[wsfii-discuss] International Summit for Community Wireless Networks (May 18-20, 2007, Washington, DC): CALL FOR PANELS.

[Sascha Meinrath]

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CALL FOR PANELS -- Due May 1, 2007
International Summit for Community Wireless Networks
May 18-20, 2007, Washington, DC
Send panel proposals and questions to: summit at cuwin.net
Register now online: http://www.cuwin.net/summit/registration

Since the first National Summit for Community Wireless Networks in 2004,
hundreds of community Internet and municipal broadband projects have sprung up
in the United States and around the globe.  Broadband access is increasingly
important to all facets of civil society, but many communities are being left
out of this communications revolution. "High-speed broadband access is the
electricity of the 21st century, yet many rural and poorer urban communities are
being left off the grid," says Ben Scott, policy director of Free Press, a
DC-based policy think-tank. "The innovators and organizers at the International
Summit for Community Wireless Networks are blazing the trail to make broadband
affordable and available to everyone."

The Community Wireless Networking (CWN) movement has evolved since its
beginnings in the 1990s.  Although it has made impressive strides in the area of
developing autonomous mesh networks, the larger success of the CWN movement has
been the encouragement of citizens, small businesses, and local governments to
get involved in local telecom infrastructure as important stakeholders.  More
than ever we are taking hands-on approaches to ensure that our communities have
the telecommunications infrastructure necessary for an inclusive, dynamic and
socially just future.  Although there is still a focus on the "wireless", CWN's
have served as rallying points for local movements for advocacy of the local
public interest of telecom infrastructure.  "Wireless networking is about far
more than Internet connectivity," states Sascha Meinrath, Summit Director.
"It's about building next-generation multi-media services for communities,
fostering economic justice, and facilitating a vibrant arts and cultural scene."

This year, Summit organizers are focused on the social and economic justice
aspects of wireless technologies and the impacts of community broadband on civil
societies worldwide.  With this in mind, the Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless
Network (CUWiN) and the Center for Community Informatics (CCI) are hosting the
International Summit for Community Wireless Networks from May 18-20, 2007 at
Loyola College in Columbia, Maryland and are looking for panel ideas from
throughout the wireless community to flesh out the Summit program.

The Summit focuses on how wireless networks can better serve their target
populations, the policies needed to support broader deployment of community
wireless systems, and the latest technological and software innovations in the
field.  We invite your submission and participation in this year's International
Summit for Community Wireless Networks to discuss and exchange ideas on how to
make universal broadband access a reality.  More information is available at:
http://www.wirelesssummit.org

The Summit serves as a space were citizens, creators of technologies,
businesspeople, policy advocates can gather to learn from one another and
develop new ideas on how to support telecommunications infrastructures that
serve the needs of communities.  Please join us in Washington, DC, May 18-20,
2007.  Register now at: http://www.cuwin.net/summit/registration

CALL FOR PANELS:

Interested presenters are encouraged to propose innovative panels focusing on
the three themes for the Summit: technology, policy, and implementation.  The
International Summit for Community Wireless Networks distinguishes itself from
typical technical and academic conferences by engaging all participants in an
ongoing dialog that encourages a strategic approach to community wireless
network development and telecommunications policy reform. Panelists will not
simply present their own work and opinions -- they will also serve as
facilitators of a process that records lessons learned and help produce a
comprehensive "to-do list" of action items for the coming months and years.
While three days is not long enough to develop a truly comprehensive strategic
plan, panels at the Summit represent a significant opportunity for thinkers,
developers, and stakeholders to produce substantial recommendations to support
the development of community wireless networks. The Summit is, in essence, a
gathering of leaders in the field and an opportunity to shape the future of this
movement.  Past panels can be reviewed at:
http://www.cuwin.net/2006summit/2006schedule

Panel ideas will be accepted on a rolling basis and must be received no later
than May 1, 2007.  Please send panel proposals and questions to: summit at cuwin.net

Travel stipends are available for speakers with financial need.