For more information:
LaMarriol Smith
512-448-8404

AUSTIN-With the recent cases involving copyright infringement against Napster and the antitrust case against software giant Microsoft, citizens of the technology-rich metropolitan area of Austin will have an opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions about the Internet and related policy issues at a town hall meeting. St. Edwardês University will host America: On the Net from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 18, in the Mabee Ballroom of the Robert and Pearle Ragsdale Center.

America: On the Net, an unprecedented grassroots initiative created by the Internet Policy Institute (IPI) of Washington, D.C., is a series of town hall meetings conducted throughout the United States. The town hall forum at St. Edward's University will be moderated by Kara Swisher, author and technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal. The primary goal of this initiative is to engage the American public in a discussion of Internet issues they consider significant, and to give those issues the depth of exploration and understanding that will allow political leaders and other policymakers to craft an Internet policy agenda.

At the conclusion of the town hall meetings, IPI will identify the top five Internet policy issues of concern to individuals and provide this information to the next U.S. administration, Congress, and other policy leaders at a national summit to be held later this year. The information provided to these political and policy leaders will be used as a framework for constructing and debating Internet policy issues.

St. Edward's University is an independent Catholic liberal arts university of 3,800 students in Austin. It was founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross.