roundtable: Live from the Summit - Report # 4

roundtable: Live from the Summit - Report # 4

Live from the Summit - Report # 4

Lisa Kimball (lisa@tmn.com)
Tue, 29 Mar 94 13:43:30 EST 

Date: Tue, 29 Mar 94 13:43:30 EST
From: lisa@tmn.com (Lisa Kimball)
Message-Id: <9403291843.AA02142@tmn.com>
To: roundtable@cni.org
Subject: Live from the Summit - Report # 4


Report #4 - Live from the Summit


  The second panel of the summit has just gotten underway.
The focus of this panel is: "A Link Into Every Home - How,
What, and When?"  The moderator is Allen Hammond, Director,
Communications Media Center, New York Law School.

  In introducing the panel, Hammond said the fundamental
questions are "What is universal service?  What is universal
access?  And what do they mean to us as people?"

  Panelists include:

     Ron Binz, Colorado Office of Consumer Council
     Mark Cooper, Consumer Federation of America
     Deborah Kaplan, World Institute on Disability
     Robert Larson, WTVS in Detroit
     Michael Nelson, White House Office of Science & Technology
     Andrew Schwartzman, Media Access Project

  Deborah Kaplan is asserting that although the issues of
economics and affordability are real, so also are the issues
of language and culture.  Low income people need to be responded
to as real consumers just like everyone else.  We cannot assume
that one size fits all.  Universal service is not just charity.
We need full diversity on the Net.

  Ron Binz says he's been using the term "information superhypeway".
We need to reject the extremes of (1) build it and they'll come
and (2) the market will take care of everything.  Who's going to
build the NII?  It's going to take cooperation rather than
competition to fund the infrastructure.

  Andrew Schwartzman says we must understand that technology will
evolve in ways we cannot predict, and therefore we need specific
goals and objectives -- and public interest advocates must be
involved in setting these goals and objectives.

  The real challenge is to get the pipe into every home and
every school.  It might cost $2,000 per house to get the pipe
installed.  The cost of the boxes is much smaller.  (Mike Nelson)

  Robert Larson declares that public TV can and should play
a key role in the NII.  "We are already involved in serving
the needs of citizens."  ....  "Don't forget public broadcasting!"
(applause)

  Deborah Kaplan:  multi-media potentially will make accesibility
MORE difficult for the disabled.  The much touted GUI interface
cannot be allowed to keep blind people from the Net, for example.

  (Foo... time ran out before taking any questions from the net!)

  (Everyone has to leave so the Secret Service can "clear" the
room for the Vice President's arrival after lunch.)

  (A reminder from your reporter:  everyone is invited to
contribute to these records of the Summit.  Send your email
to summit@tmn.com and we'll have a better and more complete
summary of this event.)

             .. ...frank      at tmn.com     noon in Washington DC

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