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NYC LOCAL: Friday 6 March 2009: A 25th Anniversary Assessment of the Break Up of ATT

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Mar 2, 2009, 12:46:15 PM3/2/09

Event: A 25th Anniversary Assessment of the Break Up of AT&T, March 6th, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 24th, 2009
(contact info below)

Has Divestiture Worked?
A 25th Anniversary Assessment of the Break Up of AT&T.

DATE: FRIDAY, MARCH 6th, 2009 TIME: 6PM-9PM
LOCATION: New York University, Warren Weaver Hall (251 Mercer), Room
109
PRICE: ADMISSION IS FREE. (RSVP requested, rs...@bway.net)

In 1984, AT&T, then the largest company in the U.S., was broken
up because of the monopoly controls "Ma Bell" had over
telecommunications. Known as "Divestiture", we have reached the
25th anniversary of the AT&T breakup and it is time to look
carefully and critically at the deregulation of
telecommunications to evaluate the effectiveness of this
important economic policy.

Open Infrastructure Alliance, (OIA) together with the Internet
Society, (ISOC) New York chapter, is convening a series of panels
to dialog on the deregulation of the telecommunications industry.
Among the key issues to be considered are:

. Has divestiture worked? A careful examination of the
consequences of divestiture and deregulation over the last 25
years.

. America is ranked 15th in the world in broadband. What role
does America's closed broadband networks (e.g., Verizon's FiOS
and AT&T's U-Verse) play in such a ranking? Do closed networks
fulfill last mile requirements of the Telecom Act of 1996?

. The Obama administration and Congress have put together a
massive economic stimulus package, including broadband
infrastructure projects. Does this new legislation address the
major issues or are other steps necessary?

The dialogue will assess whether deregulation has helped or
harmed America's digital future. What role should a new,
reconstituted FCC play? What policies and programs are needed to
make America #1 again in technology, broadband and the Internet?

Confirmed Speakers:(More to Come)

. Tom Allibone, LTC Consulting
. Jonathan Askin, Esq, Brooklyn Law School
. Dave Burstein, DSL Prime
. Frank A. Coluccio, Cirrant Partners Inc
. Mark Cooper, Consumer Federation of America
. Alex Goldman, ISP Planet
. Fred Goldstein, Ionary Consulting
. Bruce Kushnick, New Networks Institute
. Dean Landsman, Landsman Communications Group
. Scott McCollough, Esq.
. Joe Plotkin, Bway.net
. David Rosen, Consultant
. Dana Spiegel, NYCwireless

Market:
. A 25 year analysis of the Age of the Bell companies.
. How did America become 15th in the world in broadband?
. What is the role of the cable and phone companies?
. What happened to the price of phone service?
. Is wireless overtaking wireline services?

Regulation:

. Has deregulation helped or harmed the America's digital future?
. How do we deal with corporate controls over the FCC,
or should we scrap the FCC?
. How do we fund and create open, ubiquitous, high-speed networks?
. What should happen next with wireless services?
. What is the status of competition today,
and what needs to be changed for the future?
. What applications are going to drive the next generation?
. Is it time for another divestiture or other regulatory changes?

For More Information:
Joe Plotkin
T: 646-502-9796
E: bwa...@bway.net
Internet Society, NY Chapter
E: pres...@isoc-ny.org

</blockquote>

Distributed poC TINC:

Jay Sulzberger <secr...@lxny.org>
Corresponding Secretary LXNY
LXNY is New York's Free Computing Organization.
http://www.lxny.org

secr...@lxny.org

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Mar 5, 2009, 12:09:42 PM3/5/09

note-on-diction="Broadband is not the Net.
Broadband is a bundle of services
provided to customers of a few large companies.
The Net is the world communications system
open to all without let or hindrance."
note="More speakers are coming."

personal-remark="The speakers are extraordinary."
more="http://25thanniversaryofthebreakupofatt.blogspot.com">

From: "Bruce Kushnick" <br...@newnetworks.com>
To: <o...@lists.bway.net>
Date: Thu, 5 Mar 2009 03:41:43 -0500
Subject: [OIA] TOMORROW!! Agenda update for 25th Anniversary of the AT&T Break Up

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- PLEASE POST>
(CONTACT INFO BELOW)

Complete agenda and speaker bios at:
http://25thanniversaryofthebreakupofatt.blogspot.com/

EVENT: Has Divestiture Worked?
A 25th Anniversary Assessment of the Breakup of AT&T

DATE: *TOMORROW* FRIDAY, MARCH 6th, 2009 TIME: 6PM-9PM
LOCATION: New York University, Warren Weaver Hall 251 Mercer St. Room 109.
PRICE: ADMISSION IS FREE. (RSVP requested, by email to: rs...@bway.net
-or- Facebook, LinkedIn, or MeetUp ISOC-NY)

If you're concerned with the future of the Internet:

How does America get gigabit, open and ubiquitous, broadband telecom
infrastructure?

The goal of this conference is to outline the history of the last 25
years, discuss the current market issues, then give a view of the
future of broadband and telecom in the US that has been mostly untold
in the media. It is a future that leads to ubiquitous, very high
speed networks based on an infrastructure that is open to all
competitors -- giving customers choice, lower prices and new quality
products and innovative services. And widely acknowledged as critical
for long term economic growth.

*** NEW SPEAKERS ADDED ***
Carl Mayer, Esq. The State of Privacy in the US.
Kenneth Levy Former FCC telecom lawyer at the time of Divestiture.
Lou Klepner The New York City Co-op Fiber Network

AGENDA (subject to change)

PANEL 1: Historical perspective:
* Bruce Kushnick An overview and leading financial indicators. What
happened over the last 25 years?
* Tom Allibone Consumers: telephony costs and other issues of
telephony
* & Dean Landsman and broadband.
* Ken Levy Living history, perspective from within FCC
during the Break Up!
* Alex Goldman ISP/CLEC industry: regulatory follies over the past decade
* Mark Cooper The Failure of Market Fundamentalism in the Telecom
Sector: How Deregulation Derailed Divestiture or The
Operation was
Successful, but the Patient Died

PANEL 2: The Present State:
* Jonathan Askin The legal/regulatory environment then and now.
* Dave Burstein Broadband market roundup
* Joe Plotkin Small business broadband needs, and surviving as a
small competitive provider.
* David Rosen What filmmakers and other creators need to know
* Carl Mayer Privacy and the latest on the wiretapping case

PANEL 3: The Future State and Alternative Approaches:
* Fred Goldstein The current state of fiber optic networks. Are new
models like Structural Separation needed now?
* Lou Klepner NYC co-op fiber network
* Dana Spiegel The future of broadband spectrum
* W. Scott McCollough Legally rewiring telecom infrastructure: What is
possible? Divestiture2? Separation?

===================

For More Information:
Joe Plotkin
T: 646-502-9796
E: bwa...@bway.net

Internet Society, New York Chapter
E: pres...@isoc-ny.org
===================

_______________________________________________
Open Infrastructure Alliance
http://lists.bway.net/listinfo/oia

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