About CDD

The Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) is dedicated to ensuring that the public interest is a fundamental part of the new digital communications landscape. From open broadband networks, to free or low-cost universal Internet access, to diverse ownership of new media outlets, to privacy and other consumer safeguards, CDD works to promote an electronic media system that fosters democratic expression and human rights. A national, not-for-profit group based in Washington, D.C., CDD is on the cutting edge of new media developments, especially tracking the commercial media market. Through outreach to the press, policymakers, reports, blogs, investigative research and organizing, CDD plays a unique and pivotal role helping foster the development of sustainable online communities and services essential to civil society in the 21st Century.

History

The Center for Digital Democracy was founded in 2001. But CDD’s work on new media and public policy really began in 1991, when Kathryn Montgomery, Ph.D, and Jeff Chester co-founded the Center for Media Education (CME). CME played a key role during the 1990’s promoting greater public participation in media and telecommunications issues.

CME's work helped lead to:

Development of the E-rate (the fund supporting school and library online access)
Passage of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act
Enactment of the 3-hour FCC rule requiring educational children’s programming for commercial television stations
Creation of the Telecommunications Policy Roundtable

CME also played a key leadership role in organizing a broad range of children’s, educational, and library groups to promote a communications policy agenda supporting the healthy development of children and youth. It also led efforts promoting media diversity policies during the debate over the 1996 Telecommunications Act. CME was instrumental in fighting a number of “big media” deals, including helping secure the open access safeguards as part of the AOL Time Warner merger. It was during the fight over the cable’s industry’s plans for a closed broadband Internet in the late 1990’s (versus an open platform, now known as network neutrality), that the idea to create a new group focused on fostering a vital democratic new media ecology was born.

Through a Stern Family Fund “public interest pioneer” award, CDD was formally launched. Over the last several years CDD has played a major role in:

Developing the campaign for an open broadband Internet
Helping educate the public about the plans of the phone and cable companies to operate a more tightly-controlled broadband system
Leading efforts at the Federal Trade Commission to promote new policies governing online privacy and responsible interactive marketing practices

Through its monitoring and analysis of new media marketplace developments, CDD has served as an “early warning” system for journalists, policymakers and the public about emerging public interest issues. During 2001-2003, CDD played a major role fighting plans for further media consolidation by the FCC. The group also led the effort exposing—and ultimately helping eliminate—plans by officials of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to undermine the journalistic independence of public broadcasting.

In 2007, CDD’s executive director Jeff Chester’s book, “Digital Destiny: New Media and the Future of Democracy” was published.

Staff

Jeff Chester, CDD Founder and Executive Director

Jeff Chester has been an important

force in public-interest media issues for more than twenty years. He is one of the nation's leading advocates working on telecommunications issues. In 1996, Newsweek magazine named him one of the Internet's fifty most influential people. His first book, Digital Destiny: New Media and the Future of Democracy, was released in January 2007. A former investigative reporter and filmmaker, he has long been at the forefront of the fight against consolidation and commercialization of the U.S. media system.

He received his MSW in Community Mental Health from UC Berkeley in 1978 and his BA in psychology from California State University, San Francisco in 1975.

CONTACT:
Email Jeff Chester

Employment Opportunities

Employment with CDD

Thank you very much for your interest.

At the present time, the Center for Digital Democracy has no open positions.

When opportunities become available, they will be added to this page so please check back.

Internship Opportunities

Internship with CDD

The Center for Digital Democracy, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit advocacy organization committed to preserving the openness and diversity of the Internet in the broadband era, seeks an intern to monitor online developments in independent media and alternative content delivery platforms. CDD is particularly interested in identifying and tracking projects that strengthen the public interest potential of broadband, including its ability to promote civic discourse and cultural expression. The intern will research and write on these activities for CDD's website, as well as helping maintain the site.

Web skills essential, knowledge of broadband and new media issues preferred.

Send applications, via an email letter to: jeff@democraticmedia.org