FCC Schedules Workshop on Public and Other Noncommercial Media in the Digital Era

As part of its project on the Future of Media and the Information Needs of Communities, the Federal Communications Commission will hold a workshop on April 30, 2010 on noncommercial media entitled "Public and Other Noncommercial Media in the Digital Era."

The workshop will focus on:

• The current structures and activities of public and other noncommercial media entities, as well as relevant government policies;
• The ways in which public and other noncommercial media entities do and could contribute to the information needs of communities across multiple platforms, focusing in particular on journalism, cultural, and educational content;
• The possibilities for greater collaboration among noncommercial media entities such as public broadcasters, PEG channels, noncommercial web-based outlets, and other new media entities;
• The role of public and other noncommercial media in serving the information needs of the underserved, including language minorities, ethnic minorities, children, the disabled, and the economically disadvantaged;
• The infrastructure needs and assets of public and other noncommercial media in delivering information to communities;
• Innovative uses of social media, gaming, Internet applications, citizen journalism, mobile technologies, and other technological and organizational innovations; and
• The possibilities for new kinds of noncommercial media networks and associated funding models.