NextGenWeb recently attended an event hosted by the Internet Innovation Alliance titled “Closing the Broadband Gap in Rural and Underserved America”.  During the discussion, panelists explored where the broadband gap occurs, who it affects, and what can be done to remove obstacles that inhibit greater broadband adoption.  The panelists included Dr. Rob Atkinson, President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Mark McElroy, Senior Vice President of Communications at Connected Nation, Emily Parker, Program Officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Alec Ross, Executive Vice President of External Affairs at One Economy.  Emily Parker specifically discussed the initiatives of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to bring broadband to libraries in rural America.

Click Below to See Highlights from the Panel and an Interview with Emily Parker

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NextGenWeb recently attended a Health IT Now coalition event where members of the coalition called on Congress to pass health information technology legislation this year.

In a briefing for Members of the House and Senate and their staff, former Congresswoman Nancy Johnson was joined by representatives from coalition member groups the American Diabetes Association, the Genetic Alliance, Consumers for Competitive Choice, and the Whitman-Walker Clinic.

Click Below to See Highlights from the Event

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NextGenWeb.org was onsite in Chicago today to continue its wall-to-wall coverage of this year’s NXTcomm conference in Chicago. One of the broadband panels today featured an interesting cross-section of industry experts. The “Broadband Mind Bender Session” included Tony Bates, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Service Provider Technology Group at Cisco. Joining Mr. Bates on the panel was someone you may not immediately associate with the importance of broadband deployment. Dr. Henry Marcy, Vice President for Food Streaming Solutions at Whirlpool was there to explain why Moms and kids have as much to gain from broadband technology as anybody.

 Click here to see his interview with NextGenWeb

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One of the more compelling panels at this year’s NXTcomm conference in Chicago was the “Rhetoric versus Reality: Putting the Broadband Debate into Perspective.��? The panel was well-attended by industry leaders, but one of the more interesting testimonials came from Theresa Davis, the outpatient care director at iNOVA. Ms. Davis spent some time with NextGenWeb.org after the panel to discuss the role telemedicine and broadband play in improving the efficiency and quality of patient care. Click below to see her comments.

To Watch Her Interview Click Here

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NextGenWeb recently attended a press conference hosted by the Health IT Now! Coalition entitled “Governors Urge Congress to Pass Health Information Technology”. Chet Culver, Governor of Iowa, Jim Douglas, Governor of Vermont, and Joe Manchin, Governor of West Virginia, spoke about the need for health IT legislation. The governors collectively declared that progress in every state is limited because the federal government has yet to establish health IT standards. The Governors agreed that standards must be set by Congress in order to finally allow care providers, insurers and state programs to adopt software and hardware systems that will allow every state to be interoperable with one another.

Click below to watch the Governor’s speeches

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This event is now over. Please click play above to watch an archived version of the debate from George Washington University on February 25th. The event, sponsored by the Democratic Leadership Council and the Congressional Institute, is being led by House Democratic Caucus Chair Rahm Emanuel and House Republican Conference Chair Adam Putnam.

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NextGenWeb recently spent a day visiting the San Francisco One Economy center. At the heart of the organization’s work is the development and growth of the San Francisco Beehive and the youth leadership program, Digital Connectors.

The Digital Connectors are youth leaders who serve as technology ambassadors in low-income neighborhoods in cities throughout the US. They are trained by One Economy so that they may educate their friends, families and neighbors to connect to the Internet and use its resources to find new jobs, learn new skills and help educate their children.

In San Francisco, One Economy also partnered with the city to build and launch new digital inclusion programs to help families obtain affordable computers and Internet access. Working with the Mayor’s Office of Community Development, One Economy built digital communities at low-income housing centers throughout the city. These digital communities have helped hundreds of families become first time computer owners and receive critical computer and Internet training.

Click below to watch our v-cast interviews with Leonardo Sosa, Program Director of One Economy and other program representatives and associates who discuss the impact broadband access has on the low-income communities of San Francisco.

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NextGen Web recently attended the State of the Net Pre-Conference “The Future of Broadband: Moving from Why to How”, co-hosted by App-Rising and Educause, on January 29, th. FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps kicked off the pre-conference by voicing his support for a new Educause white paper, which was later explained in depth by Steve Worona (Policy Director, Educause). Click here to read Geoff Daily’s Full Event Recap. Following a panel and series of discussions, NextGen Web conducted V-Cast interviews with several pre-conference participants, including John Hughes (CEO, GOSN), Tom Spengler (CEO, Granicus), and Gary Bachula (VP for External Relations, Internet2).

Click Below to watch the Interviews

NextGen Web also attended the panel discussion “Measuring Broadband: What Metrics really Matter?” During the panel, discussion ranged from the need for a national broadband strategy, to a questioning of the accuracy of broadband statistics, to the importance of focusing on the demand side of the broadband equation. The panel consisted of FCC Commissioner Jonathon Adelstein, George Ford of the Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal and Economic Policy, John Horrigan from the PEW Internet and American Life Project, and Link Hoewing of Verizon Communications.

Click Below to Watch Highlights from the Panel Discussion

Following the panel discussion, NextGen Web caught up with Tom Tauke, Executive Vice President for Public Affairs, Policy and Communications at Verizon Communications. Mr. Tauke discussed the role that broadband plays in addressing major public policy issues in areas such as the environment, energy, and learning. He also focused on how broadband is being used to improve productivity and efficiency in healthcare through such applications as telemedicine and remote monitoring.

Click Below to Watch NextGenWeb’s Interveiw with Tom Tauke

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NextGenWeb recently caught up with Tom McDonald, CEO of BeSafe. BeSafe is a company that creates easy-to-use interactive applications that allow first responders to access immediate and accurate information about K-12 and higher education buildings. BeSafe has created a program that is designed to equip emergency personnel with the information they need when responding to incidents at sites where they frequently have limited prior experience or only partial knowledge about important building details. In this exclusive interview with NextGenWeb, Tom explains that the use of broadband is vital to the application of BeSafe because broadband allows first responders to be provided with real time information regarding building infrastructure, door numbering systems, and live video feeds.. Broadband also allows the responders to have an interactive experience, making them more efficient and prompt when dealing with situations that demand quick reaction. Mr. McDonald clearly states that without broadband, BeSafe would not be as accessible or as effective.

To Watch Tom’s Interview, Click Here

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NextGenWeb recently attended the University of San Francisco School of Law symposium on Net neutrality. Check back next week for our full feature on the symposium.

California PUC Commissioner/ California Broadband Task Force member Rachelle Chong delivered the symposium keynote speech. A one time FCC Commissioner appointed by President Clinton, Ms. Chong was appointed to the California Public Utilities Commission by Governor Schwarzenegger in January, 2006. She has been a career communications regulatory attorney, practicing before the FCC and the PUC. At the California PUC, she has been deeply involved in issues relating to telecommunications regulation and consumer education.

During her keynote speech, Commissioner Chong discussed how a hands-off regulatory approach has fueled Internet innovation and how open market structures have shaped its success. She also spoke about her recent paper titled “The 31 Flavors of Net Neutrality: Beware of the Trojan Horse” which argues that Net neutrality is a concept with many unintended consequences.

After the keynote, NextGenWeb conducted a v-cast interview with Ms. Chong. The Commissioner discussed the CA Telehealth Network and how unnecessary regulation provisions would affect the ability for the Telehealth Network to deliver its intended services. She also spoke about the California Broadband Task Force and its recommendations to provide broadband access to the 4% of California residents who are currently unconnected to broadband.

Click here watch her interview and highlights from the panel discussion

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