Topic: College of Communication Information and Media

March 9, 2010

The soon-to-be-released National Broadband Plan will have a major impact on consumers, businesses and telecommunication companies. To help answers questions about the plan and broadband issues in Indiana and across the U.S., Ball State University's Digital Policy Institute is sponsoring a seminar in Indianapolis on Friday, March 26 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The goal of "Legal Impacts of the National Broadband Plan" is to help Indiana attorneys, regulators, policymakers and academics understand the National Broadband Plan, which will be released March 16 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

"The legal implications of the new National Broadband Plan will impact many Indiana businesses and policymakers. This seminar will explain the new plan, dissect the details, and help attendees better understand how to react to the plan," said Barry Umansky, professor of telecommunications, senior fellow of the Digital Policy Institute and co-chair of the seminar. "We'll explore the legal and policy implications and danger zones that might exist under this plan."

Sessions will cover:

  • FCC recommendations, policy proposals and consequences for legal practitioners
  • broadband initiatives and broadband technology opportunities program funding, contracts and audit provisions under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
  • broadband and health care
  • broadband in the workplace


Seminar faculty and speakers will include:

  • Daniel L. Brenner, JD, partner, Hogan & Hartson LLP, Washington, D.C.
  • Gregory W. Guevara, JD, partner, Labor and Employment Group, Bose McKinney and Evans LLP, Indianapolis
  • Sara Anne Hook, JD, professor of informatics and adjunct professor of law, IU School of Informatics, IUPUI
  • Josette Jones, RN, PhD, assistant professor, health informatics and nursing, IU School of Informatics, IUPUI
  • Larry S. Landis, commissioner, Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, Indianapolis
  • Jennifer L. Richter, JD, partner, Patton Boggs LLP, Washington, D.C.
  • Nikki Gray Shoultz, JD, partner, utility group member, Renewable Energy Group, Bose McKinney and Evans LLP, Indianapolis
  • Lisa Zaina, chief of staff at the Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Zaina is visiting from Washington, D.C.

Seminar sponsors include Ball State University and its Digital Policy Institute, Bose McKinney & Evans LLP and Inside Indiana Business.

The other co-chair of the seminar is Stuart N. Brotman, visiting distinguished professor of emerging media, president of Stuart N. Brotman Communications and senior fellow of the Digital Policy Institute. Brotman will discuss the seminar and broadband-related issues on the Inside Indiana Business television program to be aired on WFYI-TV20, Indianapolis, Friday, March 12 at 10 p.m. and on WISH-TV 8, Indianapolis, Sunday, March 14 at 11 a.m.

For more information or to register, visit this page. The cost for registration is $250 for attorneys and CLE credits, $195 for non-CLE attorneys and professionals and $95 for academic professionals, students and government employees.

By Chanel Richards