In celebration of the organization’s 60th anniversary, Alliance for Women in Media (AWM) announces its list of the 60 most inspiring women in media today. Selected from nominations submitted by a national poll of AWM community members, the Sixty@60 women were chosen based on their achievements, dedication, authenticity and commitment to advancing their professions. AWM will celebrate its lasting legacy and honor the Sixty@60 at AWM’s 60th Anniversary Luncheon on November 3, 2011, in New York, NY.

Read more about the Sixty@60 honorees, including the Joint Center's Dr. Nicol Turner-Lee, at The Alliance for Women in Media.

Philadelphia city officials estimate 41 percent of residents cannot afford computers or to pay for Internet access. But Mayor Michael Nutter plans to change that.

Philadelphia plans to set up 48 computer centers - like the one at the People’s Emergency Center - in other shelters, recreation centers and libraries.

It will also distribute more than 5,000 laptops to low-income families and create public wifi spots for free wireless Internet access. The project will bring the city closer to digital equality. That's an important goal, according to Nicol Turner Lee, director of the Media and Technology Institute for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

“What started out as a digital divide, where at that time we were dealing with public access to computers and the Internet, has turned into a movement to advance digital inclusion and digital equality," says Lee, "that allows citizens to really realize the full benefit of how this tool and platform can improve the quality of their life.”

Read more and listen to a report at Voice of America and Daily News Corner.

The Administration's new smart grid policy framework is premised on empowering electricity consumers and on unlocking the potential for innovation in the electric sector. So too the e-KNOW Act (S1029) introduced by Senators Mark Udall and Scott Brown. Will there be real innovation in this area? Will we get an app store for electricity? Featuring Dr. Nicol Turner-Lee of the Media and Technology Institute.

Consumers should have the ability to decide how much of their personal information is available on the Internet, as well as ample opportunities to understand the purpose for which it is used, according to members of an expert panel of industry, advocacy and government leaders at a Washington forum on Internet privacy.

The forum, entitled The New Digital Profile: Managing Privacy in an Evolving, Mobile Internet, was sponsored on Tuesday by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a leading Washington, D.C.-based think tank addressing the concerns of African Americans and other people of color.

Read more at PR Newswire, The Sacramento Bee, Yahoo! News, ITBriefing.net, and Press Related.

Consumer and privacy advocates on Tuesday pushed for greater online protections and education for seniors as well as low-income and disadvantaged users who increasingly are embracing the Internet.

Among families with an annual income of $20,000 or less, 92% of blacks and 63% of Hispanics look for jobs online, compared with 54% of whites, according to a 2010 study by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

"Broadband has the potential to level the playing field," says Nicol Turner-Lee, vice president and director of the center's media institute. We "don't want new adopters to face potential harms they're not ready for."

Read the full article on USA Today and WZZM-TV.

This article was previously available at enterprise-security-today.com. and newsfactor.com.

Consumers should have the ability to decide how much of their personal information is available on the Internet, as well as ample opportunities to understand the purpose for which it is used, according to members of an expert panel of industry, advocacy and government leaders at a Washington forum on Internet privacy.

The forum, entitled The New Digital Profile: Managing Privacy in an Evolving, Mobile Internet, was sponsored on Tuesday by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a leading Washington, D.C. based think tank addressing the concerns of African Americans and other people of color.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies invites you to a Technology Policy Forum sponsored by its Media and Technology Institute on Tuesday, July 26, 2011, on  “The New Digital Profile: Managing Privacy in an Evolving, Mobile Internet.”

The role that privacy plays in broadband adoption and social media has emerged as a key policy issue.  With more new adopters, particularly people of color, seniors and low-income populations going online, the management of their digital profiles becomes a priority.  How will current and emerging public policies protect the interests of these more vulnerable consumers? And, how can we ensure that privacy concerns will not present a barrier to broadband adoption among these groups?  Please join a panel of policy, industry and government experts to address these questions, and share pending legislation.  Lunch will be served.

WASHINGTON, June 23, 2011 – National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Program Director, Anne Neville, offered the keynote address Tuesday morning at the Broadband Breakfast Club’s June event, ” The National Broadband Map: Policy, Consumer and Economic Development Implications.”

Neville, who oversees the development of the National Broadband Map, kicked off the event with an overview of the program, including how the NTIA obtained data, how the data have been used, and the future of the mapping efforts.

National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Program Director, Anne Neville, offered the keynote address Tuesday morning at the Broadband Breakfast Club’s June event, ”The National Broadband Map: Policy, Consumer and Economic Development Implications.” Highlights of the program included discussion of research institutions' usage and sharing of the data. Dr. Nicol Turner-Lee of the Joint Center's Media and Technology Institute discussed how her organization uses the data in its research.

Video of the event can be found at BroadbandBreakfast.com.

The role that privacy plays in broadband adoption and social media has emerged as a key policy issue.  With more new adopters, particularly people of color, seniors and low-income populations going online, the management of their digital profiles becomes a priority.  How will current and emerging public policies protect the interests of these more vulnerable consumers? And, how can we ensure that privacy concerns will not present a barrier to broadband adoption among these groups?  Please join a panel of policy, industry and government experts to address these questions, and share pending legislation.  Lunch will be served.

Welcome and Opening Remarks:
Ralph B. Everett, Esq., President and CEO, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

General Remarks:
Nicol E. Turner-Lee, Ph.D., Vice President and Director, Media and Technology Institute, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

Panel One:
Justin Brookman, Esq., Director of the Project on Consumer Privacy, Center for Democracy and Technology (Moderator)
Debra Berlyn, Executive Director, The Project to Get Older Adults onLine
Link Hoewing, Vice President, Internet and Technology Policy, Verizon
Robert Quinn, Esq., Chief Privacy Officer and Senior Vice President-Federal Regulatory, AT&T
Ross Schulman, Esq., Public Policy and Regulatory Counsel, Computer & Communications Industry Association
Eric Wenger, Esq., Policy Counsel for  Cybersecurity, Standards, and Interoperability, US Government Affairs, Microsoft

Panel Two:
Carolyn Brandon, Esq., Senior Industry and Innovation Scholar, Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy (Moderator)
Marc Berejka, Esq., Senior Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of Commerce
Jonathan Donenberg, Esq., Chief Counsel, Office of U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Josh Gottheimer, Esq., Senior Counselor, Federal Communications Commission
Timothy Robinson, Esq., Senior Policy Counsel and Legislative Director, Office of U.S. Congressman Bobby Rush (D-IL)
Daniel Sepulveda, Senior Advisor, Office of U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-MA)
Katherine White, Esq., Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission

RSVP by July 25, 2011.  For questions or press inquiries, please contact Betty Anne Williams at (202) 789-3505 or bawilliams@jointcenter.org.