Converging Responsibility:

What

A three day conference to discuss broadcasting, the Internet, and development.

The conference will not so much look at Internet broadcasting, or webcasting, but at the use of the Internet to support diverse independent and public service broadcast initiatives for networking, news and information exchange, cultural programming, entertainment, research, and community development projects.

Among the questions to be discussed are:

	If the convergence of telecommunications and information technology is going to change the world as significantly as some believe, what are the implications of this for the 97% of the world's population that do not have direct access to the Internet?
	What role can independent public service radio and television broadcasters have in extending the reach of the knowledge infrastructure in developing countries?
	How can the Internet be used to build and strengthen networks and to exchange news and information among broadcasters?
	What can broadcasters do to ensure that the changes associated with the convergence of technologies, markets and industries will result in a greater diversity of voices and images?
	How can broadcasters make use of the Internet to make their own programming more interactive and meaningful to their listeners?
	What will be the implications of the changing media environment for national sovereignty?
	Can regulators and policy makers support the use of ICTs by broadcasters for development?
	How can broadcasters help make the processes of telecom policy-making and regulation more transparent and democratic?

Who

The thirty-five participants at the conference will be from Central Asia, South and Southeast Asia and the Middle East. They will include broadcasters, regulators/policy makers, researchers and Internet service providers. Information about some of the participants can be found on our Docs & Links page.

From the broadcasting side the emphasis will be on diversity. Local, independent and community radio and television initiatives will be there. So will representatives from various national and regional broadcasters, from the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union and Asiavision, and from the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD).

The regulators, policy makers, researchers and ISPs will be high level people from the region and a few invited experts. 

Rohan Samarajiva, former Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka will be both a keynote speaker and an active participant in the conference. 

Where

Equatorial Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

When

September 4, 5 and 6, 1999. The conference is part of the annual meeting of the International Institute of Communications (IIC). The main IIC conference will take place September 7, 8 and 9. The participants in the broadcasting and the Internet conference will also participate in the IIC conference.

Contact

Bruce Girard - [email protected]
Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management
Delft University of Technology
PO Box 5015, 2600 GA Delft
The Netherlands
Tel: +(31-15) 278.85.48 - Fax: +(31-15) 278 7925

Sucharita Eashwar - [email protected]
Bangalore, India
Fax: +(91-80) 5303403