(Subject to change.)
Nine Blind Men and the Elephant
Monday, April 3, 2006, 11:00am - 12:30
Freedom to Connect is a large beast. How you see it depends on where you stand. Here are some sample descriptions of various anatomical parts.
Jeff Chester, Center for Digital Democracy
Jeffrey Chester, CDD founder and executive director, has been an important force in public-interest media issues for more than twenty years. In 1992, he co-founded the nonprofit Washington, D.C.-based Center for Media Education (CME), along with Kathryn Montgomery, Ph.D. Jeff was a co-founder of the Telecommunications Policy Roundtable, and helped write its groundbreaking set of principles for the digital age in 1993. In 1995-1996, during the debate on the Telecommunications Act, he played a key role in fighting proposed deregulatory ownership measures for the broadcasting, newspaper, and cable industries. In 1996, Newsweek magazine named him one of the Internet's fifty most influential people. In 2000, Jeff created CME's project on open access and the future of the Internet, which he transferred to the Center for Digital Democracy upon the establishment of that organization in 2001. He is credited with helping to frame the debate and for uncovering key industry documents that helped expose the cable industry's plans for the Internet. During 2000 he co-led the effort, to impose conditions on the merger of AOL and Time Warner. In 2001, he was awarded a prestigious Public Interest Pioneer Grant from the Stern Family Fund. His book on US media politics, Digital Destiny, will be published in the fall by The New Press.
Prior to his media policy career, Jeff was a psychiatric social worker, investigative journalist, and a documentary filmmaker. His work has appeared on PBS, NPR and in many print publications. He also co-led the successful effort that resulted in the Congressional creation of the Independent Television Service. Jeff was also a co-founder of the National Campaign for Freedom of Expression, an artists rights advocacy group. He received his MSW in Community Mental Health from UC Berkeley in 1978 and his BA in psychology from California State University, San Francisco in 1975.
Michael Calabrese, Vice President, New America Foundation
As Vice President of the New America Foundation, Michael Calabrese directs the Spectrum Policy Program, co-directs the Retirement Security Program, and helps guide the Foundation’s work to reform and expand our nation’s health care coverage. Previously, Mr. Calabrese served as Director of Domestic Policy Programs at the Center for National Policy, as General Counsel of the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, and as pension and employee benefits counsel at the national AFL-CIO. An attorney and graduate of both Stanford Business and Law Schools, Mr. Calabrese speaks and writes frequently on issues related to fiscal policy, retirement security, health coverage, and labor markets. He has co-authored three books and published opinion articles in The New York Times, The Washington Post,, and The Atlantic Monthly. Mr. Calabrese is currently completing a book that advocates universal asset-building accounts to expand pension coverage and human capital investment among lower-income workers.
Dewayne Hendricks, CEO, Dandin Group
Dewayne Hendricks is currently CEO, of the Dandin Group, Inc., based
in Fremont, California, USA. Dandin Group offers a comprehensive
range of products and services, including research and product
development, for wireless communications via the Internet. He also
has been an active member of the Federal Communications Commission
Technological Advisory Council (FCC/TAC) for the past eight years.
Brad Templeton, Chairman, Electronic Frontier Foundation
Brad Templeton founded ClariNet Communications Corp (the world's first "dot-com.") He also created and publishes rec.humor.funny, the most widely read USENET newsgroup and its web site, www.netfunny.com. He is currently chairman of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the leading cyberspace civil rights foundation.
