Internet governance: domain name law & policy + the story of ICANN

Fisher/Zittrain

July 1, 2003 

We will talk if internet governance in way that synthesizes all of the sessions thus far. 

Why are people so interested in ICANN?   Who should run the outfit?  [more]

8:42:34 PM    

Applications: Wires and Wireless

Professor Yachoai Benkler, Yale Law School

Professor Lawrence Lessig, Stanford Law School

Reed Hundt, Former FCC chairman

Leslie Vadasz, Director Emeritus, Intel Corp

Lessig: After a morning of theory, we have two people who can talk of the practical aspects (Hundt, Vadasz). 

Hundt: Learned you should talk of way you want to see world, not the way it really is.  Want to talk about way that US and Europe developed a comprehensive approach to creating law and regulation to shape communications.  In the last three years that role has been reversed.  It may be we look back and are delighted.  Then we may say the some serious blunders occurred.  I will speak out.  Now I know you guys won’t let this out and the world won’t care what is said although it does impact the world

[more]

6:40:01 PM    

Logical: End to End

Professor Lawrence Lessig, Stanford Law School

1935, Edwin Howard Armstrong set up an experiment in Empire State building where he broadcast organ recital from transmitter in Long Island where he demonstrated FM technology versus AM technology.

This was his third extraordinary invention.  {discussion of attributes of FM vs AM}

At the time RCA owned dominant power and control of radio of that day.  The president of RCA was not happy – “I didn’t think he’d start a revolution – start up a whole damn new technology to compete against RCA.”

So, he worked the FCC and Congress to protect AM radio against FM competition.  He also fought the patents Armstrong had.  Because TV used FM tech to broadcast sound.  For six years RCA fought those patents.  So, after 6 years, Armstrong was broke – RCA settled for less than litigation costs.  Armstrong begged wife to let him settle – wife refused – so he stepped outside his house – on the 13^th floor.

[more]

3:39:36 PM    

The Technical is Political

Access to an open information environment

Dr. Yochai Benkler, Yale Law School

Offering a map on what we will be talking about this week.

Overview

• Models of Communication (and alternatives)
• The stakes of architecture
  • Political and Economic
• State of play at the physical layer
  • Towards duopoly in wires
  • Open Wireless Networks
• Outline of issues at the logical and content layers

Models of Communication

Trying to describe the structure of the network in terms of who gets to say what to whom and who decides who gets to say what to whom

Internet model represents spectrum of ways to organize production and exchange of information

[more]

1:46:42 PM    

Another attendee blogger

Andrew from Korea (ok, I am not gonna try his real name)

1:40:37 PM    

Why a blog is not another type of community bulletin board.

Several in the audience of the ILAW conference thought blogs were nothing but another community bulletin board.  Another said she didn't need another box of information to wade through.  Winer notes this link that answers a lot of those statements.

Microdoc News: "You may be ignored, linked to, ranted at, but nevertheless, you can have your say on your own weblog and continue to be a member of the blogosphere." [Scripting News]

10:43:40 AM    

Conference Blogging

As I mentioned before, we have a crew of educators in Seattle attending the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in Seattle this week.  A grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) assisted us in taking pre-service and in-service teachers, along with faculty from colleges of education to the conference.  One of the activities required of the participants is that they contribute to a weblog recounting their thoughts and experiences.

The participant’s entries into the blog are fun to read and packed full of information.  The insertion of links to websites, committed to the blog on the day of discovery, preserves mental notes to follow-up when they return to Georgia.  And, I see various conversations forming as participants discuss their personal experiences in the seminars and convention floor.

Sending experienced edublogger like Anne Davis is helping the crew assimilate the blog easier (even though I am not there – I can see where Anne is helping).  Tim Merritt is there (he manages the Manila server for everyone and is an avid blogger) and is noting what he sees.

The NECC weblog has drawn the interest of not only NSF, but International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) as well.  I think that weblogs can serve to extend and enhance the conference experience by continuing the conversations (a tip to Cluetrain) that are initiated at the conference.  There is a real value proposition in using weblogs this way.

Meanwhile, in Palo Alto, I am attending the Ilaw conference at Stanford.  A number of veteran bloggers (Wentworth does roll call) are in attendance and tending to their craft.  Particulary appropriate to our interest in weblogs and conference the noted blogger Donna Wentworth is busy blogging her third Ilaw conference ( 2002).  Her conference blogging receives numerous mentions in the blogging world and a review of her past conference blogging efforts is both rewarding and intellectually stimulating. 

I think blogging a conference is important in the following ways:

• Linking to and acknowledging the efforts of others who blog adds to the value proposition. 

•  If you tire of writing notes, or your listening skills fade, or that darn fly just won’t leave you alone, another blogger picks up the slack.  

• Perceptions and biases affect your note taking.  Cross-referencing other bloggers adds depth to the information captured from sessions. 

• Post-session, reviewing your notes along with the notes of others leads to further conversations that enhance the learning experience (just noticed I am slipping into educator speak… hmm…).  Adding links to other reference material adds value in another way.

Needless to say, I am sold on the idea of blogging conferences.  Now, to create a method that will grow and succeed….  Well, that’s another task.

10:34:20 AM