Report Live from the Summit from Frank Burns [I missed it since I am recovering from a bad flu bug s

[David Farber <>]

Report # 1 - Live from the Summit


The stage is set. The sound system, the TV cameras, the pair of giant
screens tested, and the Internet connection is working. People are
beginning to arrive.


Your humble live reporter is Frank Burns. We're at the big ballroom at the
Hyatt Regency hotel in Washington, DC. Over 600 people are expected -- so
you can imagine the amount of schmoozing that is already underway around
the entrance to this large room.


For the Net, we'll be posting "near-live" reports from the second row. I'm
going to do my best to deliver a fairly steady stream of reports during
today's event,... and my plan is to report the scene (as best I can)... in
addition to my own subjective summaries and highlights from the
presenters.


The scene: stage with the usual podium beside a row of nice chairs. To the
left of the stage is a giant screen where the live and taped video will be
shown. To the right of the stage is another giant screen -- with a live
connection to the Internet. At the moment, the opening screen of Mosaic is
large enough that everyone even to the rear most row will be able to read.


.. ...frank from tmn.com at 8:30 am
Report # 2 - Live from the Summit


I'm amused to see how many of "the usual suspects" have been rounded up
for this event. Out in the lobby, I spoke briefly with Mitch Kapor, Robert
David Steele, David Lytel, Connie Stout, Elaine Albright.


Andrew Blau, Benton Foundation, has just begun his welcome remarks... and
is ticking off the list of public interest foundations and other
organizations who've jointly supported this event.


Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown is "speaking" on video. He taped his
opening remarks because he's physically in Russia at the moment.


Secretary Brown likened the IIF to the town commons of the 18th century.
Secretary Brown chairs the Information Infrastructure Task Force (IITF).
He has just stated the Administration's commitment to Universal Service.
"No one should be left standing on the side of the road." Report # 3 -
Live from the Summit




"I think it's very significant that participants at this conference were
given clipboards instead of notebooks," said Raul Yzaguirre -- the first
speaker this morning. "All of us must be at the table and in the
dialogue." "We want to be producers, not just comsumers." .... "Indeed we
are talking about nothing less than the future of the American people."


Members of the first panel are moving up to the stage and Lane Rawlins is
introducing the focus for this panel. "Delivering the Goods: Meeting
Public Needs." Members of this first panel include:


C. Everett Koop, Koop Institute
David Lytel, White House Office of Science and Technology Jean Armour, NY
State Research and Education Network Anthony Riddle, Alliance for
Community Media Connie Stout, Texas Education Network
Patricia Wank, National Audubon Society


The members of this panel have all said, in different ways, that the
challenge is to make sure that the NII becomes more than just a large pipe
for more entertainment. "We need to be talking about the real issues, how
people communicate with each other," said Tony Riddle just now.


"We need to build the infrastructure," said Connie Stout. "But people have
to be taught how to use the tools." (Applause for Connie's strong
statement that teaching people to use the tools is as important as
building the tools.)


"A ten-percent anarchy factor" should be built-in says Tony Riddle. He
pointed out that the model followed by cable TV, where 10 percent of the
capability is set asside for public use, could be adopted by planners of
the NII.


David Lytel says it will be very difficult to make the transition from a
universal service provided by a regulated monopoly to a universal service
provided by a web of companies who are in competition with each other.


Lots of discussion about the importance of training and education --
triggered by several questions from the floor, with everyone agreeing that
training is essential and not easily accomplished.


>From the floor, an opinion that the NII should reserve one fifth of the
"lanes" for public use. The panelists are shaking their head in agreement.
Tony Riddle says we need new models because none of our other models
(cable, FM radio, etc) will work for the NII. David Lytel is saying that
the Clinton administration is committed to making sure that citizens can
produce as well as consume. There needs to be public access to the
production tools.


Ah... our first chance to see the Net in action. A question that came to
us over the Net from Ron Miller at the Univ of Michigan/School of
Education was asked of Dr. Koop. The text of the question was shown on the
large screen at the right of the stage.


Time for a break !
Report #4 - Live from the Summit




The second panel of the summit has just gotten underway. The focus of this
panel is: "A Link Into Every Home - How, What, and When?" The moderator is
Allen Hammond, Director, Communications Media Center, New York Law School.


In introducing the panel, Hammond said the fundamental questions are "What
is universal service? What is universal access? And what do they mean to
us as people?"


Panelists include:


Ron Binz, Colorado Office of Consumer Council Mark Cooper, Consumer
Federation of America Deborah Kaplan, World Institute on Disability Robert
Larson, WTVS in Detroit
Michael Nelson, White House Office of Science & Technology Andrew
Schwartzman, Media Access Project


Deborah Kaplan is asserting that although the issues of economics and
affordability are real, so also are the issues of language and culture.
Low income people need to be responded to as real consumers just like
everyone else. We cannot assume that one size fits all. Universal service
is not just charity. We need full diversity on the Net.


Ron Binz says he's been using the term "information superhypeway". We need
to reject the extremes of (1) build it and they'll come and (2) the market
will take care of everything. Who's going to build the NII? It's going to
take cooperation rather than competition to fund the infrastructure.


Andrew Schwartzman says we must understand that technology will evolve in
ways we cannot predict, and therefore we need specific goals and
objectives -- and public interest advocates must be involved in setting
these goals and objectives.


The real challenge is to get the pipe into every home and every school. It
might cost $2,000 per house to get the pipe installed. The cost of the
boxes is much smaller. (Mike Nelson)


Robert Larson declares that public TV can and should play a key role in
the NII. "We are already involved in serving the needs of citizens." ....
"Don't forget public broadcasting!" (applause)


Deborah Kaplan: multi-media potentially will make accesibility MORE
difficult for the disabled. The much touted GUI interface cannot be
allowed to keep blind people from the Net, for example.


(Foo... time ran out before taking any questions from the net!)


(Everyone has to leave so the Secret Service can "clear" the room for the
Vice President's arrival after lunch.)


(A reminder from your reporter: everyone is invited to contribute to these
records of the Summit. Send your email to summit@tmn.com and we'll have a
better and more complete summary of this event.)


.. ...frank     at tmn.com      noon in Washington DC
Peter Goldmark, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, introduced Vice
President Al Gore, commenting that how we chart our information highway
will determine the future of democracy. Schools must be wired. The network
must be part of local democracy. And government must set the rules of the
road because -- it's the government's job.


------
Vice President Gore: (Reminder, just to be clear, these are this
reporter's notes -- they are not direct quotes of the VP.)


Our administration believes we must wire every school, classroom, clinic
and library in our nation -- and do this within the next five years. We
have the technology. But we're missing the infrastructure.


Every single person will benefit from the NII.


The National Telecommunication and Information Adminstration in the
Department of Commerce recently announced the availability of funding for
some of the aspects of the NII and already they have received 3,500
inquiries have been received.


The two most important principals we assert are (1) universal service, and
(2) open access. The NII must make it possible for everyone to sendas well
as receive -- like the Internet today. We want to pass legislation this
year that will ensure universal service and open access.


Reforming telecommunications law is essential.


Networked communities will teach their children better, fight crime
better, get better health care. SeniorNet provides such services to our
senior citizens.


We are increasing the availability of government informaton. HUD, today,
has begun to put info about fair housing and fair lending on the net. We
can empower our representative democracy. Massive parallelism is a model
for democracy. People closest to the problems are the smartest about
solutions. The printing press was the anabling technology that gave rise
to our original form of democracy. We can only imagine what the future
will be.


We will ensure that the NII is developed in the public interest.


Q: Will demos be avail so that parents can learn about the net? A: It's a
real problem. Financial and geographic access is a problem that must be
solved -- but also people need knowledge about how to use the new tools.


Q: Can old people be a technology peace corps? A: sure; good idea ....
MIT's Athena system has online volunteer tutors in every discipline.
People on the networks love to help other people do what they do.


After democracy, education will be the single most important beneficiary
of the NII.


Thank you all for participating, and that's NOT just perfunctory.
Sustained attention to the public interest is essential. Live from the
Summit - Report # 6


The third panel is now assembled on stage. This panel is focused on
"Building Communities and the Economy." Members of this panel include:


Cushing Dolbeare, Low-Income Housing Coalition Randy Ross, American Indian
Telecommunications Thomas Kalil, National Economic Council for
Science and Technology
Anthony Pharr, United Church of Christ
Morton Bahr, Communications Workers of America Diana Roose, National
Association of Working Women


The moderator of this panel is Linda Tarr-Whelan, Center for Policy
Alternatives.


After brief introductory statements by each panelist, the discussion
centered on the relationship of the NII and the need for more and better
jobs.


The NII needs to be used directly in support of policy development. We
should use the technology that exists now in order to do the kind of
planning needed to make sure the new technologies produce advances in our
national economy.


Randy Ross stressed that the majority of jobs on reservations at the
present time are in fact federal jobs.


Diana Roose asserted that our goal must be to create better jobs, not just
more jobs. We do NOT need electronic sweatshops.


Morton Bahr pointed out that the new technologies will permit people to
live and work anywhere -- but that also means that some of the new jobs
will actually exist in other countries.


Tony Pharr, in a response to a question from the floor, said that
advertising and pay-for-use are NOT the only way that the costs of the NII
will be covered. Other sounces must be found.


Diana Roose pointed out that the increase in the number of telecommuters
has a down side -- and mentioned the example of the medical records
stranscriber who was told that she would HAVE to begin working from home.
Live from the Summit - Report # 7


The 4th panel is focused on "Making Democracy Work." The moderator is
Sonia Jarvis, Executive Director of the National Coalition for Black Voter
Participation.


Members of the panel are:


Brian Banks, Policy Research Action Group Jim Butler, American Association
of Retired Persons Mitchell Kapor, Electronic Frontier Foundation Sally
Katzen, Information Policy Committee, IITF Ralph Nader, Center for the
Study of Responsive Law Nadine Strossen, ACLU


What is all this new technology going to do about such problems as
violence in the schools, put more real people into the Office of Managment
and Budget, mega-billion dollar overselling of unused software? (Can you
guess who is saying this? Yes. Ralph Nader.)


Nadine Strossen says the critical issues of access and universal access
are important -- but security and privacy are equally important. We have
to absolutely certain that there are no censorial controls over the
content on the Net. Those who operate the NII must be considered common
carriers. All of us must lobby for privacy protection -- and we must fight
the clipper chip.


Brian Banks commented on the importance of local grass roots groups being
advocates. Don't leave policy development up to the national advocacy
organizations.


If you're not hands-on, all you're going to get is hand-outs. You must do
whatever you personally need to do in order to get online and start
learning and using. Ask for help, but don't wait for a national give-away.
(Mitch Kapor)


There is enormous democratic potential in the Internet -- but it's not
easy to use. It's time to develop free software to make these networks
easy to use. (Mitch Kapor)


On the clipper chip (ha ha ha... just as Sally Katzen began to speak about
this, a shreak of electrical feedback came through the PA system)... The
Clinton administration looked very carefully at all the issues and
potentials before supporting the clipper chip.


But we have NOT heard a persuasive argument that the clipper chip will
actually accomplish any thing really useful. (Nadine Strossen)


Mitch Kapor says there are highly encouraging signs that online networks
will enable people at local levels to get more involved in local politics
-- and he mentioned the work of Dave Hughes in Colorado Springs as an
example.