Silicon Flatirons

A Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado

The Digital Broadband Migration: Imagining the Internet's Future

@ University of Colorado at Boulder
February 8-9, 2009

Post-Event Coverage

News

• Ars Technica 1, 2
• Rocky Radar Day 1, Day 2
• RCR Wireless

Blogs

• Phil Weiser
• Pierre de Vries
• Brad Feld 1, 2
• Pamela Passman
• Link Hoewing
• Paul Kapustka / Sidecut Reports

Video

For viewing the video recordings of the conference, click here.

The Internet's development has amazed even its early pioneers and its ability to confound skeptics suggests that calls for change should be taken with a grain of salt. At the same time, it seems difficult to imagine that the Internet's future will not feature any number of innovations that will change how it operates. Indeed, issues such as security, mobility, increased machine-to-machine communications, and the advent of real-time applications challenge some of the design principles of the current Internet. In any event, the network of the future will be shaped not merely by technological change, but also economics, the needs of users, and policy directives.

This conference will imagine the Internet's future, discuss its economic and social implications, and contrast different prescriptions for Internet policy. It will do so by bringing together a top flight group of academics, policymakers, and industry leaders to discuss these issues along four dimensions. First, we will evaluate the technological, economics, social, and policy challenges that are emerging on the horizon. Second, we will discuss the changing architecture of the Internet, the role of network management, and the significance of the transition away from an end-to-end architecture. The third panel will evaluate whether existing institutions--be they the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission; standard setting bodies like the Internet Engineering Task Force; self-regulatory bodies; or private contracting--are up to the task of overseeing Internet communications, including ensuring the reliable service delivery across different networks. The final panel will discuss the major changes in how the Internet serves consumers and how the market for Internet content is evolving. In all discussions, we will bring together the related technological, business, and policy themes that are shaping the Internet and the future of innovation in the information industries.