With factories, offices, public places, shops, transportation and schools shut down for 3 weeks, and another week or so for normal life to resume, it is the Internet that could make life go on. While it is necessary to keep an eye on fake news and the dangers of fake news causing panic, it is equally important to keep the Internet open, with a heightened awareness that everyone needs the Internet, even to seek medical help, and more to preserve mass psychological well being. “More Internet”  here implies an approach that is on the other end of the tendency to lock down, it implies a greater willingness to keep more of the people of the world more connected, and to make news, educational, spiritual and entertainment content more available and also to think of more of curated streams  for e.g,  YouTube curated streams, more of Internet Radio, a better Facebook experience etc...

This is also a good time to collaborate online.  The Internet could bring together groups to collaborate on crisis management, economic reconstruction questions and could generate innovative ideas to solve problems.

What could the business community and civil Society do to help the Government manage the crisis of the time?  

What are the post crisis challenges? Not just restoration, but a renewal. In what ways could we make the economy work better than before?

As part of this Conference, Jane Coffin, the Senior Vice President of Internet Growth, Internet Society would join us from Washington DC to talk about the emerging trend the world over in Internet connectivity technologies - COMMUNITY NETWORKS, which are city-wide Community operated Internet Networks, some including Community Radio, which might also have a social enterprise investment design.   Andrew Sullivan, President and CEO of the Internet Society has also consented to join us. Other invites include the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology,  Internet Community leaders from the Internet Society, ICANN and IGF.

March 26,  7 pm to 8.30 pm (13.30-15.00 UTC). Online, On Zoom (link to be sent separately)  

Please register for this event, (if the zoom meeting link is not received already). The Internet Society India Chennai Chapter  may have to limit participation in this sensitive hour with a view to preserve the discussions as constructive and purposeful.  IN case of any difficulty, please contact by email to isocindiachennai@gmail.com