Sunday, September 13, 2009

Broadband as Platform at Gov 2.0 Summit

Julius Genachowski, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission spoke about "Entrepreneurial Ventures in Public Service" encouraging innovators to consider making public service one of their next ventures.

Before taking the helm at FCC, Chairman Genachowski has had two decades of experience in public service and the private sector. Prior to his appointment, he spent more than 10 years working in the technology industry as an executive and entrepreneur. He co-founded LaunchBox Digital and Rock Creek Ventures, where he served as Managing Director, and he was a Special Advisor at General Atlantic. In these capacities, he worked to start, accelerate, and invest in early- and mid-stage technology and other companies. From 1997-2005, he was a senior executive at IAC/InterActiveCorp, a Fortune 500 company, where his positions included Chief of Business Operations and General Counsel.

"We're trying at the FCC to bring it into the 21st century," he said at the Summit. "I'd like it to become a real model for excellence in government." The agency also just rolled out a new section of its Web site, fcc.gov/connect, which is set up as a clearinghouse where users can access the agency's Twitter feed, Facebook page and other new media overtures.

"There's nothing wrong with lawyers participating in the FCC process, it's just that they should not be the only people," he said. "We need to find ways to allow ordinary citizens to express their ideas in the course of FCC proceedings."

Watch this short clip with a portion of his interview and be inspired: