Internet Institute Causes Broadband Policy Stir
A storm is brewing over at George Washington University's Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet's decision to invite telecommunications giant Verizon to engage in a discussion next Friday on broadband deployment.
The think tank got an avalanche of e-mails from folks on its subscription list -- and not all were RSVPs. There were "a number of angry, outraged writers, some of whom question the integrity of IPDI for hosting a big, bad company like Verizon for a discussion about broadband," the group said.
IPDI is answering those complaints individually but also addressed the collective concerns of the e-mails on the blog. The institute said it offers a forum, "open to everyone, regardless of his or her political beliefs, religion, nationality, ethnicity, actions or employer." Last month, IPDI hosted Google and now it's Verizon's turn.
Future events will look at the role of censorship and ways in which the technology community can engage citizens in policy discussions. Excluding Verizon from the conversation would be "anti-intellectual," the group said.
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