THIS EVENT IS FULL -- Thanks for your interest, and be sure to join our Meetup or Facebook Group so you'll be the first to hear about next month's event!

NetSquared DC is back next Tuesday, January 13th at the Affinity Lab in Adams Morgan. We'll be having an informal discussion on the future of Internet policy, led by Nathaniel James, Program and Outreach Manager at The Media and Democracy Coalition, and Heather West, a Program Associate at the Center for Democracy & Technology.

We'll discuss the history of Internet policy and, more importantly, its future, including net neutrality, the digital divide, privacy, and any other hot net issues you're interested in.

RSVP here or on Facebook: http://www.facebook.c...

Drinks and snacks will be provided by our friends at GeniusRocket, who are offering $4,000 in cash prizes to the best video advertisements for the 2009 SXSW conference. Get the full details at http://geniusrocket.c...

Event description:

The Internet and the Web have made possible an unprecedented culture of participation and freedom of expression. Unfortunately, the freedoms we enjoy on the Internet are not set in stone. Decisions will be made in D.C. and in state capitols across the country in the coming months and years that will shape the future of the Internet for a generation. While the incoming administration has made campaign promises to expand access to an open Internet, an army of well-financed lobbyists is determined to control the debate.

What's at stake? Network neutrality, sometimes called the "First Amendment of the Internet;" privacy and surveillance (both government and corporate), and the digital divide will all be hot topics over the coming year. We'll brief you on these issues, but we want to spend the bulk of the session hearing from you. How can we in public service and in the public interest community support your work as progressive technologists? The Internet belongs to all of us - let's talk about what we can do to shape its future.

About our speakers:

Nathan James has run field campaigns, trained and managed field staff, and managed detailed budgets and reporting databases with FieldWorks, MoveOn.org, Grassroots Campaigns, Inc. and the Fund for Public Interest Research. Nathan has been an active volunteer with the Seattle Independent Media Center, Studio X Community Internet Radio, Reclaim the Media, and has provided strategic consultation at Microsoft and for Greenpeace International. Nathan earned a masters degree in Media and Communication Regulation and Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science in December 2006. As the Program and Outreach Manager, Nathan is responsible for managing the Coalition's internal communications platforms, developing and managing special projects, building the Coalition's visibility and organizational relationships, and providing technical and logistical support to Coalition partners and staff.

Heather West is a Program Associate at the Center for Democracy & Technology. She works with the Anti-Spyware Coalition, as well as working on projects in e-Government, consumer privacy and protection, and other topics. Prior to coming to CDT, Ms. West worked in the MIT Humans and Automation Lab, the telecom industry, and other technical positions. Ms. West received her B.A. from Wellesley College.