CALL FOR PANELS — Due March 31, 2008

International Summit for Community Wireless Networks
May 28-30, 2008, Washington, DC
Send panel proposals and questions to: summit@chambana.net

Since the first National Summit for Community Wireless Networks in 2004, hundreds of community Internet and municipal broadband initiatives have sprung up around the globe. Internet 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 2008 summit will be co-hosted by the world's largest general scientific society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and continue its tradition of featuring wireless leaders, innovators, activists, and community networking visionaries from around the globe.

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. "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 social and economic justice, and facilitating a vibrant arts and cultural scene."

We invite your panel proposals 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 will be available soon at: www.wirelesssummit.org.

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:

www.cuwin.net/2007summit/2007schedule

Panel ideas will be accepted on a rolling basis and must be received no later than March 31, 2008. Please send panel proposals of 250 words or less to: summit@chambana.net

Travel stipends are available for speakers with financial need.

Post Summit I thought I'd have more downtime to recover, but already things are already picking up again. There's a ton of documentation still coming for the Summit, and I'm sure there are folks all around the globe right now in deep recovery mode. Meanwhile, over 200 people attended the pre-summit and summit proper and I'm looking forward to hearing more about what folks will be working on post-Summit.

We had fantastic weather right through the entire Summit, followed by tornadoes. Which, of course, meant holing up in a hotel lobby and breaking open a fine Chilean reserva to pass the time. All in all, quite an amazing weekend.

2006 is shaping up to be a huge year for wireless networking and one of the key events of the year, the 2nd Annual National Summit for Community Wireless Networks, is less than three weeks away... March 31st - April 2nd!

Register today: http://cuwireless.net/summit/2006registration

Hosted by CUWiN, Free Press and the Mid-Rivers Community Wireless Network, developers, researchers, programmers and policy-makers will meet for three days for involved discussions at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.

... Community wireless developers from around the globe will demonstrate cutting-edge technologies;

... Researchers and programmers will discuss breakthroughs and developments;

... Policy-makers and funders will strategize with participants on the new initiatives being launched and involvement in national telecommunications policies.

Participants include Esme de Guzman Vos of Muniwireless.com, Robert McChesney of Free Press and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dewayne Hendricks of the Dandin Group, Inc., Sascha Meinrath of CUWiN, Harold Feld of the Media Access Project, Paul Smith of the Center for Neighborhood Technologies, and Laura Forlano of NYC Wireless.

More information is available here: www.cuwireless.net/summit

The 2nd National Summit for Community Wireless Networks is going to be a key event that will help set the agenda for further wireless growth.

Register quickly before space fills up:

http://cuwireless.net/summit/2006registration

Become a part of the growing wireless networking movement!

The Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN), Mid-Rivers Community Wireless Network, and Free Press invite you to join us for a Community Wireless Networking Summit, March 31-April 2, 2006 in St. Charles, MO (right outside St. Louis). "Imagine & Implement: The 2006 National Summit for Community Wireless Networks" will focus on grassroots action; impacting national regulations and policies; and building the coalition of community groups, researchers, policy leaders, decision-makers, and activists working to create better broadband services and telecommunications infrastructures.

With Network Neutrality under attack and broadband service continuing to stagnate, it's time we organized to take the public airwaves back from corporate interests and put the public interest back in the spotlight. Community Wireless Networks are often owned by the communities that deploy them and offer better services for cheaper prices than traditional ISPs. Anyone interested in making the "public interest" the number one priority in broadband service provision should definitely attend this summit.

Community Wireless developers from across North America will be demonstrating cutting-edge technologies; researchers and programmers will discuss recent breakthroughs and developments; and policy-makers and funders will strategize with participants on the new initiatives being launched and how we can make an impact in DC.

More summit information is available online at:

www.wirelesssummit.org

Register online at:

www.wirelesssummit.org/register

Have questions or want to present? Send us an e-mail at:

cu-wireless-summit@cuwireless.net

See you in St. Charles,

--Sascha Meinrath
Summit Director