“Attend the workshop online!” I wonder exactly when that phrase entered our lives.   It is powerful.   There was a time when attending a conference meant a big investment, plane tickets, hotels, time out of the office, time away from family.   For young visionaries, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and leaders of cash-strapped communities, it was often a burden.  Broadband has changed that. I encourage everyone to attend or watch the workshop the FCC is conducting Dec. 9th [...]

Unfortunately, everything these days seems to be framed around politics and ideology, red or blue, left or right, R or D.   Some so-called pundits have already figured out the next wave of political fortunes — just based on the elections this week in New York, Virginia, and New Jersey – and what that will mean to proposed policies and ideas. Changing lives and creating hope, and embracing the full power of broadband access, should not [...]

I spend easily 50% of my time reading about technology startups. Watching them get funded, seeing what business models take off and reading the stories of how they went from idea to executed company.  There are so many new technology companies being created everyday. Some fail, some succeed but the great part is that people are taking the chance to create something. One of the things that frustrates me is the lack of African Americans [...]

First let me start by saying that I’m not in politics or a policy maker. I am a technologist and have been involved in technology for over 15 years, and I can honestly say that technology has had a significant effect on my life. The birth of the Internet has granted opportunities and access to knowledge I would not have obtained otherwise. I have created companies out of the comfort of my home and connected [...]

Public Knowledge, an organization representing what I would call “digital elites,” has joined with other elite activist groups to push the FCC to adopt so-called Net Neutrality rules.  To do this, Public Knowledge uses carefully chosen words like “neutrally,” “openness” and “discrimination.” I find myself wondering whether they have any idea what these words mean.  As they insist that net neutrality will benefit minorities, I have serious doubts. First, Public Knowledge suggests that our civil [...]