Telecom and Broadband Policy

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Real Audio: Morning Session, Afternoon Session

The American telecommunications sector went into a freefall in 2002. Telecom stocks tanked as once proud industry giants and smaller carriers alike were financially decimated. Numerous providers were forced to declare bankruptcy. And the reverberations were felt well beyond the boundaries of the telecom sector as upstream and downstream industries took a hit as well.

What were the causes of this market meltdown? Was it driven purely by misguided corporate decisionmaking and bad business models, or is public policy more to blame? The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was supposed to rejuvenate this sector by encouraging increased competition, innovation and investment, but most industry watchers have been dissatisfied with the sluggish pace of change.

This conference will explore recent developments in the telecommunications sector and feature a set of balanced debates over the future of both wireline and wireless public policy.

		8:00–8:30 a.m. Registration–F.A. Hayek Auditorium Foyer 8:30–8:40 a.m. Welcoming Remarks Adam D. Thierer Director of Telecommunications Studies, Cato Institute Clyde Wayne Crews Jr. Director of Technology Policy, Cato Institute 8:40–9:30 a.m. Morning Keynote Address Howard Waltzman Counsel, House Energy and Commerce Committee Introduction: Adam D. Thierer, Cato Institute   Part One: Wireline 9:30–10:30 a.m. Panel 1 The Telecom Market Meltdown: Causes and Consequences Moderator: Adam D. Thierer Cato Institute Larry Darby Founder and President, Darby Associates Robert Gensler Vice President, Portfolio Manager and Investment Analyst, T. Rowe Price Anton Wahlman Research Analyst in Broadband Access Technology, Needham & Co. John Wohlstetter Senior Fellow for Technology & Society, Discovery Institute 10:30–10:45 a.m. Break 10:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Panel 2 What Vision Will Govern Broadband? Deregulation, Open Access, or Structural Separation? Moderator: Clyde Wayne Crews Jr. Cato Institute Peter Jew Vice President of Marketing, Optical Solutions James K. Glassman Host, Tech Central Station, and Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute John Ryan Principal, Chief Analyst, and Cofounder, RHK Telecommunications Industry Analysis Robert W. Crandall Senior Fellow, Economic Studies, Brookings Institution Fred L. Smith Jr. Founder and President, Competitive Enterprise Institute 12:00–12:45 p.m. Lunch—Wintergarden   Part Two: Wireless 12:45–1:15 p.m. Luncheon Keynote Address Hon. Kathleen Abernathy Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission Introduction: Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Cato Institute 1:15–2:30 p.m. Panel 3 The Future of Spectrum Governance: Property Rights or a Spectrum Commons? Moderator: Adam D. Thierer Cato Institute Yochai Benkler Professor of Law, New York University School of Law David Reed Systems Designer and Researcher Thomas W. Hazlett Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute Gerald Faulhaber Professor of Public Policy and Management, University of Pennsylvania Rudy Baca Vice President and Global Strategist, Precursor Group