community outreach and policy strategy - mesh

26 Jul 2013

hey everyone,
sorry i had to jet out of the meeting last night. i wanted to put a time on
the schedule specifically to bounce around ideas for community outreach and
to think strategically about how to advocate for local broadband policy
that would support our cause. would wednesday from 8:30-10 work for others
interested in attending?
for those interested in policy, i just found out that san leandro already
has its own public-private fiber project:
http://litsanleandro.com/technology/
my guess is that other cities in the area will follow suit to try to keep
up with the jones'. i think it'd be a good idea to think about what kind of
provisions we could try to get cities to adopt that would ensure that any
ISP that commits to doing this kind of public-private partnership remains
friendly towards.
and a note on community outreach: i talked with some friends working on
food justice and they suggested trying to emphasize the word "access" a
lot. they've done great work in this area to make your average organic
shopper to understand that there's a serious problem with the lack of food
access in low income communities. if we say we're extending access to the
internet to people who otherwise can't afford it, it piggy backs on their
success and helps develop a larger narrative that ties together all
the disparate forms of activism taking place around the east bay.
anyway, just a couple of thoughts. if no one objects to the timing of the
meeting, i'll put it on the schedule for wednesday.
have a wonderful weekend!
jacob