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Broadband Breakfast Live Online on Wednesday, July 15, 2020 — Public Input on Platform Algorithms

Published

2 years ago

June 29, 2020

Broadband Breakfast Live Online on Wednesday, July 15, 2020 — Public Input on Platform Algorithms: The Role of Transparency and Feedback in Information Technology

This panel will consider what role governments have, or should have, in reacting to the power of tech platforms vis-à-vis their role in public discourse. It truly aims to consider the pros and cons of government and public involvement and engagement in pushing platforms to adopt greater transparency about the use of their algorithms.

WATCH HERE, or on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

Panelists include:

Nicol Turner-Lee, Director, Brookings Center for Technology Innovation
Nathalie Maréchal, Senior Policy Analyst, Ranking Digital Rights
Harold Feld, Senior Vice President, Public Knowledge
Drew Clark (Moderator), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast

Panelist resources

“Brookings Panelists Emphasize Importance of Addressing Biases in Artificial Intelligence Technology,” Broadband Breakfast, June 19, 2020
Articles about Brookings Institution and Nicol Turner-Lee in Broadband Breakfast
“Ranking Digital Rights Project Seeks to Compare Privacy and Free Expression by Big Tech and Internet Companies,” Broadband Breakfast, September 5, 2019
“Social Media is Lowering the Quality of Our Information, Say Ranking Digital Rights Panelists,” Broadband Breakfast, May 27, 2020
“Social Media Self-Regulation Has Failed, Say New America Panelists,” Broadband Breakfast, July 7, 2020
Articles about Ranking Digital Rights and Nathalie Maréchal in Broadband Breakfast
“Public Knowledge’s Internet Superfund is a Vaccine Against Toxic Misinformation and Conspiracy Theories Run Rampant,” Broadband Breakfast, June 4, 2020
“Harold Feld Argues That Increased Regulation Will Be More Successful than Breaking Up Big Tech,” Broadband Breakfast, July 15, 2019
Articles about Public Knowledge and Harold Feld in Broadband Breakfast
Broadband Breakfast coverage of Section 230

Nicol Turner Lee is a senior fellow in Governance Studies, the director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution and serves as Co-Editor-In-Chief of TechTank. She researches public policy designed to enable equitable access to technology across the U.S. and to harness its power to create change in communities across the world. Her work also explores global and domestic broadband deployment and internet governance issues. She is an expert on the intersection of race, wealth and technology within the context of civic engagement, criminal justice and economic development.

Nathalie Maréchal is the senior policy analyst at Ranking Digital Rights, a non-profit research project that sets global standards to evaluate the human rights compliance of some of the biggest tech and telecommunications companies in the world. She’s an internationally recognized expert on privacy, freedom of expression, human rights and internet policy. Her most recent publications include the “It’s the Business Model” RDR report series, which argues that regulators and advocates should focus on how content is amplified and targeted instead of seeking to hold platforms liable for content posted by their users.

Harold Feld is Public Knowledge’s senior vice president and author of “The Case for the Digital Platform Act,” a guide on what government can do to preserve competition and empower individual users in the huge swath of our economy now referred to as “Big Tech.” For more than 20 years, Feld has practiced law at the intersection of technology, broadband and media policy in both the private sector and in the public interest community. Feld has an undergraduate degree from Princeton University, a law degree from Boston University and clerked for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

This event is part of a three-part event series,“Section 230: Separating Fact From Fiction,” on Broadband Breakfast Live Online that is sponsored by the Computer & Communications Industry Association.

The three events in the series include:

Event 1: Wednesday, July 1, 2020, 12 Noon ET — “Content Moderation: How it Works, Why it Works, and Best Practices”
- This panel will consider how different platforms approach content moderation, comparing reasons for a more active or more laissez-faire approach. It will consider what “best practices” have emerged for ensuring online diversity without permitting online harassment. It will also feature a discussion of how platforms moderate content in the U.S. versus internationally.
Event 2: Wednesday, July 8, 2020, 12 Noon ET — “Section 230 in an Election Year: How Republicans and Democrats are Approaching Proposed Changes”
- Is Section 230 the new bugaboo of election years? Will life return to normal in 2021? This panel will explore the combination of forces that have made Section 230 susceptible to political pressure from both sides of the aisle.
Event 3: Wednesday, July 15, 2020, 12 Noon ET — “Public Input on Platform Algorithms: The Role of Transparency and Feedback in Information Technology”
- This panel will consider what role governments have, or should have, in reacting to the power of tech platforms vis-à-vis their role in public discourse. It truly aims to consider the pros and cons of government and public involvement and engagement in pushing platforms to adopt greater transparency about the use of their algorithms.

Follow upcoming Broadband Breakfast Live Online events. See also other events in the series on “Section 230: Separating Fact From Fiction,” in Partnership with CCIA.

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Broadband Breakfast Live Online on Wednesday, July 8, 2020 — Section 230 in an Election Year

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Broadband Breakfast on June 1, 2022 — The Supreme Court, Social Media and the Culture Wars

The Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a Texas law banning social media companies from removing posts based on views expressed.

Published

1 month ago

May 31, 2022

Broadband Breakfast Staff

See “Experts Reflect on Supreme Court Decision to Block Texas Social Media Bill,” Broadband Breakfast, June 2, 2022.

Our Broadband Breakfast Live Online events take place on Wednesday at 12 Noon ET. Watch the event on Broadband Breakfast, or REGISTER HERE to join the conversation.

Wednesday, June 1, 2022, 12 Noon ET – BREAKING NEWS EVENT! – The Supreme Court, Social Media and the Culture Wars

The Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a Texas law that would ban large social media companies from removing posts based on the views they express. Join us for this breaking news event of Broadband Breakfast Live Online in which we discuss the Supreme Court, social media and the culture wars.

Panelists:

Scott McCollough, Attorney, McCollough Law Firm
Amy Peikoff, Chief Policy Officer, Parler
Ari Cohn, Free Speech Counsel, TechFreedom
Nora Benavidez, Senior Counsel and Director of Digital Justice and Civil Rights at Free Press
Drew Clark (presenter and host), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast

Panelist resources:

Supreme Court decision on HB 20, May 31, 2022
Narrow Majority of Supreme Court Blocks Texas Law Regulating Social Media Platforms, Broadband Breakfast, May 31, 2022
Explainer: With Florida Social Media Law, Section 230 Now Positioned In Legal Spotlight, Broadband Breakfast, May 25, 2021
Parler Policy Exec Hopes ‘Sustainable’ Free Speech Change on Twitter if Musk Buys Platform, Broadband Breakfast, May 16, 2022
Experts Warn Against Total Repeal of Section 230, Broadband Breakfast, November 22, 2021
Broadband Breakfast Hosts Section 230 Debate, Broadband Breakfast, June 1, 2021

W. Scott McCollough has practiced communications and Internet law for 38 years, with a specialization in regulatory issues confronting the industry. Clients include competitive communications companies, Internet service and application providers, public interest organizations and consumers.

Amy Peikoff is the Chief Policy Officer of Parler. After completing her Ph.D., she taught at universities (University of Texas, Austin, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States Air Force Academy) and law schools (Chapman, Southwestern), publishing frequently cited academic articles on privacy law, as well as op-eds in leading newspapers across the country on a range of issues. Just prior to joining Parler, she founded and was President of the Center for the Legalization of Privacy, which submitted an amicus brief in United States v. Facebook in 2019.

Ari Cohn is Free Speech Counsel at TechFreedom. A nationally recognized expert in First Amendment law, he was previously the Director of the Individual Rights Defense Program at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), and has worked in private practice at Mayer Brown LLP and as a solo practitioner, and was an attorney with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Ari graduated cum laude from Cornell Law School, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Nora Benavidez manages Free Press’s efforts around platform and media accountability to defend against digital threats to democracy. She previously served as the director of PEN America’s U.S. Free Expression Programs, where she guided the organization’s national advocacy agenda on First Amendment and free-expression issues, including press freedom, disinformation defense and protest rights. Nora launched and led PEN America’s media-literacy and disinformation-defense program. She also led the organization’s groundbreaking First Amendment lawsuit, PEN America v. Donald Trump, to hold the former president accountable for his retaliation against and censorship of journalists he disliked.

Drew Clark is the Editor and Publisher of BroadbandBreakfast.com and a nationally-respected telecommunications attorney. Drew brings experts and practitioners together to advance the benefits provided by broadband. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, he served as head of a State Broadband Initiative, the Partnership for a Connected Illinois. He is also the President of the Rural Telecommunications Congress.

Photo of the Supreme Court from September 2020 by Aiva.

WATCH HERE, or on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

As with all Broadband Breakfast Live Online events, the FREE webcasts will take place at 12 Noon ET on Wednesday.

SUBSCRIBE to the Broadband Breakfast YouTube channel. That way, you will be notified when events go live. Watch on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

See a complete list of upcoming and past Broadband Breakfast Live Online events.

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Broadband Breakfast on June 29, 2022 — Broadband Mapping and Data

Broadband Breakfast returns to one of the subjects that it knows best: Broadband mapping and data.

Published

1 month ago

May 26, 2022

Broadband Breakfast Staff

See “FCC Opens Broadband Data Collection Program,” Broadband Breakfast, June 30, 2022.

Our Broadband Breakfast Live Online events take place on Wednesday at 12 Noon ET. Watch the event on Broadband Breakfast, or REGISTER HERE to join the conversation.

Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 12 Noon ET –Broadband Mapping and Data

Now that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Notice of Funding Opportunity has been released, attention turns to a core activity that must take place before broadband infrastructure funds are distributed: The Federal Communications Commission’s updated broadband maps. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as implemented by the NTIA’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, these address-level maps from the FCC will determine the allocation of funds among states and serve as a key source of truth. Our panelists will also consider the role of state-level maps, the NTIA challenge process and other topics. Join Broadband Breakfast as we return to one of the subjects that we know best: Broadband data and mapping.

Panelists:

Bill Price, Vice President, Government Solutions, LightBox
Dustin Loup, Program Manager, Marconi Society’s National Broadband Mapping Coalition
Ryan Guthrie, Vice President of Solutions Engineering at ATS
Drew Clark (moderator), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast

Panelist resources:

Broadband Breakfast on April 20, 2022 — Broadband Mapping and Data: In-Home Connections
Broadband Breakfast on February 2, 2022 — Groundhog Day Special on Broadband Mapping
Broadband Breakfast on December 22, 2021 — When Will the Broadband Maps Get Fixed?
Ask Me Anything! with Lai Yi Ohlsen and Dustin Loup on June 17, 2022

Bill Price, Vice President of Government Solutions, is responsible for LightBox broadband data and mapping solutions for government. Bill has more than 40 years in telecommunications and technology services development and operations. His track record includes delivering the Georgia statewide location level broadband map, the first fiber metropolitan area network in the U.S., and launching BellSouth’s internet service. LightBox combines proven, leading GIS and big data technology to transform how decisions are made in broadband infrastructure planning and investment.

Dustin Loup is an expert on internet governance and policy and program manager for the Marconi Society’s National Broadband Mapping Coalition. Much of his work centers on improving digital inclusion and establishing transparent, open-source, and openly verifiable mapping methodologies and standards.

Ryan Guthrie is VP of Solutions Engineering at Advanced Technologies & Services. He started with ATS in 2006 and has been involved in all aspects of the business from sales and marketing through solution design and implementation. Ryan also manages regulatory solutions for ATS and has been deeply involved with the federally funded broadband projects by assisting ISPs with their performance measures testing compliance.

WATCH HERE, or on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

As with all Broadband Breakfast Live Online events, the FREE webcasts will take place at 12 Noon ET on Wednesday.

SUBSCRIBE to the Broadband Breakfast YouTube channel. That way, you will be notified when events go live. Watch on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

See a complete list of upcoming and past Broadband Breakfast Live Online events.

#broadbandlive

Broadband Breakfast on June 15, 2022 – Broadband Breakfast Live Online from Fiber Connect in Nashville

Join conference attendees in conversation on key connectivity issues.

Published

1 month ago

May 24, 2022

Broadband Breakfast Staff

Our Broadband Breakfast Live Online events take place on Wednesday at 12 Noon ET. Watch the event on Broadband Breakfast, or REGISTER HERE to join the conversation.

Wednesday, June 15, 2022, 12 Noon ET – Broadband Breakfast Live Online from Fiber Connect in Nashville

Join a conversation with attendees at the annual Fiber Connect conference in Nashville, Tennessee:

The purpose of this special session of Broadband Breakfast Live Online is to highlight some of the concerns that have been expressed by municipalities about the notice of funding opportunity recently issued by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. In this special session from Fiber Connect in Nashville, panelists will analyze what the NTIA got right and where it has blind spots. Equally importantly, we will discuss what can be done next so that cities have the opportunity to expand fiber to every corner of their communities when they seek to do so.

Panelists:

Gary Bolton, President and CEO, the Fiber Broadband Association
Scott Menhart, Chief Information Technology Office, Traverse City, Michigan
Kim McKinley, Chief Marketing Officer, UTOPIA Fiber
Bob Knight, executive board of the American Association of Public Broadband
Drew Clark (presenter and host), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast

Bob Knight is a broadband industry professional and public official. He serves on the executive board of the American Association of Public Broadband and is in his seventh term as a commissioner of economic and community development for Town of Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Gary Bolton serves as president and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association — the largest trade association in the Americas dedicated to all-fiber-optic broadband. With more than three decades in the telecom industry, Bolton joined the Fiber Broadband Association as president and CEO in 2020 after serving on the association’s board as vice chairman, treasurer and vice chairs of public policy and marketing committees. Prior to taking the leadership role at the Fiber Broadband Association, he spent 11 years at ADTRAN serving as vice president of global marketing and government affairs.

Scott Menhart, the chief information technology officer for Traverse City Light & Power (TCLP), has more than 20 years of experience in technology and broadband industries. He has been actively involved with multiple fiber to the premise deployments and recently launched TCLPfiber, a full municipal community network. TCLP currently serves nearly 13,000 electric customers and is currently working to expand TCLPfiber services to these customers.

Kim McKinley helps lead UTOPIA Fiber as its Deputy Director and Chief Marketing Officer. In 2010, she joined the network as a member of its turnaround team, and has helped cement today’s UTOPIA Fiber as the fastest-growing, highest-rated, and most-successful Open Access network in the United States.