Pulling Back the Redwood Curtain:
Humboldt County's Next-Generation Internet Opportunity

Joaquin Alvarado, Institute for Next Generation Internet
Ken Ikeda, Bay Area Video Coalition

March 1st, 5-7pm
Wharfinger Building, Eureka

[Download Event Flier PDF]

Joaquin AlvaradoOn Thursday, March 1st, from 5-7pm at the Wharfinger Building in Eureka, Humboldt State University's Office for Economic & Community Development will host a free presentation and question-and-answer workshop with Joaquin Alvarado, founding director of San Francisco State University's Institute for Next Generation Internet, with Ken Ikeda, Interim Executive Director of the Bay Area Video Coalition. The public is invited to join leaders of business, education, and cultural organizations for this forum on "Pulling Back the Redwood Curtain: Humboldt County's Next-Generation Internet Opportunity."

It's universally agreed that the internet is changing the way we learn/educate, do business, participate in culture, and govern ourselves in the United States. This consensus is reflected everywhere on newsstands, bookshelves, televisions, and blogs. In 2006, Time Magazine declared the person of the year is "You," or, rather, all the participants of the online world. Why did Time Magazine choose millions of people rather than just one for their annual cover feature? In their own words, the internet is "a story about community and collaboration on a scale never seen before."

National airwaves are already filled with conversations about changes and opportunities the next-generation internet brings our nation, but what's in store for our local communities of the North Coast? It can empower distance-learning, for example, allowing language students to practice speaking with a native speaker in a foreign country; it will enable doctors to send high-resolution images to out-of-the-area specialists at the top of their fields; and it can equip business people to meet via high-resolution video-conferences, saving them the expense of air travel and the Earth its disproportionate climate change effect.

Ken IkedaAt the March 1st presentation, Joaquin Alvarado will discuss next-generation internet applications and the larger role they can play in promoting economic development and improving education. He, and co-presenter Ken Ikeda, will also discuss how we can improve quality of life, and not only access to, but participation in, culture and government. Ken Ikeda is the head of Youth Sounds, part of the Bay Area Video Coalition, a network of high school-and community-based digital media training centers for low-income teens.

Joaquin Alvarado is a recognized leader in the efforts to connect California communities to the next generation internet. He is currently leading San Francisco State's outreach efforts to ensure that infrastructure is put in place so that "all will have access." Alvarado serves on the Digital Media Advisory Council to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. "We've helped affect the conversation locally and internationally around priorities with the Next Generation Internet, and broker a diverse range of stakeholders — something we didn't have the chance to do with the first Internet," Alvarado says.

Joaquin Alvarado and Ken Ikeda's visit to the North Coast occurs during a crucial moment. It's widely recognized that digital connectivity offers a key to stimulate growth of clean industry and high-quality jobs, but December and January outages in Humboldt County's only fiber optic link demonstrated the need for infrastructure development. Fortunately, HSU President Rollin Richmond and Humboldt Area Foundation Executive Director Peter Pennekamp were recently appointed to the Governor's Broadband Task Force (see also Arcata Eye, 12 Dec 2006).

Richmond emphasizes the need for North Coast stakeholders to discuss how we can leverage and employ new infrastructure. "This forum with Mr. Alvarado is an ideal opportunity to further build the partnerships that will drive infrastructure development. Joaquin is an energizing speaker with an impressive ability to bring people together from different backgrounds."

Maggie Gainer, director of the HSU Office for Economic and Community Development, sponsoring the forum, says "Joaquin is a brilliant and inspiring speaker. Most people don't care about internet technologies in and of themselves, but they are keenly interested in what those technologies can do for their lives, businesses, schools, and communities. Joaquin understands this, and he is able to communicate this to everyone from the least to most technical. He also bridges the communication gap that so often occurs between these two groups. He and Ken will be able to talk with us about specific initiatives and concrete projects they're working on as examples for North Coast residents."

"Pulling Back the Redwood Curtain: Humboldt County's Next-Generation Internet Opportunity" is part of the Office for Economic and Community Development's Taking Care of Business speakers series and EntrepreneurshipWeek USA activities. While this forum is free of charge, your RSVP will be appreciated. For more information on these, and other Office for Economic and Community Development programs, visit the office website, email econdev@humboldt.edu, or call 707.826.3924.

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