Mayor Menino to Announce Open Access Wireless Network Today

The Boston Globe reports today that Mayor Menino will announce a city-wide wi-fi network for Boston.

Hub sets citywide WiFi plan
Nonprofit to install `open access’ hookups

By Robert Weisman, Globe Staff | July 31, 2006

“Boston will tap a nonprofit corporation to blanket the city with ‘open access’ wireless Internet connections, under a plan to be unveiled today by Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

The plan, which envisions raising $16 million to $20 million from local businesses and foundations, is a striking departure from the business models used by other cities, including Philadelphia and San Francisco, which have turned over responsibility for their wireless data networks to outside companies such as Earthlink Inc. and Google Inc.

By empowering an independent organization to own and operate the city’s WiFi, or wireless fidelity, network, Boston is hoping to keep control of the technology deployment and use it to spur innovation, improve city services, and extend wireless Internet access into low-income neighborhoods across the so-called digital divide. WiFi allows laptops, handheld computers, cellphones, music players, and other devices to connect to the Internet at high speeds via radio waves.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Citizen Journalism “Unconference” August 7, 2006

Center for Citizen Media “Unconference”

August 7, 2006
9 am – 4pm
Harvard Law School, Pound Hall

On August 7, Berkman Center fellow and Center for Citizen Media director Dan Gillmor will host a day of discussion on citizen media at Harvard Law School. The purpose is to brainstorm some key aspects of citizen journalism, including principles, techniques, tools, business models and more. The conference will be in the “unconference” format, where the audience are the experts and there are no formal panels, but rather skilled moderators and session leaders drawing out what we collectively know so we can learn from each other.

Moderators include Steve Garfield, Andrew Lih, Phil Malone, Tom Stites, Lisa Williams, and Ethan Zuckerman.

The gathering will take place at Harvard Law School’s Pound Hall, beginning at 9 a.m. and finishing at around 4 p.m. We’ll also plan to have birds-of-a-feather dinners in Cambridge, most likely hosted by several speakers, for those who want to stick around. The cost of the day is $20 at the door, to cover food costs (we’ll provide morning coffee, lunch and an afternoon snack). Registration is limited to 100 people, so sign up today!

More information: http://wikimania2006.wikimedia.org/wiki/Citizen_Journalism
To Register: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/home/rsvp_cmunconference-08-07

Pirate Radio USA

Check out the US Premiere of the feature documentary, Pirate Radio USA at the Woods Hole Film Festival, on Monday July 31 at 9:00PM at the Old Woods Hole Firehouse.

The film will also be screened at the Rhode Island International Film Festival on August 10 at 9:00PM at Cinematheque (at the Columbus Theatre) in Providence.

SYNOPSIS:

DJ’s Him and Her, from their live Pirate Radio USA Studio, take you on a rock –n-roll journey inside rogue radio stations across the country to see why Americans defy Federal Law to free the radio airwaves.

On the way see the rise of Big Media, the growth of Citizen Media to encounter it, and witness their showdown over the truth during the 1999 World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle.

To view a trailer, go to www.pirateradiousa.com

News from Save Access

Help save public access tv and the internet!

(via MNN)

“The Telecommunications Bill S.2686, aka HR.5252 (which is a companion bill to the COPE Act in the House) passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee on June 28th. It is slated to be voted on in the Full Senate Floor in the next few weeks.

It is urgent that you tell your U.S. Senators to protect Public, Educational & Governmental (PEG) Access TV, net neutrality & not allow phone companies to “redline” low-income & rural communities. Tell your friends and family across the country to do the same.

For more info and to email your Senators go to: http://saveaccess.org/

******************
PUBLIC ACCESS = TV Made By, For and About Our Communities!
Watch Manhattan Neighborhood Network,…Our TV…streaming live at www.mnn.org“

Public Access and Citizen Media Producers Working Together

(crosspost)

A recurring theme I’ve noticed over the past year, has been the growing relationship between public access producers (those who produce for public access television) and citizen media folks (bloggers, podcasters, videobloggers, etc.) who are using media to tell stories about stuff happening in their communities.

At the ACM conference there were many great ideas for connecting access centers to web tools (particularly open source resources) for online production and distribution. The workshops were very successful.

Citizen journalism is on the rise with sites like iBrattleboro.com and many others. There are also some great efforts taking place here in Boston (more on this soon).

How can producers telling stories using public access centers connect with citizen journalism folks? This is beginning to happen independently of one another, but not in a comprehensive way with one another–that could be found, say on a single website that promotes this vision and recognition of the two working together. Perhaps a website like this this already exists?

For example:

• (1) Community newspaper, (2) public access center offshoot website, or (3) online only website, forms online participatory website, encouraging submissions from residents in the community
• Website reaches out to public access producers asking for short digital video submissions to increase user experience
• Website is located on a blog where feedback is encouraged and stories–from both citizen journalists and public access producers–could be rated/voted on.

This is just one idea.

This seems to me to be key. These two worlds are naturally colliding. How can folks share resources and work together in collaborative media making processes to fill the void where traditional media is failing to tell the stories of local communities here in Boston and in other cities?

I’d like to see a website where these two camps–public access producers and citizen journalists–reach out to, and begin to work with, one another, to create a more robust online picture of events happening in local communities to increase civic engagement and participation.

This would also be an excellent opportunity to share resources, skills, and knowledge between the two groups, while hopefully benefiting offline communities at the same time.

Colin Rhinesmith
President, ACMEBoston

The 4th Screen

From the the4thscreen.net (via umediated.org):

“The4thScreen: a global fest of art & innovation for mobile phones focuses on the emerging cultural, technological and social phenomenon of mobile phones.

“We are at the moment when everybody, from the media moguls to Vietnamese peasants – artists, hackers, activists, businesses and governments are trying to grasp the impact, the power, of this new phenomenon…. trying to claim a part of it. There is still a lot of space for great ideas, to fulfill dreams and real needs. I hope the Festival will serve as a catalyst and influence this process… “

Tamas Banovich, festival director

Connecting over 2 billion users, more than twice as many as the Internet, covering every country of the world, the mobile network is bridging the digital divide.

With the mobile phone, the power is in your hands. From concept to creation you can share your visions, impact your world and reach millions.

Artists, designers, technologists, and all creative thinkers are invited to submit their creations, inventions and revolutionary ideas in one of two categories:

1/ Moving images – including videos, animations, and games made specifically for mobile delivery.
2/ Wise technologies – including SMS based projects, sound, software art, software and hardware projects proposing new or extended use of mobile devices.

The4thScreen is a platform where you can influence the future of this new medium, exchange your ideas over the boundaries of your culture and participate in the global village.

What will you bring to The4thScreen ?”

Visit the site.

Jay Dedman at ACM Boston 2006

Watch the video

A video excerpt of Jay Dedman, Node 101/FireAnt.tv, presenting at the Alliance for Community Media Conference in Boston, July 8, 2006.

From the conference website:

Digital Content Distribution for the Producer

“From MPEG to Mp3, producers of media content have more distribution opportunities today than ever before. The proliferation of inexpensive media making tools is providing the opportunity for more people to become media makers, yet meaningful media creation still requires skilled training and distribution. Learn how PEG centers can foster the development of this new generation of producers by providing training as well as guidance in the various alternative methods of distribution while maintaining true to their mission.”

Moderator:
Jay Dedman, Node 101/FireAnt.tv

Speakers:
Ann Theis, Manhattan Neighborhood Network

Aaron Valdez, Public Access Television Iowa City

Shawn Van Every, Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU

Jacob Redding, Manhattan Neighborhood Network

To download and listen to the complete audio podcast from this session, visit the ACMEBoston Podcast and subscribe to the RSS feed.

This video was originally shared on blip.tv by acmeboston with a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.

Still Time to Register for the ACME Summit 2006!

Facing the Media Crisis:
Media Education for Reform, Justice and Democracy
October 6-8, 2006
Burlington, Vermont

Detailed Summit Schedule/Download Promotional Materials/ Exhibitor’s Table Information/Register/Summit Registration Package/Invited Speakers/Co-Sponsors

ACMEBoston is co-sponsoring this year’s Action Coalition for Media Education Fall Summit. There is still time to register!

Here’s a list of some of the great plenary sessions that will be taking place at the summit:

PLENARY SESSION #1

Crashing The Gate: The Re-Localization Of Media: How are blogs going to impact local voices again being heard in local communities? How do online and handheld media sources radically re-connect individuals? “Crashing The Gate” author and national blogging presence Jerome Armstrong explores the communication transformations that are ongoing, how they are going to impact our media consumption, and what it means for our society.

See Jane: How Children’s Movies And TV Hide Gender Distortion In Plain Sight: In the most popular G-rated films and children’s television, male characters outnumber female characters by a lopsided margin, and narrow and bizarre gender stereotypes are widespread. The findings come from the most comprehensive content analysis ever conducted on G-rated films and children’s television, commissioned by the See Jane program of Dads & Daughters and conducted by UCS’s Annenberg School for Communication. Dads & Daughters President Joe Kelly describes the study results, how very young children watch these images repeatedly, and how advocates in and outside the industry can turn the tide.

Media Effects: What We Know, What We Need To Know, And What We Can Do About It: Douglas Gentile, developmental psychologist and director of the Media Research Lab at Iowa State University, teams with Michael Rich, pediatrician and Director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Harvard, to present the current state of knowledge on the effects of media, positive and negative, on the physical and mental health of children. Dr. Gentile will explain the science of media effects research, explore his and other scientists’ findings particularly in the area of media violence and aggression, then Dr. Rich will examine the body of research to date, investigating outcomes including anxiety and depression, substance use, attention problems, body image, and obesity, among others, and will share examples of health-positive uses of media. Together, they will explore the strength of the research, what more is needed, responses of the health community, and what can be done given our current state of knowledge.

U.S. Media: The Burgeoning Movement And Prospects For Reform: Reforming the US media requires the collaborative efforts of independent media makers, media critique and literacy activists, and policy advocates. Former NMMLP executive director and current ACME Vice President Bob McCannon and Free Press Executive Director Josh Silver will discuss the confluence of these strategies, the state of national media reform efforts, opportunities and threats presented by current policy debates and prospects for reform.

PLENARY SESSION #2Does Hollywood Need A Mother?: Join nationally syndicated film critic Sara Voorhees and Susannah Stern, Assistant Professor in the Communication Studies Department at the University of San Diego, for a frank exploration of Hollywood’s culture of assault – sex, drugs, violence, vulgarity and other anti-social behaviors. Does Hollywood produce “art,” or are movies and television more often appealing to our basest instincts solely because the first amendment says they can? How might we introduce personal responsibility in their quest for the box office gold?

Confronting A Pornographic Culture: Fighting Mass-Mediated Racism And Sexism: Of the mass-media genres in the United States today, nowhere is the racism and sexism of the culture on display as bluntly as in contemporary mass-marketed pornography. Is it possible to shape a progressive critique of pornography without being lumped together with reactionary forces? Yes. In his presentation, University of Texas professor of journalism Robert Jensen will offer an analysis that gets us past the conservative/liberal gridlock on the issue.

What’s Reality? Fake News, Real News and Weapons Of Mass Perception: Americans are awash in a hidden sea of media propaganda, the sophisticated product of a multi-billion dollar PR industry that manages public information, perception, opinion and policy on behalf of business and political elites. Corporate and government propaganda is the nemesis of democracy. Come join the Center for Media and Democracy’s John Stauber to explore how we can engage in a process of dissecting, revealing and confronting this propaganda: one of the keys to practicing 21st century media education and to revitalizing democratic values.

Digital Destiny: Democratic Media At The Crossroads: The U.S. media system is in the midst of a profound transformation. We are at an important crossroads. If w make the right decisions and collectively act, we might have a communications environment that nurtures civic participation, social justice, economic opportunity and creative expression. But if we fail to fight for the soul of our electronic media, we will witness the most powerful communications system ever developed under the control of a very few super-monopolies. Their vision for our media future is a 24/7 digital “brandwashing” machine that personally targets us with programming and advertising wherever we are – via TV, on-line, and through mobile services. Come join the Center for Digital Democracy’s Jeff Chester and MAIN Internet citizen activist Wally Bowen for a conversation about these issues.

PLENARY SESSION #3

Hacktivism 101: Carrie McLaren of Stay Free! magazine presents unusual strategies for countering corporate media: satirical pranks, stunts, and viral messaging.

“Optimism of the Will:” Media Literacy, Education & Politics: Come join Media Education Foundation (MEF) Executive Director Sut Jhally, executive producer of “Hijacking Catastrophe” and dozens of other topical media education films on a wide variety of topics, for an exploration of the connections among media education, politics, and education, broadly conceived.

Victories In The Struggle Against Commercialism!: Here’s a story you won’t see in the mainstream media: we’re winning plenty of victories against the commercialization of every nook and cranny of our lives and culture. Join Commercial Alert Executive Director Gary Ruskin and the Center for a Commercial Free Childhood’s Josh Golin to find out what the victories are, what they mean, and why we’re winning.

Aether Madness: Join Prometheus Radio Project’s Hannah Sassaman and Pete Tridesh for an exploration of the awesome potential of the radio airwaves for social good, their sordid misuse in the hands of mendacious corporations, and what we all can do about it!

PLENARY SESSION #4

Sexualizing Childhood: How Big Media Represents Our Kids: Join renowned speaker and author Jean Kilbourne for a presentation and discussion about the ways in which Big Media sexualize our children, and what we might do about it.

TV For Everyone: How Community Cable Television Is Changing The 21st Century Media Landscape: Join Anthony Riddle of the Alliance for Community Media and local CCTV Executive Director Lauren-Glenn Davitian for an inspiring presentation about the importance of community cable television, and what you can do to get involved in the CCTV effort in your community.

Taking Critical News to Critical Mass: Strategies for Mainstreaming Muckraking: Independent journalist and veteran investigative reporter Kristina Borjesson discusses her ideas for creating a new paradigm for bringing real, relevant and hard-hitting news and information to a critical mass audience. For the last five years, Borjesson has been documenting the limitations of the current news paradigm in her books of conversations with and essays by dozens of this nation’s most distinguished journalists. Prior to publishing, Borjesson produced award-winning documentaries and news magazine pieces for network and cable television.

US Public Relations Propaganda and the New American Censorship: Come join Project Censored Executive Director Peter Phillips to discuss the increased use of public relations firms by the US government and private corporations to build news stories that corporate media outlets are uncritically accepting as real news. For action solutions, Phillips addresses the continuing importance of building the media democracy movement – especially the creation and expansion of independent news sources.

To learn more and register today, visit the ACME Summit 2006 on the web.

The New Standard on Battle over Media Ownership

The New Standard, “a unique online newspaper founded on the belief that the dominant model and methods of profit-focused news journalism have failed the public interest,” is a non-profit news organization “committed to bold, hard-hitting daily news coverage, providing a vetted forum for the voices and issues often ignored in the establishment news arena.” – About This Site

The New Standard’s front page online today features a story by Catherine Komp reporting on the battle heating up between public interest media advocates and the Federal Communications Commission over the FCC’s proposed rulemaking on Media Ownership policy.

“The fight to protect locally owned and diverse media outlets is gearing up again after the Federal Communications Commission announced it would be opening up a public comment period on newly proposed media-ownership rules.

But opponents of media consolidation, including two FCC commissioners, are concerned that the proceedings will be inadequate and public input will be ignored, as was the case during the last review of ownership rules in 2003.

FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, who has expressed strong opposition to the rulemaking process, said this would be the FCC’s most important public-policy decision of the year.

‘This debate will have far-reaching implications for the credibility of information Americans get from the media – for the vitality of the civic dialogue that determines the direction of our democracy – and for whether TV and radio offer entertainment that is creative, uplifting and local, or degrading, banal and homogenized,’ wrote Copps in his partially dissenting response to the rule-making proceedings.

So far, the five-member, presidentially appointed commission has released few details on its rulemaking process. It simply listed the rules it will potentially be seeking to change, including local television and radio ownership limits, the ban on cross-ownership of newspaper and broadcast outlets, the limit on cross-ownership of radio and television stations, and the dual network ban, which prohibits ownership of more than one of the big four television networks.

The FCC has not yet opened the 120-day public-comment period. FCC spokesperson Rebecca Fisher said they had ‘no timeline’ on when that would happen.

Another dissenting Commissioner, Jonathan Adelstein, warned that the structure of the upcoming process fails to solicit public comment on specific proposals before they are finalized, fails to require completion of public hearings before the rules are changed, and fails to seek public comment on how all of the media-ownership rules work together.

‘This Notice is thin gruel to those hoping for a meaty discussion of media-ownership issues,’ Adestein said in written comments about the process.

The debate over those rules has been contentious, as big corporations look to amass more media outlets in concentrated markets, and communities decry of the loss of locally owned radio stations. After broadcast-ownership limits were relaxed in 1996, Clear Channel went from owning a few dozen stations to more than 1,200 just four years later . By 2004, according to Columbia University’s annual State of the News Media report, the top ten largest companies owned 30 percent of all television stations reaching 85 percent of TV households.

In 2003, the FCC proposed to further loosen media-ownership rules, permitting a single corporation to own up to three televisions stations, eight radio stations and a daily newspaper – even the only daily newspaper – in a single market.

More than 2 million people submitted comments and testified at hearings in opposition to the proposals. It was the largest public response in the FCC’s history. Despite this outpouring of public rejection of changes to already-weak existing media diversity protections, the Republican majority on the FCC – then headed by Michael Powell – voted in favor of the sweeping overhaul.

Media-reform groups like Free Press are concerned that the FCC majority will try to push through the same controversial ownership rules proposed three years ago, despite a court ruling that the changes were not ’sufficiently justified.’ That case – brought by the grassroots media organization Prometheus Radio Project – stopped those rules from going into effect. In its June 2004 ruling, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals required the FCC to prove that the rule changes were in the public interest.

The new rulemaking process comes in response to that ruling and to a quadrennial review of all ownership rules, as mandated by Congress . In its most recent announcement, the FCC has promised to conduct studies on the impact of consolidation on local media content. The commission’s list of study areas is broad, including a look at how people consume news, minority participation in media, and independent programming. However, according to FCC spokesperson Fisher, none of these studies has yet been launched.

Pete Tridish, founder of Prometheus Radio Project, says these studies are key and would like to see the FCC take a serious look at how cross-ownership influences news and information. By looking at issues of media ownership through an economic lens, as Tridish said the commission has a record of, it is missing important factors about the role of media in a functioning democracy.”

Continue reading the article at The New Standard and support quality non-profit journalism.

Online Project Space for Independent Media Producers

Over at the ACM Boston conference website, there are a number of links to online collaborative tools for public access producers and community media creators, including the Producer’s Forum:

About The Producer’s Forum
“ProducersForum.org provides collaboration tools for public access television, commmunity media and independent producers to share thoughts and develop projects.

Purpose
Producers’ Forum was initially created to increase and improve communication and collaboration between public access television producers. In this, it is part of a broader effort effort spearheaded by PEGspace and United Stations to reinvision the role and services of Access Television through improved tools and technology resources.

Credit
Producers’ Forum is designed and maintained by Ben Sheldon, an AmeriCorps*VISTA currently serving through the CTC VISTA Project. He has been supported by Peter Bull of the DigitalBicycle Project.” – About The Producer’s Forum

To learn more and to get started collaborating with other producers on a community media project today, visit the Producer’s Forum.