<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Folks</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">People spoke frankly and several members of the board were strongly supportive of the chapters and a bottom-up organization. <span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif">Walid Al-Saqaf said the Chapters' Committee "</span><span id="docs-internal-guid-aa1d98dc-00d3-2566-44b5-2781579ac57d" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent">will get whatever you need."  </span></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"><br></span></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent">Several supported (modest) funding for the chapters, a much better system than requiring beseeching staff  for even small chapter needs. Avri, the Chair of the Chapters' Committee, specifically endorsed the proposal  of allocating 3% of the budget for the chapters to spend, with sensible oversight. </span></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"><br></span></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent">Several board members suggested the best way would be to work through the Chapters' Committee. That means it's essential that good people join the Chapters' Committee and light a fire under it. </span></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"><br></span></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent">My main issue is development, to bring the Internet to everybody. What I hear in DC is wildly different from what I hear from the people on the ground, (We call it Beltway Blindness.) So I particularly hope that folks who know the issues of development step in and guide us. </span></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"><br></span></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent">Very constructive, but we'll need the active encouragement of the senior staff to make this work.</span></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"><br></span></span></div><div class="gmail_default"><font color="#000000" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;white-space:pre-wrap">Dave</span></font></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"><br></span></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"><br></span></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:transparent"><br></span></span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif">-- </span></div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr">Editor, Fast Net News, Net Policy News and DSL Prime<br>Author with Jennie Bourne  DSL (Wiley) and Web Video: Making It Great, Getting It Noticed (Peachpit)</div></div>
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