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.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Wittemyer Courtroom, Wolf Law Building
Welcome
8:45am - 9:00am
Phil Weiser
Executive Director
Silicon Flatirons
Professor
University of Colorado Law School
Overview Address
9:00am - 9:45am
William Kovacic
Chairman
Federal Trade Commission
Overview Panel: The Internet's Challenge to Policymakers
9:45am - 11:45am
Moderator
Phil Weiser
Executive Director
Silicon Flatirons
Professor
University of Colorado Law School
Panelists
Kathryn C. Brown
Senior Vice President, Public Policy & Corporate Responsibility
Verizon
Brad Feld
Managing Director
Foundry Group
Mobius Venture Capital
Kathleen O'Brien Ham
Vice President of Federal Regulatory Affairs
T-Mobile
Dale Hatfield
Executive Director, Silicon Flatirons Center
Adjunct Professor, University of Colorado
Former Chief Engineer, Federal Communications Commission
William Kovacic
Chairman
Federal Trade Commission
Bryan Tramont
Silicon Flatirons Senior Adjunct Fellow
University of Colorado
Partner
Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP
Lunch On your own
11:45am - 1:15am
The Evolution of Internet Architecture: From Best Efforts and End-to-End to Reasonable Network Management?
1:15pm - 3:15pm
Moderator
Paul Ohm
Associate Professor of Law
University of Colorado
Presenters
Edward Felten
Professor of Computer Science and Public Affairs
Princeton University
Shane Greenstein
Professor of Economics
Northwestern University
Christopher Yoo
Professor of Law and Communication
Founding Director of the Center for Technology, Innovation, and
Competition
University of Pennsylvania
