There’s an important new study out that offers some historical analysis of spectrum auctions and how they can best be fashioned to benefit the economy and consumers . The study, by Georgetown University’s Center for Business and Public Policy visiting senior policy scholar... Read The Story...

Earlier this week I participated in the Youth and Media Policy Working Group Initiative at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University.  The Working Group Initiative brings together experts to explore three issues:  online safety and risky behaviors, privacy and reputation, and information quality.

The workshop this week was the second session held for our group that is focused on privacy, reputation, and information quality.  The initiative explores research on youth and media to help bring it into the policy debate and to “propose practical, relevant, situated solutions based upon that research.” I found that the working group discussions offered an excellent review of current research on online behavior by youth, and provided a great opportunity to relate that research to ongoing policy debates on privacy and information quality.

Read more about the Berkman Center and the Initiative here.

Last week, the Consumer Awareness Project convened a roundtable discussion on the issue of digital literacy.  Common Sense Media’s Senior Manager for Policy, Todd Haiken, spoke to the roundtable participants (consumer and non-profit organization) about the FCC’s National Broadband Plan and its digital literacy programs.

Digital literacy is a significant barrier to the adoption of broadband and the Plan’s proposed programs will provide needed assistance to new adopters, and will help encourage non-adopters to go online.  One program in the Plan includes a digital literacy corps that proposes to provide hands-on technology training to youth and older adults right in their own community.  The focus would be to provide assistance on how to use broadband technology and would include training and information on building computer skills, digital citizenship, and online safety.

It is important for everyone online, but particularly new users, to have digital literacy education include information on safety and security steps to take to protect themselves and the network.  The Plan recognizes the need to educate kids about how to behave online (digital citizenship) and it is also important for all users to understand their individual responsibility for maintaining a safe and secure network.  For more information on how to protect yourself and your network, check out these websites: www.staysafeonline.org or www.consumerawarenessproject.org

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Consumer Resources

Below are additional resources to more information about online privacy.

Consumer Guide to Online Privacy (PDF)
What is 4G Wireless Service? (PDF)
Consumer Online Privacy Survey
2008 Online Safety Survey
bNetS@vvy
www.onguardonline.gov
www.ikeepsafe.org/
www.getnetwise.org
www.fosi.org
www.enough.org

Other Organizations

National Caucus and Center on Black Aged:
http://www.ncba-aged.org/

National Consumers League:
http://www.nclnet.org/