ADVISORY Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974). News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS CONTACT: February 25, 2010 Mark Wigfield, 202-418-0253 Email: mark.wigfield@fcc.gov BROADBAND AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: FCC DISCUSSES BROADBAND PLAN AT MIT SUMMIT Broadband and the future of civic engagement, as part of the Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Plan, will be discussed at a summit hosted by MIT’s Center for Future Civic Media on Monday, March 1. Eugene Huang, FCC Director of Government Performance and Civic Engagement for the National Broadband Plan, will give the keynote address at the summit and discuss working recommendations in the plan, focusing on broadband’s power to increase civic engagement by creating an open and transparent government, supporting a robust digital public media ecosystem, expanding access through social media, fostering innovation in government, and modernizing democratic processes. WHEN: Monday, March 1, 2010, 4-6 p.m. WHERE: The Tang Center (E51-115), Massachusetts Institute of Technology 70 Memorial Drive Cambridge, MA DC 20515 WEB: http://web.mit.edu/webcastnow/1 WHO: Eugene Huang, FCC Director of Government Performance and Civic Engagement Jerry Mechling, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University Nick Grossman, The Open Planning Project Laurel Ruma, O’Reilly Media John Wonderlich, The Sunlight Foundation Jake Shapiro, Public Radio Exchange Robert Bole, Corporation for Public Broadcasting Keith Neisler, WEKU-Kentucky Marita Rivero, WGBH-Boston Kinsey Wilson, National Public Radio Damian Thorman, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 directed the FCC to submit a National Broadband Plan to Congress that addresses broadband deployment, adoption, affordability, and the use of broadband to advance solutions to national priorities, including energy conservation and efficiency. The Plan is due to Congress on March 17. -FCC- News about the Federal Communications Commission’s development of the National Broadband can be found at http://www.broadband.gov/news.html