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February 2012

OECD: Risks faced by children online and policies to protect them

As the Internet permeates every aspect of our economy and society, it is also becoming a daily reality in our children’s lives. While it brings considerable benefits to their education and development, it also exposes them to online risks such as access to inappropriate content, abusive interaction with others, exposure to aggressive marketing practices and privacy risks. To protect minors online, the OECD has released a new set of principles founded on evidence-based policy making and enhanced domestic and international co-ordination to improve national policy frameworks.

Some Apple fans no longer on speaking terms with Siri

Siri is easily the most touted feature of the 4S, Apple's best-selling iPhone ever. And there's speculation it might be a feature in the next version of the Apple iPad, expected to be unveiled in early March. So four months after Siri's debut, we wanted to see how consumers are taking to the talking assistant. Is it a must-have addition they couldn't live without, or a novelty that seemed fun at first, but now is barely used? We reached out to an unscientific sampling of USA TODAY readers to find out, and the verdict is 50-50. Some people absolutely love it, while others say they are no longer on speaking terms with Siri.

April 24-26, 2012
Dallas, Texas
http://www.bbcmag.com/2012s/

As the leading conference on broadband technologies for communities, the Broadband Communities Summit attracts broadband system operators, network builders and deployers of all kinds. Many of the country’s major property owners and real estate developers attend the Summit each year, along with independent telcos and cable companies, municipal and state officials, community leaders and economic development professionals.

The 2012 event will be the ninth annual Summit since the launch of the Towns & Technologies event series with an emphasis on fiber to the premises. Each year, the Summit has expanded its program, increased the number of attendees and attracted new sponsors and exhibitors. There were more than 950 registrants in 2011, and 1,000+ are expected for 2012.

The 2012 Summit program will feature more than 45 sessions and 125 presenters, including prominent keynoters. For the third year, the Rural Telecommunications Congress will colocate its annual event, Rural TeleCon, with the Summit.


BroadbandUS.TV
February 28, 2012
1:00-2:30 pm
http://www.tvworldwide.com/events/broadbandpolicy/120228/

Susan Crawford, formerly science and technology advisor to President Obama and currently a visiting professor at the Kennedy School and Harvard Law School, has recently written of a "crisis" in broadband competition in America, of the growing dominance of cable operators, and of a "new digital divide" between those who have access to high-capacity broadband networks and those who do not. Is she correct? Is the battle among wireline broadband providers just about over, and will only one group of companies be left standing? What role will wireless play in broadband competition, economic development, and America's global competitiveness? Is wireless in America still competitive, and will it remain so? Join BroadbandUS.TV co hosts Jim Baller and Marty Stern on February 28 for a wide-ranging discussion with Professor Crawford followed by a spirited debate on these issues among Larry Krevor, Vice President of Government Relations, Sprint Nextel; Dr. Lev Gonick, CIO of Case Western Reserve University; and Everett M. Ehrlich, President and business economist at ESC Company.


Technology Policy Institute
Aspen Forum
August 19 - 21
https://techpolicyinstitute.org/aspen2012/registrationinfo


Hudson Institute
February 22, 2012
12:00 - 1:30 PM
http://www.hudson.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=hudson_upcoming_events&id=921

One of the most valuable swaths of underdeveloped spectrum is currently allocated for television broadcasting. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) now has plans to reallocate parts of that spectrum for mobile broadband purposes and to auction the spectrum to the public. Congress last week passed legislation that would give the FCC the authority it needs to implement its specific plan.

The legislation has reignited the debate over broadcast spectrum and how to structure FCC auctions. Professor Thomas Hazlett will discuss the value of getting more spectrum into the marketplace, the dangers of regulatory micro-management, and various means to move spectrum quickly from low value to higher value uses.

Hazlett is Professor of Law and Economics at George Mason University, where he also serves as Director of the Information Economy Project. He has written for many publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Barron's, Slate, and the New York Times, and is a columnist (on technology policy issues) for the Financial Times. He has previously held faculty appointments at the University of California-Davis, Columbia University, and the Wharton School, and served as Chief Economist of the FCC.

Senior Fellow and Director of the Center, Harold Furchtgott-Roth, will moderate the discussion.

Questions can be submitted via Twitter: @HudsonInstitute with the hashtag #HudFCC



Disruptive Technologies, Killer Apps, and Raging Competition: What are the Rules?

California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy
February 23-24, 2012
See agenda http://www.cfee.net/_documents/ICT021512DftAgenda.pdf

Includes...

1:45 pm - 2:30 pm – Federal Update
Highlights of significant federal initiatives including (i) the modernization of the Universal Service Fund program and impacts on states; (ii) issues relating to incentive auctions for spectrum; (iii) National Broadband Plan update; and (iv) update on FCC cell tower policy.

  • Carol Mattey, Deputy Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau, Federal Communications Commission
  • Larry Downes, Senior Adjunct Fellow, TechFreedom


Reforming the Electronic Communications Privacy Act

University of San Francisco Law School
February 24, 2012
10:15am
http://www.usfca.edu/law/lawreviewsymp/panels/

Tutorial: A Primer on Electronic Privacy Law

Panel 1: Regulating the Cloud: Accessing and Protecting Stored Content

Keynote: Digital Due Process: A Coalition Approach to ECPA Reform
Jim Dempsey, vice president for public policy, Center for Democracy and Technology, and coordinator, Digital Due Process Coalition

Panel 2: Mapping Our Privacy: Use and Misuse of Location Data

Panel 3: In the Name of Safety: Law Enforcement Needs for Electronic Communication Data


New America Foundation
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
5:00pm - 6:30pm
http://newamerica.net/events/2012/the_facts_of_political_life

These may be the best of times and the worst of times for the cause of fact-based political discourse. By almost any measure, the 2012 presidential race is shaping up to be the most scrutinized electoral contest in American history, with every candidate’s every utterance vetted by droves of Twitterati, traditional news outlets, non-profits dedicated to objectivity, partisan media critics, and opposing campaigns themselves.

At a time of ever-accelerating news cycles, however, it’s increasingly difficult for subsequent clarifications and corrections to keep up with distortions and misinformation, as voters have typically moved on to the next story. And so, out-of-context quotes such as President Obama’s aside about Americans being (or not being) lazy and Mitt Romney’s love of firing people (or insurance companies) still have a great deal of staying power.

Against this backdrop, New America invites you to consider the interplay of these trends at a launch event for three papers that explore the history of journalistic fact-checking, the social science that explains its impact on the process and public attitudes, and the current fact-policing ecosystem.

Introduction
Tom Glaisyer
Knight Media Policy Fellow
New America Foundation

Featured Speaker
Lucas Graves
Research Fellow
Media Policy Initiative

Panelists
Wendell Potter
Senior Analyst
Center for Public Integrity

Jason Reifler
Assistant Professor
Georgia State University

Bill Adair
Editor, PolitiFact
Washington Bureau Chief for the Tampa Bay Times

Moderator
Steve Coll
President
New America Foundation


Bipartisan Policy Center
February 22, 2012
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/events/2012/02/cyber-security-new-models...

Featuring remarks by:

Julius Genachowski
Chairman, FCC

Panel discussion with:

Stewart Baker
Partner, Steptow & Johnson LLP
Former Assistant Secretary for Policy, DHS

Michael Glenn
Director, Risk Management Information Security, CenturyLink

Andy Ogielski, PhD
President, Renesys Corporation

Jenny Menna
Director, Critical Infrastructure Protection Awareness, National Cyber Security Division, DHS

Moderated by
General (ret.) Michael Hayden
Former Director, CIA and NSA
Co-chair, BPC Cyber Security Task Force


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