Syracuse iSchool researchers lead the first ever Internet Governance Forum USA
10/19/2009
Faculty and students from the Syracuse University School of Information Studies (iSchool) and the Center for Research on Colaboratories and Technology Enhanced Learning Communities (Cotelco) participated in and facilitated the Internet Governance Forum-USA (IGF-USA) seminar in Washington, DC, October 2, 2009.
The IGF is a multi-stakeholder forum established by the United States to encourage active participation and discussion of issues relating to Internet governance and public policy. The IGF-USA served as a one-day forum to engage civil society, government, technologists, researchers, industry, and academia in discussion about Internet governance and public policy that are being deliberated at a global level.
Cotelco Research Associate Endri Mataj G’10, a student in the iSchool’s M.S. in Telecommunications and Network Management program, led the remote participation effort, ensuring the interaction of remote participants and panelists in the workshops discussions and plenary sessions of the day.
Brenden Kuerbis, an iSchool doctoral candidate and director of Internet Governance Project, acted as moderator for a panel discussion on “Critical Internet Resources: Evolution of the
Internet’s Technical Foundations.”
Syracuse University School of Information Studies also had representation from faculty members who served as panelists at the forum. Cotelco Director and Associate Professor Derrick L. Cogburn served as a panelist on “Access Perspectives from the US: Challenges and Opportunities.”
Milton Mueller, iSchool professor and founder of the Convergence Center at SU, was a panelist for the afternoon plenary session, “Assessing the IGF and the Way
Forward.”
Lee McKnight, iSchool associate professor and founder of Wireless Grids Corporation, was a panelist of the historic first Internet Governance Forum USA (IGF-USA). McKnight stressed the need for further progress on accountability and transparency. He also explained how new technology such as wireless grids would change people's relationship to the broader Internet and create flexible social groupings of people and their content and devices.
All sessions, including plenary sessions and workshops, were broadcast via the Internet and remote participants had the opportunity to watch the video feed, ask questions to the presenters, and Twitter throughout the event.
This effort demonstrates the potential of the Internet and these online tools to engage geographically distributed stakeholders and to work towards the IGF mandate of engaging all stakeholders and participants.
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