Congresswoman Diane Watson to Speak at Broadband Breakfast Club on Dec. 8

WASHINGTON, December 7, 2009 – Congresswoman Diane E. Watson has confirmed that she will appear at the Broadband Breakfast Club on Tuesday, December 8, on the subject of “Setting the Table for the National Broadband Plan: Bridging the Digital Divide.”

Rep. Watson, D-Calif., will offer introductory remarks on an exciting program set to explore one of the most crucial issues of broadband policy: how to ensure universal internet access to all citizens.

Watson is a lifetime resident of and represents California’s 33rd Congressional District, which includes Culver City, portions of the City of Los Angeles, and unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.

A former Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia, Congresswoman Watson serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. In that capacity she serves on the Subcommittee for Africa and Global Health, the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Global Environment, and the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.

She is poised to speak on not only on bridging the digital divide in the U.S., but on ensuring that — internationally — broadband access is available and affordable.

Following Rep. Watson’s introductory remarks, the Federal Communications Commission’s top broadband adoption official will offer a keynote speech on broadband adoption, and on the FCC’s Omnibus Broadband Initiative.

That official, Brian David, has held senior management positions where he helped build several entrepreneurial technology and communications companies, and has also covered media and telecom clients as a strategy consultant and investment banker.

The welcoming and keynote speeches will be following by the panel discussion on the subject at hand.

Confirmed participants include:

• Robert Cornell, Washington Island Electric Cooperative
• Alan Inouye, Director, Office of Information Technology Policy, American Library Association
• Bruce Lincoln, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Columbia University
• Karen Archer Perry, Founder and President, Karacomm

In additional to her service of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Congresswoman Watson is a also member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and is the Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement. The Congresswoman is also on the Subcommittee for Domestic Policy and the Subcommittee for on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives.

She is also Chair of the Congressional Entertainment Industries Caucus.

Watson, who attended Los Angeles City College and matriculated at UCLA, received a B.A. in Education. She also holds a M.A. in School Psychology from California State University, Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the Claremont Graduate School.

Her lifetime commitment to education stems from her involvement in the Los Angeles public schools where she worked as an elementary school teacher and school psychologist. She has lectured at both California State Universities at Los Angeles and Long Beach.

In 1975, Congresswoman Watson became the first African-American woman to be elected to the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. Her legacy there includes efforts to expand school integration and toughen academic standards.

The year 1978 marked her election to the California State Senate where she was chosen to chair, from 1981 to 1998, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. She also served on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

She returned to California to run for Congress in a special election held on June 5, 2001, after the death of Congressman Julian Dixon. She was reelected on November 5, 2002 to a full two year term and has served in each succeeding Congress.

For further information, and registration, please visit http://broadbandbreakfast.eventbrite.com.