Session 109: SPOTLIGHT - "Reed Hundt: 30 Years from E-rate to Green Banks"

Join us to hear how the US government responded to the three great economic dislocations of the past 30 years:
• The arrival of the World Wide Web in mid 90's
• The Great Recession of 2008
• The 2020 Covid pandemic.
And how has public policy in telecommunications and energy shaped the world today and what does it hold for our shared future and for libraries in particular?
“As a government official and an advocate for three decades, I have pursued the vision of every library as an encyclopedic workspace for communities, where learning of all kinds is pursued at no cost for all honest purposes. I’ve been involved in obtaining billions of dollars for connecting broadband to libraries. The work is never done but the vision never fails.”
Tune in as we learn from this master of public policy. As Chairman of the FCC, Reed Hundt led US communications policy into the internet era, laying the groundwork for the early "information highway." He oversaw the implementation of the highly successful e-rate program. He organized and rationalized spectrum policy to create an economic and social use platform that helped revolutionize the global communications infrastructure for optimal economic and social benefit.
Reed leads in building financial structures to guide transition form an unsustainable fossil fuel economy to a more survivable green one. As CEO of CGC, he heads a non-profit with a mission to "halt climate change by accelerating investment in clean energy technologies. CGC achieves this by advocating for, creating and implementing Green Bank finance institutions."
As leaders around the world seek his advice and insights, many ask how do these major policy domains of universal access and green energy can merge into general social and economic advantage for all?