Contact Host for event and ticket information.
SaveourNet.ca is Partnering with TeleCommunities Canada, and Rabble.ca
for Ottawa's Open Internet Town
Hall.
Where:
Ottawa Public Library Main branch 120 Metcalfe Ottawa ON K1P 5M2
When:
June 10th, 2009 at 7pm
Featured speakers for the Town Hall include:
Michael Geist (law professor at the University of Ottawa where, Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law, blogger)
Charlie Angus (NDP MP, Heritage and Culture)
Rocky Gaudrault (CEO of Teksavvy Solutions Inc.)
Bill St. Arnaud (Chief Research Officer for CANARIE Inc.)
Steve Anderson (Co-founder of SaveourNet.ca)
Discussion Facilitator: Marita Moll (TeleCommunities Canada)
Until
now, Canada’s Internet has been an open network and a level playing
field for free speech, innovation, and consumer choice. All that is now
under threat.
Ottawa’s Open Internet Town Hall is designed to give local citizens
the chance to shape Canada’s broadband future. As Canada falls behind
other OECD countries on Internet speed, cost, and openness,
SaveourNet.ca will host a lively discussion guided by panelists
representing web innovators, social change leaders, and public policy
gurus.
We will gather citizen testimony that SaveOurNet.ca’s
Steve Anderson will use to guide his presentation to the CRTC at the
July 6 “Traffic Management” hearing. We will also record the town hall
meetings and present video testimonials to the CRTC and share them
online. Information gathered at the town hall meeting will also help us
develop the “Open Internet Declaration” which we will put before MPs
and policy makers.
We want to engage the public in discussion
on what the future of the Internet should look like by addressing the
following questions:
* How can we ensure Internet services for everyone in Canada?
* How do we expand consumer choice and lower costs for Internet services?
* How can the Internet be a catalyst for economic growth, jobs, and prosperity?
* How do we preserve the Internet’s level playing field so everyone can
access the content, applications, and services of their choice?
* What roles should the federal government, local governments, private
industry, and everyday citizens play to build a better Internet?
* What can and should citizens do right now?
For more information about the campaign, visit http://saveournet.ca/
Speaker Bios:
Michael Geist:
Dr. Michael Geist is a law professor at the University of Ottawa where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law. He has obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees from Cambridge University in the UK and Columbia Law School in New York, and a Doctorate in Law (J.S.D.) from Columbia Law School. Dr. Geist has written numerous academic articles and government reports on the Internet and law and was a member of Canada's National Task Force on Spam. He is an internationally syndicated columnist on technology law issues with his regular column appearing in the Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen, and the BBC. Dr. Geist is the editor of In the Public Interest: The Future of Canadian Copyright Law, published in 2005 by Irwin Law, the editor of several monthly technology law publications, and the author of a popular blog on Internet and intellectual property law issues.
Rocky Gaudrault:
Rocky Gaudrault is CEO
of TekSavvy Solutions Inc. - based in Chatham, Ontario. Rocky is
consider a hero to many who believe in the importance of the open
Internet both for his open Internet offerings, and for Rocky's weigh
in on telecom policy issues and evening taking on the biggest telecom
carriers in the country. In May 2008 Rocky even went so far as to bus
most of his employees to Parliament hill to rally for Net Neutrality.
Charlie Angus:
Charlie Angus was elected the Member of Parliament for Timmins—James Bay in 2004, re-elected in 2006. he has worked as a writer, broadcaster and musician; was a member of the Juno-nominated band Grievous Angels. Charlie has been honoured for “Outstanding Contribution to Northern Culture” at the 1999 Festival Boreal in Sudbury. Has been a regular contributor to CBC, TVO and national newspapers
Bill St. Arnaud:
Bill St. Arnaud is the Chief Research Officer for CANARIE Inc., Canada's Advanced
Internet Development Organization. At
CANARIE Bill St. Arnaud has been responsible for the coordination and
implementation of Canada's next generation optical Internet initiative
called
CA*net 4.
He has been the principal architect of the User Controlled LightPath
concept of applying Service Oriented Architecture to network elements
to allow users to create their own Internet network topologies and architectures
fully integrated with their specific application and instrument needs.
Currently he is involved with a Green IT broadband and cyber-infrastructure initiative to build a "zero-carbon" next generation Internet in order to help reduce global warming by reducing CO2 emissions at universities and society in general. As part of this initiative one project is to encourage the use of carbon rewards rather than using carbon taxes to encourage consumer to reduce their carbon footprint through the provision of free fiber to the home and other free Internet services and applications.
Steve Anderson:
Steve
Anderson is the current National Coordinator of the Campaign For
Democratic Media and co-founder of the SaveOurNet.ca coalition. Steve
is an active writer, video producer, and social media consultant, and
has worked for The Real News, FreePress, The Center For Media and
Democracy, and Free Speech TV. Steve’s writing has appeared in numerous
local and national print and online publications such as TheTyee, The
Toronto Star, Epoch Times, Adbusters, Canadian Dimension, Rabble.ca,
Common Ground, Vue Weekly, and Social Policy Magazine. Steve is a
contributing author to Censored 2008: The Top 25 Censored Stories, and
Battleground: The Media. Steve also writes a monthly syndicated column
called “Media Links”.
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