Senator John McCain will outline a new bill that would provide vouchers for political candidates to buy time on the nation's broadcast media, funded by a small fee on broadcasters who currently pay nothing to use the public airwaves. Broadcasters were given licenses -- at no cost -- to use spectrum now valued at $250 billion in return for in-kind "public interest obligations," such as educational and civic programming.

Sweeping changes triggered by digital technologies have raised questions about how to understand the public interest in copyright law and digital infrastructure. Join us for a one-day conference, Protecting the Information Commons, which will include the release of several major reports and explore some key questions: How is the public domain being threatened by new technologies and copyright law? What are the implications of current patent policies and digital innovations for science and the public domain? How might the public's airwaves be used in more equitable and efficient ways?

Because the airwaves are owned equally by all Americans, revenue from spectrum auctions and fees could be earmarked for reinvestment in new public assets for the digital era-including quality children's programming, educational innovation, digitizing our cultural inheritance, and expanded civic discourse. A spectrum trust could help to fulfill the public interest obligations of broadcasters and other commercial spectrum users.

TechNet and CSPP, two coalitions of high-tech CEOs, recently asked the government to set an ambitious goal - a National Broadband Policy - to connect 100 million homes and businesses to a next generation Internet 50 to 100 times faster than today?s broadband connections. President Bush is expected to preview his broadband initiative in Tuesday?s State of the Union.