MuniWireless Conference: June 19-21, 2006.

I'm one of the organizers for the upcoming MuniWireless Conference -- it's going to be a fantastic time. Here's some info (on the conference generally and on some of the sessions I've organized):

Join us at the Muniwireless Silicon Valley conference on June 19-21, 2006 in Santa Clara, California. We will be focusing on the learnings from cities and counties whose networks have gone live, the applications that local governments can use on these networks, the ways they can bridge the digital divide, and rich ecosystem that is forming around these networks.

We have in-depth pre-conference seminars on June 19 for those who wish to delve into the details of planning and deploying networks, drafting RFPs and integrating local government applications into the networks. On the main conference day, we will address privacy issues, free versus paid Internet access, community networks, federal policy, the entry of new players such as cable companies and telecoms operators, digital inclusion, and others.

Go to http://www.mw06sv.com to register. More conference highlights are available here.

Here are some of the sessions I've been organizing:

Open Source, Open Hardware
An "open" discussion on state of the art Open technologies.

Moderator:
Sascha Meinrath, Founder & Project Coordinator, CUWiN

Panelists:
Richard MacKinnon, Founder, Austin Wireless
Michael Lenczner, Founder, Ile Sans Fil/WiFiDog
Sanjit Biswas, Network Administrator, MIT Roofnet & Co-Founder and President, Meraki Networks
Chris DiBona, Open Source Programs Manager, Google

Community Wireless Initiatives
How do community and municipal wireless initiatives differ? What common traits do they share? What can we learn from highly successful community wireless initiatives that help us to develop, implement, and expand municipal wireless networks? Innovators in community wireless networking will share their experiences, best practices, and lessons learned.

Moderator:
Jeff Perlstein, Executive Director, Media Alliance

Panelists:
Becca Daggett, Director of the Municipal Telecommunications Project, Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Richard MacKinnon, Founder, Austin Wireless
Matt Rantanen, Director of Technology, Tribal Digital Village
Josh Breitbart, Communications Director, Media Tank

Social Networking and Multimedia Services
Wireless networks don't just network geographic locations, they connect individuals to one-another -- allowing unparalleled networking and multimedia service opportunities. From geolocational applications to peer-to-peer information dissemination to participatory multi-media production -- leaders from the field will discuss the social and economic implications of these new technologies.

Moderator:
Andrew Rasiej, Advisory Board, FON

Speakers:
Michael Lenczner, Founder, Ile Sans Fil/WiFiDog
Paul Bragiel, CEO, Meetro
Sean Savage, CEO, Placesite

Broadband Policy in the Public Interest
How can national telecom policies and regulations better serve US residents? What are the latest developments in Washington, DC? What initiatives and coalitions exist who are working on behalf of the general public? What are the next steps and actionable items that we should be working on to protect our right to freely communicate?

Moderator:
Michael Calabrese, Vice President, New America Foundation

Panelists:
Harold Feld, Senior Vice President, Media Access Project
Adam Green, Civic Communications Director, MoveOn.org Civic Action
Tim Karr, Campaign Director, Free Press
Nicole Turner-Lee, Vice President, One Economy

I think you'll agree that the MuniWireless Conference is shaping up to be an extraordinary event.