paula.reinman@marconisociety.org

September 7, 2022—The Marconi Society is pleased to announce The Decade of Digital Inclusion 2022, a complimentary virtual symposium to be held on November 2 and 3 and in-person gala that will take place at the University of California, Berkeley’s Pauley Ballroom on November 3. The annual forum convenes leading visionaries in technology, business, policy, and digital inclusion to help build pathways to digital equity by 2030.  The event will honor the 2022 Marconi Fellow Siavash Alamouti, inventor of the Alamouti Code, which has democratized the Internet by improving mobile communications for billions of people. Alamouti is also the co-founder and executive chairman of mimik, a hybrid edge cloud technology company.

“The Decade of Digital Inclusion is a rare opportunity to create collaborative solutions to bridging the digital divide.  The Marconi Society, through our deep expertise in information and communications technology and connections in policy and digital equity,  is uniquely positioned to create this convening,” said Vint Cerf, Board Chair of the Marconi Society. “We are thrilled to celebrate Siavash,  a champion of open wireless standards and technology, and the embodiment of our vision of enabling everyone to fully participate in and benefit from digital connectivity.”

The symposium, now in its second year, is designed to generate concrete solutions to address digital inequity in communities around the world. The event will highlight diverse voices that lend different perspectives to the quest for digital equity, including keynote presentations by Shamina Singh, Founder & President of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, Angela Thi Bennett, Digital Equity Director at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and Nick McKeown, Senior Vice President and GM of the Network and Edge Group at Intel.

Critical interdisciplinary topics including business models for affordable and accessible internet, long-term funding streams for digital equity, and the need for inclusion and fairness in the digital revolution are part of the agenda.

The Marconi Society’s flagship event and gala fundraiser, The Decade of Digital Inclusion is hosted this year in partnership with the Institute for Business and Social Impact (IBSI) and Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) at the University of California, Berkeley.  The two research centers have led valuable cross-disciplinary research on the intersections of financial technology, policy, and digital inclusion.

“The data economy, automation, and globalization have sparked dramatic changes in societies’ paradigms and in their economies. The opportunities are boundless, but the divides are stark and challenges persist. IBSI and CEGA’s research efforts are committed to studying the impacts, effects on equity, and unintended consequences of these unprecedented shifts,” says Paul Gertler, IBSI ‘s Faculty Director. “This knowledge is paramount to guiding evidence-based policy and shaping industry debates, as well as to ensuring that the digital revolution can truly foster a more resilient and inclusive future and ultimately improve the lives of marginalized communities or those living in poverty around the world.

Tickets for The Decade of Digital Inclusion’s virtual Symposium and in-person Gala  are now available.

About the Marconi Society

The Marconi Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing digitally equitable communities by empowering change agents across sectors. The Marconi Society celebrates and supports visionaries building tomorrow’s technologies upon the foundation of the connected world we helped create.

About the Marconi Prize

The Marconi Prize is the flagship award of the Marconi Society, given annually since 1975 to innovators who have made significant contributions to increasing digital inclusivity through the advancement of Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

The post Building Digital Equity through Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Marconi Society Announces 2022 Symposium and Gala appeared first on The Marconi Society.

taia@marconisociety.org

February 15, 2021—The Marconi Society today opened nomination periods for its 2023 Marconi Prize and 2022 Paul Baran Young Scholar Award. These prestigious awards, which recognize established and emerging scientists in advanced communications technology from around the globe, showcase the leaders in the field and celebrate their contributions to building a digitally equitable world.

The Marconi Prize, often referred to as the “Nobel Prize for Communications,” recognizes established Information and Communications Technology (ICT) luminaries whose contributions to the field have had a significant impact on widely used technology, and whose careers demonstrate significant leadership, entrepreneurship, and humanitarian impact. Nominations are accepted February 15–June 1, 2022, EST. The recipient will be announced in early 2023 and recognized at the Marconi Society’s 2023 symposium and gala.

Previous awardees include Siavash Alamouti, a visionary wireless leader and Executive Chairman of mimik,  Andrea Goldsmith, leader in the theory and practice of adaptive wireless communications and Dean of Engineering at Princeton University, Vint Cerf, one of the creators of the Internet and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google, and Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web and Professor at MIT. Alamouti will be celebrated at the organization’s 2022 symposium and gala, The Decade of Digital Inclusion. More details will be announced in the coming months.

The Young Scholar Award recognizes emerging scientists whose innovative scientific achievements, leadership and entrepreneurial characteristics, and dedication to improving society through their work stand out among their peers. 
Prospective Young Scholars must be 27 years or younger during the award year to be considered, and up to four candidates—usually graduate students or early career professionals—are awarded each year. Nominations are accepted February 15–June 1, 2022, EST. Recipients will be announced in early fall 2022 and recognized at the Marconi Society’s 2022 symposium and gala.

About the Marconi Prize

The Marconi Prize is the flagship award of the Marconi Society, given annually since 1975 to innovators who have made significant contributions to increasing digital inclusivity through the advancement of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). 

About the Paul Baran Young Scholar Award

Named for 1991 Marconi Fellow Paul Baran, the Young Scholar Award launched in 2008 and recognizes emerging leaders in advanced communications technology who demonstrate scientific excellence, leadership, entrepreneurship, and a socially engaged approach to their work. 

About the Marconi Society

The Marconi Society envisions a world in which everyone can create opportunity through the benefits of connectivity. The organization celebrates, inspires, and connects individuals building tomorrow’s technologies in service of a digitally inclusive world.

The post Honoring Transformative Leaders in Information and Communications Technology: Nominations Open for Marconi Prize, Paul Baran Young Scholar Award appeared first on The Marconi Society.

Contact: Taia Pandolfi, Marketing & Communications Manager, the Marconi Society taia@marconisociety.org

October 7 2021—The Marconi Society’s upcoming interdisciplinary symposium, The Decade of Digital Inclusion, takes place on October 22. This event brings together a dream team of over 40 leaders who offer unique contributions in technology, perspectives on governance, and expertise in grassroots digital equity. The Decade of Digital Inclusion aims to identify the most critical challenges in bringing everyone on the planet online and develop innovative, practical solutions.

“We have never been more aware of the importance of creating a digitally inclusive world,” said Vint Cerf, Chair of the Marconi Society and 1998 Marconi Fellow. “The Marconi Society’s mission is to extend the life-changing opportunities of the Internet to the roughly 3 billion people globally who are still unconnected. Through The Decade of Digital Inclusion, we have assembled the most creative and expert minds in their fields to achieve that goal.”

“Our vision for The Decade of Digital Inclusion is to establish new collaborations among the technology, policy, and advocacy fields,” said Samantha Schartman-Cycyk, Executive Director of the Marconi Society and Co-chair of the event. “Each session presents a mix of perspectives that represent the different communities who are shaping and impacted by the future of connected technologies. This interdisciplinary approach is essential to addressing critical gaps in access and affordability.”

To attend the symposium and access past session recordings on demand, please reserve a press pass. Register for the symposium on the ticketing site and apply code PRESS-DODI-2021 for complimentary admission.

October 22 Symposium Schedule

Welcome and Keynote – 11–11:30 a.m. ET

Vint Cerf, Samantha Schartman-Cycyk, Doren Bogdan-Martin

Breakouts – 11:35–12:30 p.m. ET

• Internet for All: What is the Role of Government?
• Going Local: Place-Based Digital Equity Ecosystems
• Building Inclusion into Digital Tech R&D

Breakouts – 12:35–1:30 p.m. ET

• In a World with Unlimited Spectrum
• Gap Networks: Connecting Communities When Traditional Business Models Fail
• Building Effective and Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence

Keynote: Giving All Americans a Fair Shot at Success – 2–2:25 p.m. ET

Jessica Rosenworcel, FCC

Discussions of the Decade – 2:30–4 p.m. ET

• Information and Communications Technology: Key Challenges for the Next Decade
• Digital Inclusion: Building a Cross-Disciplinary Approach

Keynote: The Future That Our Connected World Will Create – 4:05–4:30 p.m. ET

Andrea Goldsmith, Princeton University, Marconi Fellow

Sponsors

The Marconi Society is thrilled to partner with sponsors, whose support for The Decade of Digital Inclusion will help usher in the next decade of connectivity. The sponsors for The Decade of Digital Inclusion are: Ansys, Vint and Sigrid Cerf, Assia and John Cioffi, Cisco, Cleveland Foundation (CWRU, CSU), Cohere Technologies, Columbia University, Crown Castle, Ed Frank and Sarah Ratchye, Intel, ICANN, Internet Society, Medtronic, Nokia Bell Labs, Princeton University, Qualcomm, Rockwell Automation, The Samueli Foundation, Stanford University Electrical Engineering, Texas Instruments, University of Southampton, Viasat, and VMware.

About the Marconi Society

The Marconi Society envisions a world in which everyone can create opportunity through the benefits of connectivity. The organization celebrates, inspires, and connects individuals building tomorrow’s technologies in service of a digitally inclusive world.

The post MEDIA ADVISORY: Reserve a Press Pass for the Marconi Society’s Virtual Symposium, The Decade of Digital Inclusion appeared first on The Marconi Society.

Contact: Taia Pandolfi, Marketing & Communications Manager, the Marconi Society taia@marconisociety.org

August 17, 2021—The Marconi Society today announced its annual symposium, master class, and gala, The Decade of Digital Inclusion; this event, rooted in the belief that Internet access is a basic human right, brings together a dream team of leaders who offer unique contributions in technology, perspectives on governance, and expertise in grassroots digital equity. The Decade of Digital Inclusion aims to identify the most critical challenges in bringing everyone on the planet online and develop innovative, practical solutions.

With unprecedented levels of network infrastructure spending, emerging technologies that can deliver new business models, and a new generation of digital natives ready to come online, an interdisciplinary approach to connectivity is critical.

“We have never been more aware of the importance of creating a digitally inclusive world,” said Vint Cerf, Chair of the Marconi Society and 1998 Marconi Fellow. “The Marconi Society’s mission is to extend the life-changing opportunities of the Internet to the roughly 3 billion people globally who are still unconnected. Through The Decade of Digital Inclusion, we have assembled the most creative and expert minds in their fields to achieve that goal.”

Available virtually and in person, The Decade of Digital Inclusion is open to attendees everywhere in the world. The event consists of a master class of virtual sessions from September–December and a virtual and in-person symposium and gala on October 22, 2021. 

An Agenda-Setting Event Series

“Our vision for The Decade of Digital Inclusion is to establish new collaborations among the technology, policy, and advocacy fields,” said Samantha Schartman-Cycyk, Executive Director of the Marconi Society and Co-chair of the event. “Each session presents a mix of perspectives that represent the different communities who are shaping and impacted by the future of connected technologies. This interdisciplinary approach is essential to addressing critical gaps in access and affordability.”

The virtual master class offers a series  of pre- and post-symposium sessions this fall. From September 28–30, the 6G Summit on Connecting the Unconnected focuses on the technical possibilities, social impacts, and critical considerations in using 6G to provide connectivity to all. On October 7 and 8, Creating a Secure Network for Everyone examines the technology developments, policy initiatives, and grass-roots education efforts necessary to bring the next billion online safely. On  November 16–18, Where Network Intelligence Meets Public Policy  focuses on the need to improve methodologies for sourcing transparent, accurate, reliable, and scalable network analytics to inform the huge infrastructure investments and consumer subsidies that are becoming widely available.

On October 22, 2021, all attendees are invited to join a symposium and gala at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., or virtually. The symposium’s featured keynote speakers include Doreen Bogdan-Martin of the International Telecommunication Union, Andrea Goldsmith of Princeton University, Larry Irving, former head of the National Telecommunication and Information Association, and Jessica Rosenworcel of the Federal Communications Commission.

The symposium builds on the technology and policy discussions of the pre-symposium tracks to examine efforts in research, governance, business, and community organizing to improve access to connectivity. Featured sessions include Internet for All: What is the Role of Government?, Building Effective and Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence, Gap Networks: Connecting Communities When Traditional Business Models Fail, and Building Inclusion into Digital Tech R&D. 

The afternoon breakout sessions focus on surveying the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and digital inclusion fields to establish a roadmap for the upcoming decade. In Information and Communications Technology: Key Challenges for the Next Decade, moderators Vint Cerf and Ana García Armada lead a panel of experts in advanced computing, artificial intelligence, networking and wireless communications, optical networking, security and cybersecurity, and software development to discuss critical challenges for the next decade. In Digital Inclusion: Building a Cross-Disciplinary Approach, moderator Samantha Schartman-Cycyk leads a discussion among policymakers and community advocates about the methodologies, goals, and practices that will define the next ten years in digital inclusion work.

That evening, the Marconi Society will celebrate 2020 Marconi Fellow Andrea Goldsmith, whose groundbreaking contributions to wireless technology have cemented her as a visionary leader within ICT. Goldsmith’s technical innovations that have shaped the fundamental performance of cellular and WiFi networks, combined with her leadership to radically improve diversity and inclusion in engineering, have changed both the consumer experience and the profession. The Marconi Society will also award its newest Young Scholars, emerging leaders in ICT fields who demonstrate a dedication to digital inclusion through their research.

Details

Tickets for The Decade of Digital Inclusion are available now. Discounts apply for nonprofit, government, and university employees. Virtual student tickets are $25. 

In-person attendees must be able to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination and follow Washington, D.C, health and safety measures in place on October 22.

Sponsors

The Marconi Society is thrilled to partner with sponsors, whose support for The Decade of Digital Inclusion will help usher in the next decade of connectivity. The sponsors for The Decade of Digital Inclusion are: Ansys, Cisco, Cohere Technologies, Crown Castle, Internet Society, Medtronic, Nokia Bell Labs, Qualcomm, Princeton University, Samueli Foundation, Stanford University Electrical Engineering, Vint and Sigrid Cerf, Assia and John Cioffi, and Ed Frank and Sarah Ratchye.

The post Connecting the Next Billion: Marconi Society Announces Schedule, Speakers for Groundbreaking Event, The Decade of Digital Inclusion appeared first on The Marconi Society.

We believe Internet access is a basic human right. In order to connect the next billion people, leaders in policy, technology, and digital inclusion advocacy must collaborate to identify the most critical problems and develop innovative, practical solutions.

The Decade of Digital Inclusion brings these communities together in service of a digitally inclusive future. This timely conversation can only be hosted by the Marconi Society, a nonprofit that bridges the communities of advanced technology and digital inclusion.

In addition to the symposium, we will make history by recognizing and honoring one of the wireless industry’s leading stars, Andrea Goldsmith, as our newest Marconi Fellow.

Who Should Attend:

• Technologists from academic and corporate environments
• Digital inclusion stakeholders, including practitioners and advocates
• Policy makers from all levels of government and GovTech
• Philanthropists in the digital inclusion and technology for good spaces

BUY AN EARLY BIRD TICKET

October 22 Schedule

We are honored to welcome some of the world’s leading voices to present during the Decade of Digital Inclusion, including 2020 Marconi Fellow Andrea Goldsmith, Doreen Bogden of the International Communication. Union, and Internet Hall-of-Famer Larry Irving.

See the Event Schedule

Program Committee & Speakers

We have assembled some of the world’s leading voices on technology, public policy and advocacy for digital inclusion.  Meet the speakers that you will hear from and interact with during her symposium and master class on connecting the next billion.

See the Program Committee & Speakers

Sponsorship

In order to realize our vision of a connected future, the Decade of Digital Inclusion requires support. As a sponsor, your brand will be featured alongside exciting content from a dream team of leaders from the technology, policy, and digital inclusion practitioner communities. This is your opportunity to join industry leaders like Crown Castle, Medtronic, Qualcomm, and others and show your organization’s commitment to connecting the next billion by supporting this agenda-setting program.

Sponsorship Pamphlet

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