Marvin Ammori

The last two weeks, I’ve had the good fortune of speaking with, hearing, or learning from a host of good, very sharp people.  If I had been less busy, I probably would have shared their wisdom in detailed posts every day, and interviewed them for the blog.  But, alas, moving takes time too.  So I just wanted to post about some discussions I had in Nebraska.

I spoke with an activist about open government issues, a state regulator about telecom policy, a former Presidential adviser about Bush’s torture policy, and heard a Nobel economist explain the financial crisis.  And this was all before even getting to DC.

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So after a lovely school year teaching International Telecom Law, US Telecom Law, and Cyberlaw as a law professor in Nebraska, I’m back in DC for the summer.  One benefit of academics: professors like me have the summer off to write and think big thoughts.

There are probably theories on how best to think big thoughts. One way to to go to the library.  This is the ivory tower model.  I could have stayed in quiet Nebraska and researched and written, largely alone.

But there’s a second model, which is to be in the mix.  For me, being in DC is being in the mix.  Tech policy is made here.  I can bounce big and little thoughts off lots of brilliant people working on tech and media issues.  I can also advise, and learn from, folks making tech policy at the national scale.

Plus, I was an activist advocate in DC once.

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