Although still in a formative stage of change, the future of telecommunications will be radically different than what the drafters of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 envisioned. The network of tomorrow will not be optimized for particular applications (such as, for example, voice conversations, video programming delivery, etc.), but instead will be a general-purpose broadband platform capable of delivering applications to consumers through the use of Internet Protocol technology. Twenty years from now, there will not be Voice over Internet Protocol or Internet Protocol Television: there will simply be opportunities for applications providing voice or video to be delivered to consumers over broadband.
The new world of telecommunications will be a far cry from the Bell System’s motto of “one system, one policy, universal service.” There will instead be a network of networks. The daunting challenges of this new architecture will include facilitating interoperability between those networks and securing delivery of communications, all while stimulating investment, competition, and innovation. To date, the Internet’s open architecture has facilitated applications of all flavors, ranging from phishing scams, denial of service attacks, and spam as well as salutary developments such as innovation from applications developers who need not ask permission before launching the next Google, Skype, or YouTube. Preparing for this new world presents enormous challenges to businesses, policymakers, and academics alike.
This Conference will examine the emerging world of telecommunications, taking special care to evaluate the rhetoric and realities of convergence; network management, security, and interoperability; digital rights management; and the role of entrepreneurship and established firms in promoting innovation. Throughout all of these areas, a basic question arises as to whether and how policymakers can regulate software applications — or the transport platforms they rely on — to promote investment and innovation in the emerging digital broadband ecosystem.
Sessions
Welcome
@ CU Law School Wittemyer Courtroom
- Ron Binz
Chairman, Colorado Public Utilities Commission
The Rhetoric and Realities of Convergence
@ CU Law School Wittemyer Courtroom
- Kenneth Dunn
Vice President, Qwest Communications - Michael T. Fries
President and Chief Executive Officer, Liberty Global, Inc. - Don Gips
Group VP for Corporate Strategy, Level 3 Communications - Michael D. Gallagher
President and Chief Executive Officer, Entertainment Software Association - Raymond Gifford
Partner, Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP
Lunch
@ CU Law School Wittemyer Courtroom
Network Management: Beyond the Net Neutrality Debate
@ CU Law School Wittemyer Courtroom
- Paul Ohm — Moderator
Associate Professor of Law, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs - Edward Felten — Presenter
Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer, White House - Jerry Kang — Presenter
Professor of Law, UCLA - Howard Shelanski — Presenter
Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, The White House - Robert Pepper — Commenter
Senior Director, Cisco Systems - Jon Nuechterlein — Commenter
General Counsel, Federal Trade Commission - James B. Speta — Commenter
Professor of Law, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Break
@ CU Law School Wittemyer Courtroom
Digital Rights Management
@ CU Law School Wittemyer Courtroom
- Peter Rohrbach — Moderator
Partner, Hogan & Hartson - Pamela Samuelson — Presenter
Richard M. Sherman Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California Berkeley; Director, Berkeley Center for Law & Technology - Neil Netanel — Presenter
Professor of Law, UCLA - Mark A. Lemley — Presenter
William H. Neukom Professor of Law, Stanford University; Director, Program in Law, Science and Technology, Stanford University - Paul Glist — Commenter
Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP - Preston Padden — Commenter
Senior Fellow, Silicon Flatirons Center - Stephen F. Williams — Commenter
Senior United States Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit
Reception
@ CU Law School Wittemyer Courtroom
Keynote Speaker
@ University Memorial Center
- Morgan O'Brien
Chairman, Cyren Call Communications
Sources of Innovation
@ University Memorial Center
- Victor Fleischer — Moderator
Associate Professor of Law, University of Colorado - Dale Hatfield — Presenter
Spectrum Policy Initiative Co-director and Distinguished Advisor, Silicon Flatirons - Simon Wilkie — Presenter
Professor of Economics, USC - Scott Hemphill — Presenter
Professor of Law, Columbia University - Chris Wand — Commenter
Principal, Mobius Venture Capital - Rian Wren — Commenter
Chief Executive Officer, Neutral Tandem - Joe Waz — Commenter
Lunch and Closing Speaker
@ University Memorial Center
- William E. Kovacic
Global Competition Professor of Law and Policy, The George Washington University Law School; Director, Competition Law Center, The George Washington University Law School
Sponsored By
Association of Denver Telecommunications Professionals
Federal Communications Bar Association - Rocky Mountain Region
Interdisciplinary Telecom Program, University of Colorado