Tag Archives: NYC GMC

Board of Directors

Board Meeting Summaries (January – March)

Partnerships and Events
In January, Laura Forlano submitted a proposal to advise Open Planet, an organization that seeks to empower communities to create the next generation of broadband content and services.

On three Saturdays in January, Dana Spiegel, Rob Kelley and Laura Forlano each respectively presented to a class of students at Monroe College in the Bronx.

On February 11, Dana Spiegel was on the “Spectrum Spectacular: Community Wireless and Smashing Your Way into the Thrill Ride of the Century” panel at the Grassroots Media Conference. He and Laura Forlano met with Dharma Dailey and Hannah Sassaman from Prometheus Radio Project about potential future collaboration while participating in a cantenna-building workshop.

In February, Laura Forlano and Dana Spiegel completed a detailed online survey and provided additional background information for a case study on NYCwireless as part of the World Bank infoDev’s Local Open Access Networks project.

In February, Dana Spiegel and Laura Forlano met with representatives from Edinburgh’s community wireless organization.

On February 28, Laura Forlano presented at Wireless Day at Temple University in Philadelphia. Other panelists included: Derek Pew (Interim CEO, Wireless Philadelphia), Munir Mandviwalla (Executive Director, Irwin L. Gross E-Business Institute, Fox School of Business), Nathan Solomon (Principal and Co-Founder, GameFlood) and Steve Bull (CEO, Cutlass).

From March 31-April 2, Dana Spiegel and Laura Forlano will present at the Second Community Wireless Summit in St. Charles, MO.

NYCwireless has spoken with representatives from Fon, WBAI and Prometheus Radio Project.

New Projects
On March 4, in partnership with Solar One, New York City’s first solar powered “Green Energy, Arts, and Education Center”, Rob Kelley and Dana Spiegel conducted a site survey and installed a solar-powered wireless access point in Stuyvesant Cove Park with a team of volunteers from Monroe College.

NYCwireless continues to be in discussion on plans for five new potential park projects with local businesses and community organizations.

Technology Development
NYCwireless is actively marketing its SuperNode (a.k.a. WiFiDog) access points among members, local businesses and community organizations with assistance from volunteers from Monroe College. Members are encouraged to upgrade their access points to SuperNode (contact help@nycwireless.net).

Policy
In February, Dana Spiegel and Laura Forlano briefed California Senator Dean Florez on municipal wireless policy and projects.

Resources
Wireless Networking for the Developing World, a collaborative book to which Dana Spiegel contributed following the World Summit on Free Information Infrastructure (www.wsfii.org).

NYCwireless has added a wiki-page on Uses for Municipal Wireless Networks. We welcome ideas and brainstorming for all those who are interested.

Events

NYC Grassroots Media Conference, Feb 11 @ New School University

NYCwireless will be presenting at the “The Spectrum Spectacular: Community Wireless and Smashing Your Way into the Thrill Ride of the Century” panel at 11:15. I hope to see you there!

Announcing the 3rd Annual NYC Grassroots Media Conference
Saturday February 11nd at New School University
65 Fifth Avenue at Thirteenth Street
Register Now!

The NYC Grassroots Media Coalition (NYCGMC) will present its third annual conference at New School University Saturday, February 11th from 10am to 6pm. The conference theme, forging stronger connections between independent media and communities organizing around issues of justice and equality, seeks to address pressing issues of representation and diversity within the NYC community and beyond. Registration for the event costs $20 for adults, $5 for youth and $30 at the door.

A projected one thousand students, activists, media makers, community workers and artists will convene in Manhattan for a day of more than 40 workshops, do-it-yourself (DIY) trainings, discussions, panels, art exhibitions and films. Kaajal Shah, of The Ave Magazine noted: “In these times, conferences like this are vital in helping to facilitate the process of engaging young people in ongoing organizing work. The struggle to find accurate, truthful media remains a struggle in our communities. It is our responsibility to not only hold these information sources accountable but to also have the ability to create our own tools of conveying our stories through our voices.” A goal of the conference is to address pressing media policy issues threatening to limit grassroots communication. Karen Helmerson, Director of Electronic Media and Film at New York State Council on the Arts said “The NYC Grassroots media conference offers a fresh look at policy in our digital society and broadens the scope of representation from the ground up – so critical to a healthy democracy.”

Workshops will include “STORMWATCH: The Struggle for a Renewed Activist Media after Hurricane Katrina” with Praxis Project, The People’s Hurricane Relief Fund & Oversight Coalition, Emergency Communities “Do It Yourself Media Criticism” with Fairness and Accuracy in News Reporting, “Media Policy: Why it Affects Everyone” with Free Press and NYC Wireless, “Using Youth Media to Fight Stereotypes” with Arab Women Active in the Arts and Media (AWAAM)

Community art exhibitions and film screenings presented by Hip Hop Association, the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, Urban Visionaries, The Media That Matters Film Festival and Third World Newsreel. Katy Chevigny, Independent Filmmaker and Executive Director of Arts Engine, Inc. states: “New York City is filled with millions of voices, each with it’s own story to tell. The Grassroots Media Conference is one of the best events for media makers to share those stories and the strategies they employ for getting them out there!”

The NYC Grassroots Media Coalition is a project of Paper Tiger Television in collaboration with May First /People Link, North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA) and the NYC Independent Media Center.

For a full list of workshops descriptions, speakers, schedule information and to register please visit http://www.nycgrassrootsmedia.org