Fw: Sept 29 Technology Hearing - NYC Council

*********PUBLIC HEARING*********
On Monday, September 29, at 10:00 a.m., the Select Committee on Technology =
in Government will hold a hearing on the convening of the Commission on Pub=
lic Information and Communication (COPIC). Added to the City Charter in 19=
89, the primary purpose of this Commission is assist the public - from jour=
nalists, researchers and the average citizen - in obtaining and understandi=
ng information produced or maintained by the City, that is, "public informa=
tion."

Of particular interest to the Committee will be how the Commission could im=
prove the Freedom of Information Law or FOIL process to make it easier for =
journalists, researchers and the average citizen to get information from th=
e City. We also will explore how technology could be used to release and d=
istribute more "public information" in a wider array of formats - while at =
the same time, maintaining the privacy of all individuals.

Expected to testify are Betsy Gotbaum, the Public Advocate for the City of =
New York; Bob Freeman, Executive Director, New York State's Committee on Op=
en Government; Gene Russianoff, Senior Attorney, NYPIRG; as well as represe=
ntatives from the City's Department of Information Technology and Telecommu=
nications, Community Board members from Queens and Brooklyn and the former =
Executive Director of COPIC, Maria Teresa Rojas, now with George Soros' Ope=
n Society Institute.


a.. Time: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
b.. Date: Monday, September 29, 2003
c.. Location: 250 Broadway, 14th floor Hearing Room

Topic: "Making Public Information Accessible: Convening the Commission on=
Public Information and Communication"