber backbone, utilize spare capacity, knowledge consumes knowledge, need for innovation to keep it all going, wireless an enabler for mobility, fiber to home the endgame
David Epstein, entrepreneur: ubiquity, affordability, like phone. Setup ISP in hill towns of Massachusetts in 1995. Provided 80,000 K-12 teachers free dial-up. Sold to RCN. Today Broadband dominated by cable, Bells. now 50 mbit over power lines possible, coming, will drive prices down - to $25-30 a month. Not about technology, but service. Explosive growth coming up.

(I'll take a break to save battery) Notes from discussion to come

Workshop: Community Programming, Ronen Mir, Director of Sci Tach Hands on Museum, Aurors, Ill in former Post Office

Grassroots development of museum

Shows outdoor area - important for kids - play
Science info - people get from TV Internet Science museums

(this is interesting enough, but not on topic?)

9 webcams, museum without walls, virtual reality experience - a test with U of Illinois

Outreach (interesting to me in early stage, introducing wireless to community) take it out to 30,000 people

Plus helped start first Palestinian science museum (Ronen is Israeli) with helped from US state dept and Israel

Outreach "very sexy to funders" - local, plus IBM, Lucent

Outdoor exhibits create awareness - visible from highway

Another break for battery