Taming the Internet?

The Internet continues to be a work in progress, as the applications for it evolve. With the development of new applications, such as file sharing programs and Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP), come new pressures for regulation. Similarly, in response to regulatory and commercial pressures – ranging from approaches to addressing spam to increasing security to protecting digital content – the architecture of the Internet is changing.

One fundamental question is to what extent the Internet will move away from its initial “end-to-end” design principle, which resisted moving “intelligence” into the center of the network. Another question is to what extent, and how, regulation can work where identifying only certain applications – say, VOIP and the sharing of copyrighted works – may be no easy task. Finally, to the extent that longstanding policies – say, protecting copyrights, enabling wiretaps, and facilitating access to E-911 – are to be continued, can the old frameworks be easily translated to the Internet or will fundamental approaches need to revised in light of its unique technological characteristics. This conference will address these substantive questions as well as the procedural ones as to what institutions are best situated to address such matters.