Interesting People mailing list archives
IP: PhillyTech May 2000 Dave Farber
From: Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>
Date: Sun, 07 May 2000 06:50:47 -0700
http://www.philly-tech.com/archives/2000/05/highprofile.asp
Dave Farber
By Jill P. Capuzzo Penn professor brings his wit and wisdom to the nation's capital Dave Farber is that rare breed of technology expert who can actually make laymen understand what he's talking about, even when he's explaining his complex research in ultra high-speed networking or predicting the workings of the fully digitized home of the future. That's a good quality to have, especially in his new capacity as chief technologist for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), where he spends a lot of time translating highly technical material for a group of people whose main language is politics. The feisty, 65-year-old University of Pennsylvania professor of telecommunications signed on with the FCC for one year (although he admits they'd be happy to have him stay longer) during which time he hopes to bring them up to speed on what he calls "the generation of the Internet." Since he began his stint in January, Farber says he has been most surprised by the quality and intent of the people at the FCC. "I've always seen them as policemen, or in the pay of X or Y, but you go inside and there's a great public spirit to the place. They're trying to do what's right for the country while operating in a very complicated space," said Farber, who recognizes the necessity of a FCC as "parental supervisors."
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