SOPA Strike: how local Philadelphia tech organizations are protesting the federal legislation

The message on Zivtech.com, an Old City design firm

Billed as the largest online protest in history, there is a local spin to the SOPA Strike, aimed at keeping the heat on controversial legislation aimed at curbing online piracy. Critics say the legislation is too broadly written, as to allow limitation of any social web tool that allows the sharing of intellectual property — think Youtube, Twitter and Facebook.

Today, a call for a ‘blackout’ has led to major websites like Google and Wikipedia to limit their functionality or site look to convey what could be lost if the federal legislation moves forward. Several Philadelphia companies have joined the fray, the day of a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the bill, even though President Obama has said he would veto the bill in its current form.

See other ways local companies are protesting today, including what might be the funniest strike of them all.

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Open Government Philadelphia: an initiative and policy paper from Councilman Bill Green

Councilman Bill Green publicly unveils his Open Government Initiative, during the Philly Tech Week One Great Idea event from the Philadelphia Media Network on Wednesday, April 27. He is flanked by RoseAnn Rosenthal and Greg Osberg. Photo by Yusuf Muhammad/Phrequency.com

After a failed bid for a paperless government initiative last year, Councilman Bill Green has redoubled the proposal into a broader 10-point Open Government policy paper, largely calling on technology and the community here.

Green’s announcement of the proposal came during the Philly Tech Week One Great Idea event from the Philadelphia Media Network, though he has continued hitting the talking point recently, a week before the City Council Democratic primary.

“We could become the first paperless and most open city government in the country,” Green said at the event. “We have the opportunity to leapfrog everyone else in five years if we start now.”

In the 17-page document, Green makes 10 recommendations, most of which he proposes to move forward himself with related legislation, though the local technology community is heavily sourced and credited. Download the full paper here [PDF].

Green says between $150-$200 million can be saved in the paperless government move alone, something Sacramento was most recently trumpeting.

Below, find his 10 recommendations and what they could mean for the future of Philadelphia governance, in addition to a related presentation his office shared.

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City Council Resolution: April 25-30, 2011 is officially Philly Tech Week

In case you weren’t convinced yet that Philadelphia’s technology community is being courted, that it’s value for the future of this city and the region is widely known, look no further than City Council Resolution No. 110218.

Introduced by City Councilman Bill Green and supported by his 16 colleagues, the resolution officially marks April 25-30, 2011 as Philly Tech Week.

Are these resolutions a little silly? Yes. But darn it if it isn’t another small step in showing the collective power of our communities. So let’s please show it.

This Thursday, April 7, at 10 a.m., the lead organizers of Philly Tech Week — yes, the same jerks behind this news site — will be receiving an official copy of this resolution to mark the effort, but we all know that, at best, we’re a small voice of this big community. So, we’re inviting any all of you to come. What, you’ve never sat in on City Council? Well, consider this a perfect reason to follow a democratic duty. Check out Council digs and watch the briefly awkward group photo.

Below, check out the resolution (or find the PDF here). While we couldn’t begin to include everyone, please note how we pushed to represent how diverse and broad the technology community in Philadelphia is. (We should add that some of the groups were cut for space issues, please know that we love you all!)

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Why Philly has only one Low Power FM community radio station

Shirley Randelman, host of Community Action Magazine.

In partnership with Temple University’s Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab, the university’s capstone journalism class, students Chelsea Leposa and Jared Pass will cover neighborhood technology issues for Technically Philly and Philadelphia Neighborhoods through May.

“Welcome to WPEB 88.1FM, the first station on your dial,” radio host Shirley Randelman says into her microphone. “You’re listening to Community Action Magazine, bringing you all the updates on what’s going on in the community and keeping it very real and personal.”

Randelman, whose show airs on Mondays from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on West Philadelphia Educational Broadcasters (WPEB), says her’s is one of many programs broadcast on the local station. “We talk about things that are happening in the community especially where it deals with business, advocacy and education. We cover a whole potpourri of information,” she says.

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