Video Interview: Code for America City Program Director Alissa Black

In 2011, Code for America will select five developers to work in Philadelphia for a year to create applications that improve how city government connects with residents.

As we reported in our Q&A with Mayor Nutter, the grant comes as the city is getting serious about technology, elevating the CTO to a cabinet-level position while investing $120 million in the Division of Technology.

At today’s Supernova conference, we caught up with Code for America’s City Program Director Alissa Black to ask her about the program’s timeline, how she’s measuring success and why Philadelphia was selected as one of CFA’s inaugural cities.

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David Cohen: Comcast not worried about online video

David Cohen (left) is interview by Supernova Hub organizer Kevin Werbach

According to what David Cohen says, Comcast isn’t worried about the shift to online video.

In fact, he says, the company is welcoming it — enough so that the future of online video has become the dominant conversation surrounding the company’s proposed acquisition of NBC Universal. Regulators are a wreck over what the merger might mean for moving pictures on the web, but Comcast maintains that the deal would stimulate, not stifle, competition.

During his keynote interview at today’s Superniva Hub conference, Comcast’s Executive Vice President answered a wide range of questions about his company’s merger with NBCU and privacy concerns (see our Q and A with him here).

“People often don’t realize how large Comcast is,” said Cohen adding that NBCU will only be 20 percent of Comcast.

But Cohen’s main focus was Xfinity and its role in content creation. Below, hear why Cohen and Comcast aren’t concerned about the shift to online video.

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