Christian Sandvig, associate professor in the Department of Communication and GSLIS affiliated faculty member, has been appointed to the Broadband Deployment Council, an executive body reporting jointly to the Illinois governor and the State of Illinois assembly. The council is tasked with promoting the development and deployment of broadband technology in an effort to keep Illinois economically competitive.
The state launched the council with an executive order in 2005, stating that the group’s mission is to ensure "that as soon as possible…advanced telecommunications services are made available to the citizens of Illinois on a universal, competitive, and affordable basis."
Sandvig, whose two-year appointment to the council begins this spring, focuses his research at the intersection of communication, information technology and public policy – examining how legal, social and technical elements shape communication systems. He is co-director of the Center for People and Infrastructures, part of the University of Illinois’ Coordinated Science Laboratory, and holds appointments in the College of Communication, College of Media and the Graduate School of Library and Information Science.
In addition, he is a faculty associate in the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.