*KEYNOTES* * Vinton Cerf, Father of the Internet and Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google * Larry Irving, former US Assistant Secretary of Commerce who in 1994 sparked global interest in digital divide research and evidence-based policymaking *PLENARIES* * Geoffrey Starks, Commissioner, United States Federal Communications Commission in conversation with Gigi Sohn, Distinguished Fellow, Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy and former Counselor to then-Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Tom Wheeler * Avi Gillis, Head of Digital Inclusion Policy & Diversity in Tech, DCMS Digital and Tech Policy, Government of the United Kingdom Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) * Hopeton S. Dunn, Professor of Communications Policy and Digital Media, University of the West Indies; Director, Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC), University of the West Indies; Director, Telecommunications Policy and Management Programme, Mona School of Business, University of the West Indies; Chairman, Broadcasting Commission, Jamaica * Laura Breeden, former Program Director for Public Computing and Broadband Adoption, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, United States Department of Commerce Please check http://www.ppdd.org/conferences/ppdd2019/ for additional prominent Plenaries to be announced soon. *PARTNERSHIP FOR PROGRESS ON THE DIGITAL DIVIDE (PPDD) 2019 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE* 22-24 May 2019 Washington, DC USA http://www.ppdd.org/conferences/ppdd2019/ *FINAL CALL FOR PARTICIPATION AND CONSIDERATION FOR PUBLICATION* Submit your 250-words-maximum abstract to present your work at PPDD 2019, be included in the PPDD 2019 Proceedings and E-Book, and have your work considered for publication in PPDD's edited volumes and special issues of PPDD's five Publishing Partners’ peer-reviewed journals. PPDD 2019 invites work that informs issues related to the digital divide broadly defined, the nature of life in the digital age, the many challenges and opportunities of information and communication technologies, and the interplay of influence between technological and social change. *DEADLINES* Submission Deadline: 6 May 2019 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Time — Submit sooner for rapid notification Notification of Acceptance/Rejection: ASAP on a rolling basis after submission and no later than 8 May 2019 Deadline for Accepted Presenters to Register for PPDD 2019: 8 May 2019 Submission Instructions: http://www.ppdd.org/conferences/ppdd2019/cfp/ *CONFERENCE, HOTEL, AND REGISTRATION DETAILS* Full PPDD 2019 Conference Information: Please see http://www.ppdd.org/conferences/ppdd2019/ and http://www.ppdd.org/conferences/ppdd2019/program/ PPDD 2019 Hotel Reservations: Please see http://www.ppdd.org/conferences/ppdd2019/hotelactivities/ for complete details to reserve at the deeply discounted $149USD/night PPDD 2019 room rate, which is also available if you wish to stay while attending ICA or sightseeing. PPDD 2019 Registration Information: Please see http://www.ppdd.org/conferences/ppdd2019/registration/ *PARTNERSHIP FOR PROGRESS ON THE DIGITAL DIVIDE 2019 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE* Partnership for Progress on the Digital Divide (PPDD) is the only academic professional organization in the world focused solely on the digital divide and on connecting research to policymaking and practice to strategize actions and catalyze solutions to this pressing societal concern. The research, policymaker, and practitioner community represented by PPDD stands ready to advance the agenda on broadband and the digital divide, to address the many challenges and opportunities presented by the digital world, and to further evidence-based policymaking and practice so that all citizens can participate fully in the digital, networked age. The interdisciplinary Partnership for Progress on the Digital Divide 2019 International Conference brings together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners for an extended, in-depth dialogue about key issues that inform information and communication technologies and the digital divide around the world. The Conference works to identify new areas of necessary, productive focus, foster greater understanding, advance research, and enlighten policy and practice going forward. An optional 21 May afternoon Field Trip to digital inclusion program sites offers the opportunity to learn firsthand about innovative initiatives to bridge the digital divide in the Washington, DC area. PPDD 2019 is particularly significant as it marks the 25th anniversary of the recognition of the digital divide through social scientific research. And, within PPDD 2019, we plan to have a major worldwide gathering of experts on technology, disability, and the digital divide. The unprecedented broad multi-disciplinary coalition of PPDD 2019 co-sponsoring organizations from academic, policymaking, and practitioner communities, who will also have representatives participating, ranges from the Internet Society to the Governments of France Ministry for the Economy and the Finances The French Digital Agency, the Government of the United Kingdom Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and more to the American Library Association to just about every academic discipline that works on digital divide issues. Please join us to share your insights and expertise, explore the issues, and grow your knowledge and network of connections. Together, we will enrich the dialogue, connect research, policy and practice, and advance the agenda on the digital divide. Please contact conference [at] ppdd [dot] org with any questions not answered on the website. -- Massimo Ragnedda Senior Lecturer in Mass Communication Northumbria University (Newcastle, UK) mragnedda.wordpress.com skype: massimo.ragnedda http://northumbria.academia.edu/MassimoRagnedda Connect with me on *Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook*