Santa Clara University -- Will Free Wi-Fi Close the Digital Divide?
On Oct.7, Santa Clara University's Center for Science, Technology, and Society, and the Broadband Institute of California will host a public hearing on municipal broadband and the underserved from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Arts and Sciences Building. The hearing is part of a project to educate representatives from the region's underserved groups so that they can make well-informed policy recommendations about commissioning their own broadband networks.
The project's format will involve:
-- Assembling a diverse community panel of Silicon Valley residents from underserved groups
-- Education about the issues through discussion of briefing papers
-- Convening a public hearing at which policy experts and stakeholders offer a range of perspectives in response to the public panel's questions
-- Facilitating the community panel's formation of a consensus statement of policy recommendations to local governments, which will be translated into several languages
-- Disseminating these recommendations widely, including to the news media and all cities in California
The project is inspired by "consensus conferences" that have been held worldwide to involve the public in technology policy issues.
"Silicon Valley is known for innovation, and new technologies call for new forms of public engagement," said Chad Raphael, conference organizer and associate professor of communication at SCU. "For example, the public hearing will be like a Senate hearing, except members of the public will be sitting in the senators' chairs."
The panel of community members will comprise low-income, ethnically diverse, disabled, youths, seniors, English-language learners, and rural residents -- groups that have the lowest rates of broadband access in the country. Experts testifying at the public hearing will include the major public and private partners responsible for building Silicon Valley's wireless network, including Wireless Silicon Valley (a project of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network) and Cisco Systems. Advocates for technology access will also testify, including the California Community Technology Policy Group and Great Valley Center. Also testifying will be existing broadband providers, such as the telephone companies, who have often opposed municipal broadband and expressed skepticism about its feasibility
"If broadband is a critical economic engine for communities to provide jobs and a way to close the digital divide, it is imperative that we address existing inequalities in broadband access," said Al Hammond, director of the Broadband Institute of California and law professor at SCU School of Law. "And the public needs to ask these questions before the networks are built, not after."
The project has been supported by a wide group of stakeholders on the municipal broadband issue. An advisory panel with representatives from the telephone industry, Silicon Valley technology companies, and community organizations has overseen plans for the project. After the hearing, the League of California Cities will partner with conference organizers to distribute the recommendations to all local governments in the state.
To register for the public hearing, visit www.broadbandforall.org or www.scu.edu/sts.
About Santa Clara University's Center for Science, Technology, and Society
The Center researches and promotes the use of science and technology for the common good. Through research, education, and public events, the Center brings together scholars, industry leaders, and public advocates to collaboratively serve humanity by leveraging its unique strengths.
About the Broadband Institute of California
The BBIC is a public policy institute at the Santa Clara University School of Law specializing in applied research and education in the areas of law, technology, and public policy. Through its research, publications, and conferences, the BBIC seeks to identify, document, address, and publicize the broadband and advanced network technology needs of California and the impact of state and federal policies on California's needs
About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located in California's Silicon Valley, offers its 8,397 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master's and law degrees. Distinguished nationally by the second-highest graduation rate among all U.S. master's universities, California's oldest higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. More information is online at www.scu.edu.