Net Neutrality + The Library School Levy
EmpowerU Studio at Frame USA225 Northland Blvd
Cincinnati, Ohio 45246
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Join EmpowerU for a Double Header Night!
1) From 7:00-7:40 PM We will be having a discussion about the Hamilton County Library’s Levy request which will be on the ballot on May 8. Elaine Fay and Libby Stock from the Hamilton County-Cincinnati Library will be talking about the proposed Library Levy on the ballot. Cincinnati’s library board is asking Hamilton County taxpayers May to double what they contribute each year on this upcoming tax levy.
At 7:15 PM Matt Wahlert, a City Councilman from North College Hill will discuss why he does not think the levy request should be voted for. We will make sure to leave some time for your questions about this important levy. An interesting discussion will come up about how an unelected board (Library board) has the ability to add a levy to the ballot with going through the County Commissioner’s normal levy process.
Elaine Fay * Libby Stock * Matt Wahlert
2) Around 7:40 PM Net neutrality will be discussed. Net Neutrality is the principle that governments should mandate Internet service providers to treat all data on the Internet the same, and not discriminate or charge differently by user, content, or website. It has become one of the hot topics of 2018 with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and the FCC voting 3-2 on a party-line vote to repeal Net Neutrality oversight regulations for internet service providers (ISP). This decision allows ISP to open up different speed and buffering options to large internet content companies like Netflix which could impact consumer’s service speed and cost. The repercussion of this decision by the FCC (overturning a previous Democratic FCC decision in favor of Net Neutrality) is important and has caused a groundswell of criticism among millennials and others. The decision has led many States to propose legislation to keep Net Neutrality in place event though the FCC has ruled that States have no authority in this area.Is Net Neutrality one more area where competition will lead to a better internet? Is this a libertarian, free-market issue? With the importance of the internet do we risk ISP’s controlling content and changing the way the internet works? Will certain websites be blocked from your use if those websites don’t pay ISP’s to show their web pages?
As we move forward, what will provide the best user experience for the internet? EmpowerU Managing Board Member Dan Regenold will simplify this topic and take us through this important issue as we examine the pros and cons of Net Neutrality. This session will include plenty of time for your thoughts, discussion, and questions.
Speaker Bios:
Elaine Fay is the Community and Government Relations Coordinator at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County acting as a liaison between the Library and federal, state and local government agencies. Libby Scott is the Internal Communications Coordinator at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Matt Wahlert currently serves as a member of North College Hill Council and is President Pro Tem. He also is a member of teh Board of Directors of Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, Life Skills High School, and Riverside Academy.
Dan Regenold, is the Managing Board Member and Founder of EmpowerUOhio.org. He runs www.frameusa.com a American-Made picture frame manufacturing company that relies on selling their products on the internet.
