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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi, all.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>For your information.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Jim Sofka.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Begin
forwarded message:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
face=Arial size=2></FONT><BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"><BR
style="mso-special-character: line-break"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 3"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><A
href="http://blog.broadband.gov/blog/index.jsp?entryId=252454"><SPAN
style="COLOR: blue">The Broadband Plan’s Blueprint for
Accessibility</SPAN></A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><IMG
height=100
alt=http://blog.broadband.gov/image/image_gallery?uuid=8e6128d4-0656-41ee-9985-91900317b395&groupId=10180&t=1268439932216
src="cid:94847440A08B47A7B140CD6FAF68877A@TCPI9FFDAF7536" width=91 align=left
v:shapes="Picture_x0020_2"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">The
<A
href="http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-296698A1.pdf"><SPAN
style="COLOR: blue">Silicon Flatirons conference</SPAN></A> on The National
Broadband Plan and Accessibility for People with Disabilities at the Martin
Luther King, Jr. Library in Washington, D.C. was a momentous occasion. It
was a day filled with aspirations and hope -- and a belief that we could and
would come together and fulfill Congress’ vision of broadband access for all
Americans, including those with disabilities.<BR><BR>The day started with a
welcome to an overflowing crowd by Nancy Davenport, the Director of Library
Services at the D.C. Public Library and Dale Hatfield, the Executive Director of
Silicon Flatirons. That was followed by powerful remarks by FCC Chairman
Genachowski and the President’s Assistant for Disability Policy Kareem
Dale. <BR><BR>FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Chief Joel Gurin
and I discussed the plan’s recommendations and implementation as well as the
accessibility working paper which will be released soon. We spoke of the
plan’s recommendation that the Executive Branch should convene a Broadband
Accessibility Working Group, which, among, other things, would work to ensure
that the government itself is a model of accessibility. We also announced
that the FCC would establish an Accessibility and Innovation Forum at the FCC
which would allow stakeholders to collaborate on accessibility solutions.
We also discussed several specific actions to address accessibility and
affordability concerns that the FCC, Department of Justice, and Congress should
take.<BR><BR>Then Robert Atkinson of the Information Technology and Innovation
Foundation and Jenifer Simpson of the American Association of People with
Disabilities (both co-sponsors of the event) moderated a lively roundtable
discussion among Eric Bridges, Vint Cerf, Rosaline Crawford, Larry Goldberg,
Jason Goldman, Link Hoewing, Leah Katz-Fernandez, Fernando Laguarda, Axel
Leblois, Susan Mazrui, Ari Ne’eman, Laura Ruby, Ken Salaets, Kate Seelman, and
Gregg Vanderheiden.<BR><BR>We discussed many of the plan’s details, but it was
the big picture ideas and fundamental principles – on which there was much
agreement -- that carried the day:<BR> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<OL type=1>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Broadband
is a big deal. (<I>sandraleesmith46</I>). <o:p></o:p></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Accessibility
equals independence. (<I>Kareem Dale</I>) <o:p></o:p></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Knowledge
is power. (<I>Eric Bridges</I>) <o:p></o:p></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Knowledge
is power, but so is community. (<I>Ari Ne’eman</I>) <o:p></o:p></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Information
sharing is power. (<I>Vint Cerf</I>) <o:p></o:p></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Innovation
often happens in unexpected ways. (<I>Link Hoewing</I>)
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">There
is a key role for innovation in solving accessibility challenges, especially
when inclusion is part of the planning from the beginning. (<I>Fernando</I>
Laguarda) <o:p></o:p></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">[F]or
the first time in history . . . the rights to access is a fundamental right
for persons with disabilities in international law. (<I>Axel Leblois</I>)
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">With
broadband Internet access, I do not feel disabled. (<I>Leah
Katz-Hernandez</I>) <o:p></o:p></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Now
is the time to engage in this endeavor in earnest and show that we do indeed
believe that this is a big deal. (<I>Chairman Genachowski</I>)
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></LI></OL>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">You
can see video of the conference at <A href="http://www.fcc.gov/live"><SPAN
style="COLOR: blue">http://www.FCC.gov/live</SPAN></A>.<BR><BR>The blueprint in
the <A href="http://www.broadband.gov/"><SPAN style="COLOR: blue">National
Broadband Plan</SPAN></A> is ambitious, and we are heartened by all those who
have expressed commitment to work with us to implement the vision. More
soon on how we plan to keep the momentum going, but in the meantime, thank you
to all those who have helped shape the plan and make it a vehicle to ensure that
people with disabilities have equal access to broadband
communications.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">louie<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><A
href="mailto:louiemost@wavecable.com"><SPAN
style="COLOR: blue; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt">louiemost@wavecable.com</SPAN></A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>