If you caught last week’s Los Angeles Times coverage of the TechCrunch Primaries, you know we’ve tried to underline the increasingly important relationship between technology and politics – we have to know the candidates’ positions on tech issues.
That’s why I’m happy to announce our support for this year’s Personal Democracy Forum event in New York next week, which will bring together a large panel of experts to explore these issues. This year’s slate includes talks from Vint Cerf of Google, Joe Green of Causes, Craig Newmark, Lawrence Lessig, Clay Shirky, the internet directors of the Obama, Clinton, McCain campaigns and the Republican National Committee, and the CTOs of the biggest voter file companies. The conference will also feature top political bloggers on the left and right, some guys named Calacanis and Scoble, and a strong TechCrunch presence.
The conference is doubly important given this year’s upcoming election. Political agendas have begun to encroach on the technological freedoms we take for granted: As I wrote earlier this month, America is falling behind in broadband penetration and data speeds, due to the lack of serious competition in the marketplace. We need to push the presidential candidates (and congressional candidates) to spell out, as clearly as possible, what they’re going to do about this – something we’ve been trying to do here at TechCrunch with our Tech President primary and podcasts, and something the folks at Personal Democracy Forum, Andrew Rasiej and Micah Sifry (Dave Sifry’s older brother) have also been talking about for a long time as well.
It’s also time for more industry leaders to push politicians to take a more forward-thinking approach to how government distributes public information. We hear a lot these days about how the internet is affecting the election, which PdF will cover from every conceivable angle, but in some ways it’s far more important to look at how we can start rethinking how government works, and how it can more effectively connect with American citizens to help solve problems. PdF is expanding to two days this year to devote a whole day to this issue, and my guess is that come 2009, we’re going to have an administration (either Obama or McCain) that is more open to trying to use the tools of the social web–blogs, wikis, crowd sourcing, etc–to open up governance.
We’ve got five tickets to PdF to give away. Add a comment about why you should be selected to attend, and we will choose the five top answers to win the free PdF tickets.
The high penetration of broadband in Korea was a result of intense competition. If you allow multiple ISP entrants, they will compete to be your choice. (But expect a lot of digging your streets.)
If there is a protected monopoly (one ISP and no more entrant allowed), a regulation like Net Neutrality may need to be considered. But normally, market competition is the better solution.
The Obama/Paul campaigns have thoroughly proven the power of technology in politics, breaking every conceivable fund raising record by empowering more people to easily donate and get involved in politics (i.e. meetup). It’s more clear than ever that politics and web/tech/blogging will have an inexorably connected destiny
Now for the shameless promotion for the ticket…
Used to work on capital hill (winter 98, if you remember what was going on then…)
Huge political junkee (saddest day of the year for me was when I heard i wouldn’t be waking up anymore to see my friend Russert on Meet the press)
Oh, and in my spare time, I try and run a technology company and love bloggers (almost as much as politics)
Congrats to the guys at Personal Democracy Forum for setting up an awesome conference – the lineup is really impressive. This is the “must-attend” event of the year for anyone interested in the intersection of technology and politics.
Ops!
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As a political correspondent for a citizen journalist network I’m already seeing the power (and the limits) that high speed broadband provides my coverage (especially in the arena of live streaming). If alternative, revenue viable forms of journalism are to thrive broadband penetration and quality needs to start improving sooner rather than later.
I would love to attend PDF to help develop/implement any action plans to keep the internet both neutral and fast. Thanks!
As a former grassroots campaign strategist (issue advocacy), a major issue as I see it is the broken system of communications between citizens and their elected officials. Congress is inundated with millions of email messages (a mix of spam, bots, and real people) and they can’t make head’s or tails of any of it. They don’t always trust what’s real and what isn’t, and the vendors and the organizations they serve with their email apps demand that they be taken seriously. There’s a serious wall of noise that separates lected officials and their constituents.
But the good news is that elected officials want to hear from their constituents, and I am developing a platform to address these issues that will be launched in a few months. PDF is something I need to attend, but the fact that it’s in New York makes the travel + tix cost prohibitive against my entrepreneurial-strapped budget. Thanks for your consideration.
Oh, and a good place to learn about how broken the “communicating with Congress” system is, visit the Congressional Management Foundation.
http://www.cmfw...&Itemid=109
I help run a small, Albany based non-profit. It has been exciting to participate in the process of volunteer recruitment, financial sustainability, networking, and all the rest of the game. There certainly are many resources available to interested individuals about the many facets of non-profit/civil society work, but nothing beats experiential learning.
I’m also a novice reader in technological trends as witnessed by my gReader list, some of my writings and of my course selections.
I have been to some academic conferences, and many turn out to be boring sessions of zero energy. I hope the big names have a greater propensity towards creative zest and improvisation.
This is fantastic stuff, but I’m in start-up land, and can’t justify the price of entry to PDF.
The work of any large organization depends on efficient flows and processing of information. There’s no more sprawling and bureaucratic organization than the US government, and there are endless opportunities to help it work better.
I’ve worked with lots of relevant technologies in my career – networking hardware, telecom services, wireless, internet, and most recently, social networking. I’ve also worked in government, and am increasingly fascinated by the opportunities to help government gain the same kind of productivity boosts from technology that the private sector has achieved.
I arrived in this wild and crazy industry after four years study towards an international political economics degree. The one thing that drove me towards the internet is its uncanny ability to bring about change. Connecting every American and helping the country embrace social media is a necessary step to help keep the government and mainstream media in check. However, my hope is that they don’t focus simply on homeland internet connectivity and innovation and apply a holistic view of how America can play a role in the global proliferation of internet technologies. Blogs, wiki’s and in general the dissemination of accurate information across global borders are a key element of helping fight corruption and bring about change some of the most oppressive regimes. It is a pleasure to see government pro actively embracing technology and innovation.
See you there Mike. I met Andrew recently and he’s a very smart individual. Looking forward to the conference.
-Austin
The intersection of technology and politics needs to start at a grassroots level. As a former local politician, I have found that even at the most basic levels, technology is completed underutilized. Two (or maybe three) years ago, our State Democratic Chair was approached about starting a myspace promotional campaign. He didn’t understand how it worked and therefore the idea went nowhere. I understand that it is extremely important on the national level, but someone has to start educating our State and local politicians as well.
I would like to get tickets to the conference to give to the two state-party chairmen so they can begin to see what they are missing out on.
Oil prices have soared. The world faces a severe food crisis. Unemployement has increased significantly. Inflation has hit average Americans hard. Foreclosures are near their highest levels ever. Major financial institutions are on the brink of insolvency and having to raise money from foreign investors.
Yet Michael Arrington wants to talk about the fact that “political agendas have begun to encroach on the technological freedoms we take for granted” and laments that the United States (America is not a country) is lagging in broadband penetration and data speeds.
The solution? Attend a $695 conference curiously called “Personal Democracy Forum 2008.”
Ironically, just as in politics, if you want to interact with “leaders from the world of technology, politics, government, journalism, blogging, and activism” you have to pay the price of admission.
I would love to attend the PDF. Why should I get one of those free tickets? Well, I’m probably smarter than most of the people leaving comments here (but I’m sure Noah Kunin has me whooped — please, please, please, give him a ticket!), and I’m not good at being modest. I’d do my best to share the experience by bringing some interesting insights to reporting from the PDF.
I blog at unjournalism.com about technology and communication, and I blog at the TheSameRowdyCrowd.com about politics and communication — all areas that fit nicely with the content to be covered at PDF.
I’m not a typical “left wing vs. right wing” hack, either. I consider myself a conservative libertarian, and I’m always more interested in a thoughtful discussion more than fighting for one “team” over the other.
And I have a high-def video camera, so I’m glad to share my experiences with the world!
@Malthus I read another blog this morning regarding a possible alternative to the high price of imported oil at http://www.siliconcalley.com by a start-up in California. Somehow we need to reach politicians because right now they are only listening to the big money lobbyists. How does a start-up like LS9 get heard in Washington? Simpy put, lobbyists fund a politicians’ campaign and, in return, get preferential treatment for it. Money talks. We need a stronger presence in the arena to make any difference at all. If this conference helps merge the two, isn’t it worth the price of admission?
I first connected to the web when it was a small village. I used it to play, to talk and to read. I was a kid, and that’s just what kids do.
Then I discovered OhmyNews, went to their forum in Seoul in June 2005, and discovered how the web could be used to challenge authority.
I then decided to make my job of explaining what the web is, what it can be used to, and most importantly how it would reinvent a broad range of our daily life.
The main challenge I’m confronted to is the mix of ignorance and lack of interest of lots of people I work with about things that are going to configure their life and their children’s life.
Now that companies and people are on the net, as Lawrence Lessig, I feel the urge of bringing the important issues of the web to our societies in a much broader way than it happens today.
Politic makers are here for that but most of them fall under the same ignorance and lack of interest.
We are in this paradoxal situation where the last French Presidency made a massive use of Internet, but at the same time:
- craft restrictive legislation.
Today, in France a new law on copyright on the net is about to be voted, creating a special administrative unit to fight against the internauts on behalf of the copyright holders, allowing internet cutting as a punishment for three-timers of the copyright infrigment.
- confuse technology and use.
The recent official “Assises du Numeriques” was all about broadband technology and no internaut participation.
This concerns me much, because neither of the people voting the law, neither the people against whom it’s voted really understand what’s at stake at the end of the day.
So I’d like to participate to this event to gain more insight, learn more from US actors and initiatives happening around the US Presidency campaign and also share my experience of the French web/political landscape.
Help me do my job better by offering me the ticket to the conference, I’ll buy my flight Paris-NY right away.
What is truly interesting is how the two “topics” mentioned above relate to each other. It is obvious that greater competition in the marketplace can help lower the barriers to broadband access. The further this envelope is pushed, however, the more effective internet-based communication strategies will be for government leaders. As their potential audience grows, not only will these methods of communicating with citizens be more effective, but leaders will be more inclined to use them (thus making them more effective, etc. – though I’m sure there are some decreasing returns involved here).
I recently finished up my M.A. in Political Science (and have always been a computer nerd). Recently I have begun research on the above subjects. I’m particularly interested in the potential that “forward-thinking” approaches and internet-based technologies have in boosting our country’s depressingly low political knowledge/participation. Attending this conference would obviously provide me with a wealth of information for this research, and would be a great opportunity for me to learn from those who stand at the intersection of my two passions (i.e. politics and technology).
Jennifer: why does LS9 need to “get heard” in Washington? According to the article below, LS9 is not seeking government subsidies, has a former Royal Dutch Shell executive as president, says that its “renewable petroleum” can be distributed through existing infrastructure and that it will be able to ramp up to commercial-scale production within several years.
It seems to me that if LS9 can execute, it has every chance of competing in the marketplace without political favors or handouts.
That’s the way it should be.
http://gristmil...7/30/2124/78022
@Malthus I’m not talking about government subsidies at all. I’m referring to oil company lobbyists not allowing anyone else into their little arena. Do you think Shell or Mobil want to run the risk of someone coming in with a really good alternative to their stronghold on petroleum sales in the U.S.? Why do you think that cars are still being manufactured with low fuel mileage? The oil companies have a very strong lobby and the money to get presidents elected. If you’re not running with the big dogs, you can’t get off the porch.
We’ve got five tickets to PdF to give away.
Hmmm. Why should I be selected for free tickets?
I’ve been interested in the political blogosphere for years (blame Paul Krugman and this column in particular from a few years back).
And, this past month I just earned a degree in Human Factors and Information Design. I would love to go, circulate some business cards, and socialize my startup ideas a bit (I have a couple).
However, as would not be surprising for a recent graduate, I don’t have lots of funds to buy a ticket, even though I live within striking distance of New York and could probably stay with a friend. It would be great to chat a bit with some of the people attending, many of whose blogs I’ve been reading for a few years now…
(Eh, too earnest sounding for this crowd. I’m probably not going to get it…)
Jennifer: what car do you drive? How much money did you spend on gas last year? Do you take public transportation? Do you carpool? Have you calculated how much unnecessary driving you engage in?
If you have reduced your energy consumption, take pride in knowing that you’ve voted your conscience with your wallet.
Other Americans have voted with theirs. Nobody has forced Americans to purchase fuel-inefficent automobiles. I have yet to see a photograph of a Saudi holding a gun to an American’s head and forcing him to fill up his gas tank. And last I checked, poor urban planning in the United States was driven by consumer demand.
It’s sad that so many Americans, like you, feel victimized by government and lobbyists yet seem so disconnected from your power as a consumer to circumvent Washington by casting the most powerful vote of all: how and where you spend your money.
One of the great ironies about the United States is that its citizens seem so beholden to government yet continue to perpetuate government’s power by asking government to play a role in so many aspects of their lives.
When it comes to energy, please save us the complaints and start looking at how your country has willingly purchased ~25% of the world’s oil despite having only ~5% of the world’s population.
In other words, take some personal responsibility.
I’ve been involved in moderating internet evolution, a site which deals with the future of the internet. One of the topics we’ve been covering in our boards is how th internet is influencing politics, not only here in the U.S. but for the world in general. I’m a civil engineer by profession but have often found myself in unavoidable politically hot spots in my country , Sierra Leone. Understanding the resources which the internet has put in our disposal will be of great help to my country’s young and flagaring democracy. A few post of some of the articles at internet evolution dealing with the subject matter: Will The Internet Recreate Politicians (http://www.inte...mp;F_src=flftwo)
Without any verifiable metrics, I’m the biggest Obama supporter in Canada. Do not neglect your 51st state and 2nd class citizens!
Great to see TC continuing to push the technology envelope for 2008.
Would love to grab a pass for one of our futureblogger.net writers who’d ask some tough questions related to the campaigns’ cognizance of near-term accelerating change (it does come into play over the next 4 years), the potential impact on policy / national culture, and also some specific energy and tech policy items. We’re hard core futurists that could help add a bit of full-court tech/future pressure (even if it just spreads the meme) in a critical election year.
I’m a human rights professional and political activist interested in leveraging Web 2.0 technologies to promote social justice and environmental sustainability. Last year I created a social network (impeachspace.com) to coordinate pro-impeachment actions in 125 locations around the country on April 28, 2007 (see A28.org).
Now I’m in San Francisco doing an MBA in Sustainable Management at the Presidio School of Management, and thinking about how to make sustainability go viral. I’ll be in NYC during PDF, and would love to attend, but can’t afford the cost of admission.
Thanks for doing this!
Jennifer is completely right. I’m not just saying that because she referred to my blog either lol.
@Malthus Babe, you were the first person to mention high oil prices. Then when she basically agrees with you, and suggests a very viable option, you shoot her down. I guess that’s kind of a trend here, but in all honesty, she’s 100% right. Campaigns are funded by a lot of different people, and favors are definitely pulled. Those people expect favors in return. That’s how politics works. That’s personally why I support McCain, because he has the lowest campaign budget. Obama has the lowest salary out of all the candidates, and the highest budget. That means when he gets into office, he’s going to have a lot of people to pay back.
It doesn’t matter if she rides a bike to work or drives an Escalade. Gas prices are what they are, no matter what our usage is. Our usage simply affects how much money we spend on gas. Obviously everyone is going to try to cut back as best they can, but we still need to buy oil and gas. LS9 offers a great alternative, that will not affect the way we buy our cars or heat our houses. But unfortunately, because of the nature of politics small companies, such as LS9 are at a severe disadvantage.
As for the price of admission, these speakers have a price. If you want a great lineup, you will have to pay to see them. Two days at Lincoln Center isn’t exactly free either. All of these conferences are usually filmed, so anyone who can’t afford them can usually watch them after.
There is a new start-up in beta called Ameritcracy.com that is looking to be a platform to help “open up governance”. I hope it takes off.
Michael, you are supposedly a lawyer. Please explaing to how solving the “broadband problem” is the President’s responsibiity? or the Fed Govt’s responsibility for that matter. Please cite the article Article in the Constitution that grants the Fed govt the power to act here. Now, I guess you could do the FDR thing and assign it to interstate commerce. A bit of stretch. Either way, why should my tax dollars go to pay for YOUR broadband access?
Second, what “technological freedoms” have we been granted? And from where have they been granted?. I see nothing in the Constitution that grants us these freedoms. Please explain.
Why aren’t moveon.org and dailykos and echoditto (nicco mele) represented at this event? I love Craig Newmark and Jason Calacanis, but really, if we’re talking about political forces in the digital sphere, it seems that PDF is missing out on the big names. Ron Paul and his digital campaign crew would be more elucidating that the stiffs behind the other presidential wannabes.
Sylvia–
I think the focus is more on the technology. Maybe a lot of the people doing the sites you mention are more into the politics. Still, it’s a pretty good list:
http://pdf2008....df2008/speakers
Josh Marshall, Jay Rosen, Joe Trippi, Lawrence Lessig, Matt Stoller… just to name a few. I don’t think the event suffers that much because it’s missing Markos Moulitsas…
@Malthus I don’t know what planet you’re from, but here the political system in the United States is run by big money. If you’re a large corporation and can help get a politician elected, they’ll be your friend for life. And no, I’m not blaming the government for anything; I blame those who are responsible for corrupting it. I certainly don’t feel “victimized” by anyone. I ran for office, was elected and served my constituents well. How about you? What have you contributed? Are you so simple minded that a single consumer can save the world? Of course not. That’s why I said what I did earlier. Let’s get people connected with Washington. Let’s get people connected anyway we can. Let’s tell the polititians what we want from them en masse. Let’s get connected. If we make ourselves a force to be reckoned with, along with a forum like PdF.
Let’s not forget, the politicians have the added advantage of getting their platforms out to us so we can make more intelligent decisions when we step into the voting booth.
I commend TechCrunch for getting involved in such a worthwhile conference.
@ Jim…
“I guess you could do the FDR thing and assign it to interstate commerce. A bit of stretch.”
The current jurisprudence on the Interstate Commerce clause would probably have no problem giving the Federal Government some power here. You might not agree with that jurisprudence…but that’s a different argument.
“Either way, why should my tax dollars go to pay for YOUR broadband access?”
Was someone arguing for tax-funded subsidization of broadband? I thought we were talking about creating a more competitive market so that prices naturally drop.
“I see nothing in the Constitution that grants us these freedoms. Please explain.”
Well, you see… with the exception of the Bill of Rights, the Constitution does not enumerate personal individual freedoms. It is assumed that those freedoms not explicitly reserved for the Feds or States through the Constitution- or Statutes created under powers granted by said document – are granted to individuals.
SiliconCalley:
“Gas prices are what they are, no matter what our usage is.”
Apparently you don’t understand the concept of markets.
On a daily basis, the citizens of the United States vote for the price of gas. They have collectively decided to purchase ~25% of the world’s daily supply of crude oil. Call it the wisdom of the crowd.
Coupled with increased demand for crude oil from China and India, tight refining capacity and speculation in the financial markets, the price of gas has risen.
While we should not oversimplify what is a very complex market, your country’s primary problem is one of consumption. Your politicans have exercised some ability to guide consumption but they have had no reason whatsoever to do so because they need look no further than their constituent’s consumption patterns to realize that Americans love oil more than they hate the price of it.
Those who have chosen to lead a lifestyle that affords them an ability to purchase less gasoline have mitigated the impact of its price and thus should logically have less to complain about.
Those who are complaining, like you, are usually the ones who have chosen to lead lifestyles that require greater consumption of gasoline.
“LS9 offers a great alternative…”
With all due respect, unless you’re an energy expert, you shouldn’t make such statements.
There are many promising alternative fuels but until the companies behind them can produce those fuels commercially on a large enough scale to supply enough a large market, they are not viable.
You see a conspiracy when there is none. Crude oil is an entrenched energy source because it is an ideal energy source.
There are a variety of reasons alternative fuels have not become viable replacements for gasoline and the most common is that they are not yet ready for large-scale commercial production.
Jennifer: I’m from the same planet as you, albeit I currently live in a country that exports far more crude oil than it consumes and I admittedly profit on a daily basis from the fact that your country has chosen to transfer its wealth to countries like mine.
What good is getting people “connected” with Washington going to do for the United States? You have stated that the country is run by big money and that politicians are beholden to the monied interests that get them elected.
Frankly, the notion that Americans are going to come together “en masse” is a pipedream and I can’t help but wonder why you seem to want to get politicians to listen to you when they’re the very people who you believe have caused your problems.
Finally, while I’m not so “simple” as to believe that one consumer can change the world, it’s worth noting Gandhi’s advice, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
If more American consumers lived by that rule, your country would be a lot better off. Unfortunately, like your politicians, you’re all talk but no action.
Politics and technology have seen unprecedented convergence during this year’s presidential race. Obama, a force to be reckoned with, has become a brand onto himself. Major hires from the social networking and other major technology sectors have led to divers and often pretty user friendly sites that really drive donations.
I would love to go to this conference (a la free tickets) because besides for being an information addict, (150 feed+) I also love following politics. This year has brought too many late nights watching the election results and not getting enough sleep (sorry, honey).
Thanks TechCrunch!
It seems that people look to politicians to be able to fix everything…and while we look for the everything mechanic, we also expect them to be perfectly infallible.
Politicians cant fix everything and they wont always be perfect people so the best we can do is select those who seem to have the fewest or the least-tragic faults who are also capable of keeping the wheels on the cart around here. While it isnt perfect, social media offers an outlet for humanizing candidates.
Most campaigns look at social media this way: “how can we get the most email in our database, the highest raw number of supporters and the most donations from these online people?!” In reality, the long-term investment in a community of supporters while providing a real face to a candidate (not a pre-canned press release) will yield people who actually might care about that candidate’s personal vestment in the campaign. Openness and sincerity=dedicated, knowledgeable supports.
That is the shift needed in politics; to understanding and exchange rather than blasting demands to government all the while candidates are blasting messages at you. Once this shift happens, people might actually be able to affect quality change with these newfound mediums we are opening up online.
So yeah, this got a bit long, but I have really wanted to go to PDF for a long time because I feel really passionately about the connections in my two scholarly loves: politics and social media. (And I will already be in town for the OMMA Social Conference which is the day before PDF)
-Andrew
The transfer of political information is the most valuable currency in a 21st century democracy. In the United States, it is this transfer that is currently changing the way in which elections are run. In my country, Canada, we have yet to achieve the success of our American friends with regards to the relationship between politics and technology. America, as the political vanguard, generally adopts and accepts new tools for political participation and interaction 5+ years ahead of Canada, and to see how Americans are currently discussing and engaging in the 2008 election is inspiring to us Canadians interested in social media and politics.
To learn more about how exactly the professionals are using technology to change politics as usual would be an incredible opportunity for myself, a 22 year old student and budding entrepreneur to engage in what we can officially regard as, the future of politics, at least here in Canada! Attending the PdF would greatly help me in creating a social space for Canadians to interact and engage in politics through the Internet. Connecting each electoral constituency in Canada at both federal and provincial levels is our goal, and I know all sorts of secrets will be told at the PdF that can surely help here north of the border.
Political information in the 21st century is extremely valuable to a healthy democracy, and with TechCrunch’s help, I will be better suited to enhance the health of my democracy by attending the Personal Democracy Forum in NYC.
-Mark
As a poor person who recently received his B.A. in political science, I would like to see first hand what the cutting edge in political technology is. I am also a entrepreneur in Canada, building a website that bridges the gap between government policy, and the way in which the general public interprets that information. I’ve got the money to go to NYC, and a place to stay, I just can’t afford to purchase tickets to the event. For the love of god please let me win!
Just out of curiosity…who won?
I’m at PdF right now and having an awesome time!
Thanks @TechCrunch!
Good Lord, I needed the $695 for groceries with the higher prices of food, not to gain access to “personal democracy”. Isn’t anyone else troubled by how many people in this thread showed up without money, but with desire to participate in this e-litist forum?! You’d think with all the social media tools, the site itself would have delivered on that, but they make the sign-up process as cumbersome as they can possibly make it, basically to tire out anyone who wants to post on their blogs.
The speakers aren’t a “spectrum” but included all the web 2.0 gurus from a spectrum of A to B, and if McCain’s people were there, it was merely to ridicule them over McCain not using a computer or whatever.
Re: “Political agendas have begun to encroach on the technological freedoms we take for granted”
No, you’ve got it backward — technology, hijacked by social media gurus and Silicon Valley A-listers, has begun to encroach on the political freedoms we take for granted (http://secondth...oftware-de.html).
Let’s take the posing of this very question here about broadband, which is what the tech lobby is going to lobby on, apparently, when it isn’t lobbying for “net neutrality” or being nice to China to get market share for tech companies.
We’re falling behind on broadband, everyone knows that. What could be more laudable than putting in broadband and making it accessible to The People? Except…the path to this glory is about “increasing competition”. And *that* in turn sounds like some thinly-veiled knock on big telecoms, ever the enemy of the Silicon Valley tekkies I guess because they represent some separate bastion of power not dependent on them. Although you’d think they’d be all merged and Googlified by now, and maybe that’s what’s supposed to happen with “competition” *cough*.
So we get broadband, and then…Arrington gets to flood it and influence more people than he can get to with his blog and his WashPost column. OK, just so we’re clear on why we’re getting broadband here.
I’m with No. 30 Jim on asking a) what are technology freedoms (the freedom to make widgets? Your freedom to make stuff that we can never fix ourselves and always have to buy a new one? and b) why does the federal government have to make broadband accessible? That is, as with all social goods, there is always a debate to be had about the federal government evening the playing field, but entirely responsible for making this social good more available?
I often get the impression now with the marches on Washington being made by Arrington, Scoble, Winer, etc. that they just want to get to power for power’s sake, that they are making it up as they go along, that they don’t really *have* a really detailed agenda of a range of political issues, that they are just grabbing at this or that groovy tech issue of the moment to fan the masses. There’s something awfully troubling about all this…