🚀 go-pugleaf

>   By merely showing up for your three minutes at a public hearing and
> representing that you heard it on the on-line grapevine, you could have
> an impact on the local foundation of telecommunications public policy for
> the 21st Century.
> 
> When:       March 13,   or on    March 27               7:30 pm
> 
> Where:     North Loop Branch Library, 2210 Hancock Dr on March 13
>                 Little Walnut Creek branch,  835 W Rundberg on March 27
> 
>   These hearings will be cablecast live on Channel 6 to generate public
> awareness of the issues.
> 
>   More public hearings by the Austin Telecommunications Commission will
> be scheduled later on in different parts of Austin.

How about scheduling a meeting for cable television *on* cable 
television?  I.e., have one of the live call-in shows be the same 
format and structure as these public meetings being held at libraries 
across the city.

Also, making the Telecommunications Board more accessible via the Net is 
another good idea.  How about putting more information on the City of 
Austin Web Page?  All that is there now is a list of appointees, past and 
present, and an outdated description of the Commission that says it's 
purpose is only for cable issues.  I'd like to see agendas of committee 
meetings, background papers, the RFI and RFPs for the fiber optic 
network, and other information made available. 

I also suggest the creation of a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file to
bring people into the same level of discourse.  One of the things that
I've noticed is that the conversations Terry Dyke is engaged with in these
public policy issues is remarkedly different from the conversations in the
media and other forums. We're not even on the same page about what's on 
the table.

Thanks for bring the debate into the online world -- but you got keep 
going further and farther.
> ************************************************************
> *Questions for the On-Line Citizen*
> *************************************************************
> 1. Is there a community need for a higher channel capacity from a
> fiber-optic system--not for more shopping channels, but for interactive,
> multimedia broadband services?  What sort of services can anyone out
> there realistically project?

Depends on your time frame, and if we started today:

1-5 years

telephone
Internet access
radio "broadcasting"
software distribution centers
electronic publishing -- access to databases and other information sources
distance learning

5-10 years

audio on demand
video
electronic commerce  

10+ years

video on demand
power load management
digital cash


> 
> 2. Is there a community need for an *open network* (i.e., individual or
> small-business innovators allowed to provide electronic multimedia
> services to consumers using the Time Warner system)?  This will be
> controversial and legally complicated, but is there a need? Is it worth
> pressing?

It is critical, absolutely necessary, and the foundation for justifying 
the City of Austin's involvement in the information infrastructure.  

If you drop the Open Platform requirement, you might as well as drop the 
entire project as far as I'm concerned.


> 
> 3. There is an Institutional Network in place, as a part of the cable
> system, that serves various City of Austin departments, as well as AISD,
> ACC, Travis County, the Unversity of Texas, and other jurisdictions.
> Channel 6 comes upstream out of the Council Chambers on this I-Net. A
> variety of uses save taxpayers money, promote cooperation between local
> government entities, and provide a window on government. Should we
> continue to build public service purposes into this system in return for
> the rights-of-way?

Yes. The primary danger to the city is swapping access to the rights of way 
and not receiving something of equivalent value in return.


David Smith	          *  Calendar of way cool e-things:   
bladex@bga.com            *  Mar 15-17    SXSW Multimedia
President, EFF-Austin     *  Mon Mar 20th EFF-Austin General Meeting
Board of Directors, CTCLU *  April 1-2    Robofest