Yesterday was the 4^th annual OneWebDay, a celebration of the connections and experiences that the World Wide Web brings to people around the globe.   Susan Crawford, an Internet law scholar and current technology policy advisor to President Obama, founded this “Earth Day for the Internet,” which has evolved to include numerous partner organizations and individuals participating in local activities in their communities to create global awareness of this vital resource.

OneWebDay ambassadors in Washington, DC, participated in a day of service over the weekend to benefit local digital literacy organization Byte Back and then had a panel discussion entitled “Bold Ideas for the Future of the Internet” yesterday on Capitol Hill.  A welcome message from OneWebDay’s Executive Director Nathan James was followed by a keynote from FCC’s Executive Director of the Omnibus Broadband Initiative Blair Levin.  Levin shared his joy at celebrating the success of the Internet and his plans to focus on spectrum and digital inclusion going forward.

The panel discussion brought diverse perspectives to an audience of journalists, Hill staff and activists.  Speakers included:

• Joaquín Alvarado, Corporation for Public Broadcasting
• Kenneth Boley, District of Columbia Office of the Chief Technology Officer
• Amalia Deloney, Media Action Grassroots Network
• Kelley Ellsworth, Byte Back
• Amina Fazlullah, U.S. Public Interest Research Group
• Susannah Fox, Pew Internet and American Life Project
• Link Hoewing Verizon Communications
• Joanne Hovis, National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors
• John Wonderlich, Sunlight Foundation

The full video of the event will be available shortly on the OneWebDay homepage.  In the meantime, enjoy these clips from Susanna Fox of Pew and Link Hoewing of Verizon.

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