When Kevin Jones heard in his economics class about the Digital Policy Institute's conference, he signed up immediately.
The junior telecommunications major said he was interested in hearing executives from prominent companies discuss important issues about digital policy.
"Me being a student, I felt privileged to attend because not many students had that chance," Jones said.
DPI's conference, Digital Policy in the Information Age, brought people from around the communications industry to Ball State University on Friday at the Alumni Center.
Robert Yadon, professor of information and communication sciences, said people ranging from the president of the Wireless Communications Association to the commissioner of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission formed panels and presented topics related to digital policy, he said.
Jones said seeing the caliber of people at the conference was a great opportunity.
Yadon said most of the students he saw at the conference were predominantly from the College of Communications, Information and Media. People who attended DPI's first conference told him its content and speakers were excellent, he said.
"I think for our first time out of the gate we did pretty well," Yadon said. "... Given the quality of speakers, topics presented and being able to pull this off at Ball State, I'd say we were extremely successful."
Dominic Caristi, associate professor of telecommunications, said he received positive feedback from people attending. People were impressed at the quality of people DPI brought to the conference.
"Without exception, everyone that attended got a lot out of it," he said. "... I think people who attended the event were impressed."
Caristi said he judged the conference's success in two ways. The content of the panels was excellent, he said, and some of them would be posted on the Internet; however, the attendance wasn't as high as he would have liked.
Yadon said, from what he noticed, the most popular panel focused on Net neutrality. The three-person panel, led by economics professor Cecil Bohanon, discussed the potential of congressional legislature regulating Internet usage. That panel was the most widely attended, Caristi said.
Jones said the panel focused on WiMAX, which is technology designed to replace telephone and cable infrastructures and cellular networks. It was his favorite because Ball State has played an integral part in developing the technology, he said.
Yadon said DPI would review the conference and grade itself in the next two weeks. Panel leaders would report on the success of their discussions and DPI would look at ways to increase attendance for future conferences, such as moving to a venue in Indianapolis or Washington, D.C. Other areas under review would be the topics of the discussions and every aspect of the conference's operation, down to the food provided, he said.
Ball State's administration was supportive of DPI, he said, and wanted to see it sponsor more conferences.
Provost Terry King spoke at lunch and provided the official welcome from the university. He was supposed to introduce Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., who was scheduled to be keynote speaker, Yadon said. Pence canceled because he was in Washington, D.C., voting on the financial bailout bill. Instead, King read remarks prepared by Pence about federal shield laws and the fairness doctrine, he said.
DPI was happy to play host to the conference because it provided more exposure for Ball State among leaders in the field of digital policy, Yadon said.
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