Community Media - A Full Spectrum Future

Community Media - A Full Spectrum Future

New America Foundation
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
RSVP: http://www.newamerica.net/events/2011/community_media

Community media is at an inflection point. Between the passing of the Community Radio Act and the emergence of the internet in community engagement, community media centers that operate public access television (PEG) stations have a an opportunity to evolve. As the Federal Communications Commission moves to complete its Future of Media Report, the New America's Open Technology Initiative is releasing a report "Full Spectrum Community Media: Expanding Public Access to Communications Infrastructure" and has invited a range of speakers to comment on it.

The report argues that the key to sustaining a community media center in the future will be expanding beyond the provision of public access television and participating in the provision of local broadband, operation of radio broadcast licenses as well as other communications infrastructure. For PEG channels this means they must seek to expand the definition of "public access" so that it refers not only to a type of content that is locally-produced and reflects the diversity of a community, but also to a type of communications infrastructure that is governed by the people who use it. The policies outlined in this paper are essential to making public access infrastructure a reality.

A reception will follow the event.

Introduction
Sascha Meinrath
Director, Open Technology Initiative
New America Foundation

Introductory Remarks
Steven Waldman
Senior Advisor to Chairman Julius Genachowski
Federal Communications Commission

Speakers
Joshua Breitbart
Senior Field Analyst, Open Technology Initiative
New America Foundation

Sylvia Strobel
Executive Director
Alliance for Community Media

Brandy Doyle
Policy Director
Prometheus Radio Project

Laurie Cirivello
Executive Director
Grand Rapids Community Media Center

Moderator
Tom Glaisyer
Media Policy Initiative, New America Foundation
Knight Media Policy Fellow

To RSVP for the event:
http://www.newamerica.net/events/2011/community_media

For questions, contact Stephanie Gunter at (202) 596-3367 or gunter@newamerica.net