The Next Three Billion

You can download the powerpoints from the event from the agenda below.

For Americans, internet access is increasingly universal and essential. Yet globally, less than half the world is online. More than four billion people are unconnected, depriving them – and all of us – of the economic and social network effects of a globally connected world. The challenges are daunting. And the pace of getting the whole world online is actually slowing not growing.

The Global Connect Initiative, a joint venture of the State Department and World Bank, has set the ambitious goal of getting an additional 1.5 billion people online by 2020. International development banks are beginning to see connectivity as a top global economic development priority and more than 40 countries are engaged in the effort.

In support of these goals, a number of leading U.S. technology companies are developing global wireless broadband strategies – from balloons and drones to immense satellite networks – aimed at bringing affordable Internet access to the poorest parts of Africa, Asia and South America.

These and other, smaller companies and NGOs are piloting more localized strategies, such as leveraging the power of Wi-Fi on vacant TV spectrum, or networking innovation that can make mobile broadband services by local cellular providers more available and affordable.

Please join us for this half-day forum as we showcase – and debate – both “moon shot” global innovations and more local, community networking strategies, to address the challenge of getting the next three billion online.

Agenda:

9:45 a.m. Registration and Coffee  

10:00 a.m. Welcome and Overview of Challenge

Anne-Marie Slaughter, President and CEO of New America, @SlaughterAM
Megan Smith, Former U.S. Chief Technology Officer, Entrepreneur, Engineer, @smithmegan 
Download Megan Smith's Powerpoint presentation

Manu Bhardwaj, Former Senior Advisor on Technology & Internet Policy, U.S. State Department
Download Manu Bhardwaj's Powerpoint presentation

10:30 a.m. Presentations and Panel Discussion: Local Strategies

Steve Song, Senior Research Associate, Network Startup Resource Center, @stevesong
Download Steve Song's Powerpoint presentation
Vanu Bose, President & CEO, Vanu Inc., @vanubose
Download Vanu Bose's Powerpoint presentation
Christopher Yoo, Founding Director, 1 World Connected and Professor, University of Pennsylvania Law School, @1_WorldConnect
Download Christopher Yoo's Powerpoint presentation
Dave Wright, Director, Regulatory Affairs & Network Standards, Ruckus Wireless, @wifidave
Download Dave Wright's Powerpoint presentation

Moderator: Kim Hart, Technology Editor, Axios, @khart

11:40 a.m. Lunch Break

12:10 p.m Luncheon Keynote

Jack Spilsbury, Global Connect Initiative Senior Coordinator, U.S. State Department
Antonio Garcia Zaballos, Inter-American Development Bank, @the_IDB
Download Antonio Garcia Zaballos' Powerpoint presentation
Patsy Doerr, Global Head of Corporate Responsibility, Thomson Reuters, @patsydoerr

12:30 p.m. Presentations and Panel Discussion: Global Strategies

Greg Wyler, Founder & Executive Chairman, OneWeb, @greg_wyler
Download Greg Wyler's Powerpoint presentation
Bob Pepper, Head of Global Connectivity Policy and Planning, Facebook, @rmpepper
Download Bob Pepper's Powerpoint presentation
Paul Garnett, Director Affordable Access Initiatives, Microsoft, @MicrosoftIPC
Download Paul Garnett's Powerpoint presentation

Moderator: Cecilia Kang, National Technology Correspondent, The  New York Times, @ceciliakang

2:00 p.m. Adjourn