Metz, The Social Concept

Supernova 2009: Larry Strickling Keynote & Q&A (#sn09)

December 2, 2009

I’m privileged to have been asked to join the Supernova Conference for the second time. This conference is squarely focused on the intersection of technology and innovation, and where the business world will be 10 and 20 years from now. Supernova isn’t so much a conference for networking, but a conference to understand where the U.S. is going, as technology pushes the business world, and the government, forward. [Supernova founder Kevin Werbach was selected by President Obama as transition chair of the FCC in November 2008.]

Although yesterday, the first day of the conference, showcased solid talks from Wired’s Chris Anderson & uber-producer Peter Guber , the legal track of the conference is probably finest today, and it includes talks on:

• Privacy & The Social Web
• Government’s New Deal (Connected Information Technology & Obama’s Policy)
• Broaderband: What Comes After Universal Connectivity?
• Mobility and Location-Based Services

Obama’s 2009 economic recovery act (ARRA ), includes a “supplemental investments” provision that allows for $7.2 billion for complete broadband and wireless Internet access. Larry Strickling , the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the US Department of Commerce, is the tech policy expert tasked with distributing and spending these monies. Although the funds that Strickling is responsible for only account for 1% of ARRA, it’s still perhaps the largest-ever investment in broadband infrastructure pursued by a government.

Key points of the talk:

1. Not all projects get funded – there are plenty of bad ones that Strickling’s staff vet that don’t make it to his desk.
2. Broadband providers (AT&T, Verizon, etc.) are going to continue to squabble over the little free space on the spectrum.
3. This is a large and time-consuming project – akin to holding and distributing a $7B VC fund.

More information on the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) can be found here .

Email this • Save to del.icio.us • Share on Facebook • Digg This! • Tweet This!