Fw: Public Interest Summit Organizing Kit

["Pat Farrell" <pfarrell@netcom.com>]

Sounds to me that these guys don't want to hear from inside the
Beltway folks like me. How about some of the left coast folk?

------------------------------
From: Richard Civille <rciville@civicnet.org> 
Fri, 18 Mar 1994 21:07:24 -0500 (EST)
Cc: ace-mg@esusda.gov, alt-politics-datahighway@eff.org, bluemt@cni.org,
        com-priv@psi.com, communet@uvmvm.uvm.edu, ednet@mr.net, libnet@mr.net,
        net-people@nic.state.mn.us, nii-regional@rain.org, nii-summit@cni.org,
        nii_agenda@civicnet.org, publib@nysernet.org,
        pubpol-l@vm1.spcs.umn.edu, roundtable@cni.org,
        ruralnet@gibbs.oit.unc.edu, telecomreg@relay.adp.wisc.edu,
        board@cap.gwu.edu
Subject: Public Interest Summit Organizing Kit



Shaping the National Information Infrastructure
Public Interest Summit

-- ORGANIZING KIT --

NOTE:  Use this electronic mail address for contact:  <summit@tmn.com>

Your participation is essential to making the Summit responsive and
effective.  We are sending you the enclosed "kit" of questions, organizing
suggestions, and formats for sending your discussion materials back to us.
 This is a call for  you and your organization or group to discuss the
information highway issues -- as YOU see them.  Send back your replies for
lead ins to the panel discussions, and as questions and concerns for
panelists and Administration officials to consider -- as soon as you can. 
Please use the questions listed below to help organize your discussion group.

It is important to hear as many voices across the Nets as possible, as
soon as possible.  However, it is even more important for us to use the
Net to go beyond the Net.  We hope the following ideas will be helpful in
organizing discussion groups in classrooms, in church, at work, at home;
in service organizations, and activist groups; for radio call-in talk
shows, local cablecast panel discussions and anywhere where people meet to
talk about what is important to them.  We must move very quickly to make
this work and we need you.  Remember, we are talking about beginning a
wave of change this week, that will grow in power and momentum beyond the
Summit and into the Spring and beyond.


-- Registration -- 
        
Register with us to become an organizer/moderator of a discussion group
(either on-line or off-line).  Send e-mail to <summit@tmn.com> with
"register" as the subject line and a brief description of your project and
group.  If you cannot email, see the alternative contact points below.  We
will work for broad discussions among the online communities but we
believe that it is ultimately the "real world" that will make the
difference here, not simply Cyberspace.  We encourage you to organize
off-line discussion groups and send us the summaries using the questions
and formats given below.


-- Video Opportunities --

This is a media event.  We are also searching for good, brief, video
shots.  Do you have good local public media contacts?  Do you know of good
video opportunities -- important new voices that should be heard, projects
in your community using information technologies for good public benefit
that should be recognized?  Tell us about them as soon as you can.  Send
your ideas to us at <summit@tmn.com>.  We are prepared to work very
quickly with local public television and cable access groups, who can tape
and Fedex the tape to us for inclusion in the program.  Video shots must
be a maximum one minute in length.  We must have all tape submissions
received no later than Friday, March 25th and earlier if possible. 


-- Questions for Discussion Groups --

1. What is important to your group?
2.What does your group want in terms of connectivity to the NII?
3. What does your group want not to happen with the NII?
4. What special requirements do you have that might be missed in the
national planning for the NII which is taking place now in Washington, DC?
5.  What would you be able to do with the NII, that you would not
otherwise, if you did not have to worry about the cost of access?
6.  What one key question would you want the Administration to give you an
explicit answer to about the NII?
7.  How can you describe the positions your state and federal
representatives are presently taking on your concerns about the NII?

 
-- More Ideas --

You might consider several scenarios such as these for your discussion
group.  Make up your own!

*       Print this notice and take it to your group (church, class, work
place lunch, family) for discussion, summarize the results, and send them
to us.  

*       Use the questions for a discussion item in your local community or
civic network and report back with summaries of key points.  Direct,
attributed quotes are very helpful.  Pose questions directed to specific
panelists or to specific issues.  Organize a local press conference.

*       Help  increase the spread of the dialog by taking these questions
to people and groups well beyond your own networks of friends and
acquaintances, whether online or offline.  Fax this Notice all over town. 
Photocopy fliers and distribute.  Get these materials into the hands of
those who are not members of online systems.  

-- Contacts, Format and Deadlines --

Please e-mail results of discussions back to the Public Interest Summit to
<summit@tmn.com>.  

Include:

- Your name
-  Name of online community, community/civic network or organization
-  Describe the process you used for your discussion (was it a working
lunch, a bridge club, a call-in talk show, who moderated, how was it
organized, etc.)
-  e-mail address of contact person, or phone if email is not available

Please provide a summary, and several vivid highlights, and direct quotes
that can be attributed to real people.  No more than two pages or 4k. 
Please e-mail group discussion summaries by Sunday, March 27 at the
latest.  Videos must be received by the 25th and not be longer than one
minute in length.  The earlier the better, there is a great deal of
pre-production work to be done.  Things earlier will be summarized and
posted to gopher servers  under the menu heading:  "Public Interest
Telecommunication Summit" including new questions as they arise.

If you cannot email you can contact the Summit production team through:

The Benton Foundation
202-638-5770 (voice)
202-638-5771 (fax)

Pat Farrell      Grad Student                 pfarrell@gmu.edu
Department of Computer Science    George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Public key availble via finger          #include <standard.disclaimer>