[CUWiN] Brownbag Presentation:

[Sascha Meinrath]

Hi all,

I was just reminded today that I'm giving a brownbag presentation this 
Wednesday on the UIUC campus.  If you're interested in hearing about 
Community Wireless Networking (and CUWiN, in particular), want to learn 
about what's happening here in Illinois and at the national level, or just 
have questions, feel free to come (the event is open to the public).

Let me know,

--Sascha

-- 
Sascha Meinrath
President                 *   Project Coordinator   *   Policy Analyst
Acorn Worker Collective  ***  CU Wireless Network  ***  Free Press
www.acorncollective.com   *   www.cuwireless.net    *   www.freepress.net

> Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2005 11:11:04 -0600 (CST)
> From: Sascha Meinrath <sascha at ucimc.org>
To: Patrick Vargas <pvargas at uiuc.edu>
Subject: Re: brownbag


> hi S, you're scheduled to deliver a brownbag this Wednesday, 1-2:30pm, 
> in 110 Speech & Hearing [901 S. Sixth Street].  If you could send me a 
> title & an abstract I'll begin advertising.

"Wirelessing the Revolution: Participatory Media, Wireless Networking, and 
Community Empowerment.  AKA: How you're about to get completely screwed by 
the telecommunications industry and don't even know it."

Imagine a free wireless networking system that any municipality, company, 
or group of neighbors could easily set up themselves.  Over the past 
half-decade, the Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN) has 
been developing an open source, turnkey wireless networking solution that 
exceeds the functionality of many proprietary systems.  CUWiN's vision is 
ubiquitous, extremely high-speed, low-cost networking for every community 
and constituency. Following in the footsteps of Linux and Firefox, CUWiN 
has focused on creating a low-cost, non-proprietary, user-friendly system. 
CUWiN's software will share connectivity across the network, allowing 
users to buy bandwidth in bulk and benefit from the cost savings.

Unfortunately, existing telecommunications incumbents are working overtime 
to lock customers into expensive, pitifully inadequate service agreements 
and deploying telecommunications infrastructures using yesteryear's 
technology. Their business models are antiquated, but guess who has to pay 
for their inefficiencies?  That's right, you do.  This presentation will 
walk participants through an introduction to wireless technologies, 
discuss some of the social benefits of Community Wireless Networks, and 
focus on some of the more dastardly tactics being undertaken _right now_ 
by major telecom incumbents to screw you over (e.g., last week an 
ammendment to the Illinois telecom rewrite removed the language that the 
law's purpose is to "provide for fair, just and reasonable rates").

-- 
Sascha Meinrath
President                 *   Project Coordinator   *   Policy Analyst
Acorn Worker Collective  ***  CU Wireless Network  ***  Free Press
www.acorncollective.com   *   www.cuwireless.net    *   www.freepress.net