Building Constituencies for Spectrum Policy Change - First Report

In early 2006, the Wireless Future Program at the New America Foundation, an independent think tank, launched a new initiative to advance its work on public interest spectrum policy by strengthening connections with -- and service to -- diverse public constituencies. NAF enlisted CIMA: Center for International Media Action to convene a group to advise its Wireless Future Program from the perspective of communities that have a vested stake in the debate, but whose interests are not well represented by current policy and industry agendas.

CIMA consulted with many colleagues and allies who work on issues of community media, public technology and telecommunications on behalf of low-income, rural, immigrant, Native, disabled and other underserved peoples, drawing process recommendations from allies who have experience building working relationships between policy think tanks and grassroots representatives. With this support, CIMA developed a plan for a "Stakeholder Strategy Committee" that would come together to share strategies for wireless policy and could provide guidance to New America moving forward.

The decision was made to begin with a focus on a core aspect of spectrum policy -- the public use of wireless high-speed (broadband) Internet. CIMA assembled the first Stakeholder Strategy Committee of 12 members from around the U.S., which then began discussing the issues by phone and e-mail. These members planned the first meeting, which was held in Chicago on March 20-21, 2006, hosted in two sites by Chicago Access TV and the Homan Square Community Center.

This first report summarizes the group's discussion. It covers the ideas and concerns of committee members with regards to telecommunications needs in various communities, values that should inform public interest spectrum/wireless policy, and resources needed for advocacy. While the committee broadly discussed framing and messaging for public interest advocacy and possible strategies for action, please note that the ideas expressed in this report do not represent an official blueprint for action or the consensus opinions of a coalition.

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