Telepocalypse

Freedom to Connect

I’m going to Washington, DC in April to attend David Isenberg’s Freedom to Connect conference. I’m speaking, as well as listening. Why do I go? Because it’s the best place to go meet dangerous ideas about network economics and society. I’m still grappling with David’s daunting question: What is the Network for? We’re barely a decade into the mass adoption of “stupid networking”, and still struggling with basic issues are what it means to “own” a network. What (if any) “ownership” over the ideas flowing across the network be conferred from posession of a right-of-way, some copper and a DSLAM? What positive “social” externalities does the network offer? What co-ordination or market failures exist? Where do our existing legal, commercial and polticial structures reach their limits and break in a networked society?

Anyhow, we interrupt this bilge-of-consciousness with a message from our conference sponsor…

I’d like offer a special deal to readers of your blog that does not appear on the official F2C website. It is about 50% off the standard early bird pricing, $295 (vs. regular early bird at $595). They need to use code FOBDL when they register at http://www.pulver.com/f2c/. Unfortunately, this deal expires on February 28.

F2C: Freedom to Connect, will happen April 3 & 4 in Washington DC. This year I’m doing it with Pulver.com, with partnership of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, Tropos Networks, O’Reilly Media, Voxeo, Free Press, Public Knowledge and many other companies and organizations concerned about Internet Freedom.

The speakers list is shaping up nicely. (If you’d like to come speak, welcome! Get back to me asap!) Here’s the lineup so far:

Reed Hundt is giving the Conference Keynote. Representative Rick Boucher D-VA is confirmed. Chris Sacca, Google’s biz-dev point-man has just signed up, and we have several other government VIPs at the forefront
of the Internet Freedom debate almost confirmed.

Other speakers include:
* Gary Arlen, Editor/Commentator, Arlen Communications Inc.
* Jonathan Askin, General Counsel, pulver.com
* Jim Baller, Senior Principal, Baller Herbst Law Group
* Drew Clark, Senior Writer, National Journal
* Mark Cooper, Research Director, Consumer Federation of America
* Cynthia De Lorenzi, CEO, Patriot.net
* Ed Felten, Professor of Computer Science and Public Affairs, Princeton
* Martin Geddes, founder, Telepocalypse.net [me!]
* Dewayne Hendricks, CEO, Dandin Group
* Dave Hughes, Owner, Old Colorado Communications
* Reed Hundt, Principal, Charles Ross Partners
* David Isenberg, Principal, Isen.com
* Jeff Jarvis, Creative Director, Advance.net
* Jim Kohlenberger, Executive Director, The VON Coalition
* Bruce Kushnick, Chairman, Teletruth
* Blair Levin, Managing Director, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Inc
* Om Malik, Editor, GIGAOM.com
* Rick Ringel, Dir. of Engineering, Media Applications Grp., Inter-Tel
* Doc Searls, Senior Editor, Linux Journal
* Ron Sege, CEO, Tropos
* Gigi Sohn, President, Public Knowledge
* Esme Vos, Founder, Muniwireless.com
* David Weinberger, Fellow, Berkman Center for Internet & Society
* Frannie Wellings, spokes person, Free Press
* Tim Wu, Professor, Coumbia Law School

More info at http://pulver.com/f2c

I’ll have a better time if you, dear reader, are there too. So do me a favour, and go sign up. See you when the cherry trees bloom!