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Telecom Act Anniversary Conference in DC
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Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 15:51:04 -0800
From: William Drake
---Conference Announcement---
BEYOND THE TELECOM ACT: THE MEDIUM AND THE MESSAGE, ONE YEAR LATER
Friday, February 7, 1997 at the The Freedom Forum World Center 1101 Wilson Blvd., 22nd Floor Arlington, Virginia 22209
Co-sponsored by the Freedom Forum http://www.freedomforum.org and the Communication, Culture and Technology Program, Georgetown University http://www.georgetown.edu/grad/CCT/
Conference Chairpersons:
Adam Clayton Powell, III Vice President, Technology and Programs, The Freedom Forum
William J. Drake Associate Director, Communication, Culture and Technology Program, Georgetown University
On February 8, 1996, President Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 into law. The Act's proponents said it would stimulate the rapid deployment of an advanced National Information Infrastructure (NII) and catapult the United States into a dynamic new digital information economy. Waves of competition would sweep across and energize industries like telecommunications, cable television, broadcasting, and electronic publishing, and these media systems would converge into an integrated digital "bit business." The public would have access to a greater diversity of news and entertainment in the mass media. Consumers would be able to choose from an expanded range of communications goods and services at lower prices. Thousands of new jobs would be created, and public interest objectives like universal service would be preserved.
One year later, many observers are wondering when and even if these benefits will materialize. Indeed, the trends of recent months have been in the opposite direction: the development of robust competition in local telecommunications has been stymied by court challenges; local telephone companies have retreated from their promises to build advanced video systems; cable television operators are reexamining their strategies in telecommunications; an explosion of mergers, acquisitions, and corporate alliances has substantially increased the concentration of ownership and control in media industries, especially broadcasting; jobs are being eliminated; telephone and cable television prices are rising; and the debate about a competitive, two-wire "information superhighway" to the home seems an increasingly remote dream.
Is it simply too early to evaluate the Telecom Act's effects, as its supporters argue? Or do the recent trends reflect significant design flaws that need to be fixed, as the Act's opponents contend? Alternatively, is it possible that the Telecom Act and its effects are less important to the changing media landscape than either side of the debate acknowledges, especially in light of the continuing Internet explosion?
On the eve of the law's first anniversary, The Freedom Forum and the Communication, Culture and Technology Program of Georgetown University are convening a one-day conference to take stock of the Act and its impact on the communications landscape. Please join us!
8:30 am Continental Breakfast
9:00 am Welcome and Overview
Adam Clayton Powell, III Vice President, Technology and Programs, The Freedom Forum
Martin Irvine Director, Communication, Culture and Technology Program, Georgetown University
9:15 am Overview
William J. Drake Associate Director, Communication, Culture and Technology Program, Georgetown University
9:30 am Keynote Presentation
Reed Hundt Chairman, Federal Communications Commission
10:30 am Coffee Break
10:45 am Panel I: The Telecommunications Act of 1996 Reconsidered In light of experience, does the Telecom Act appear to establish the right policy model for the new media environment? Does it strike equitable and sustainable balances between competing business interests, and between the needs of corporate and noncommercial stakeholders? What additional legislative and regulatory measures, if any, are needed to help the private sector grow the NII?
Moderator:
Mike Mills Telecommunications Reporter, The Washington Post
Speakers:
John Windhausen General Counsel, Competition Policy Institute
Linda Garcia Adjunct Professor, Communication, Culture and Technology Program, Georgetown University
Henry Geller Senior Fellow, The Markle Foundation
Eli Noam Professor of Finance and Economics and Director, The Columbia Institute of Tele-Information, Columbia University
12:30 pm Luncheon
1:45 pm Panel II: The Impact on Mass Media and the Public Sphere What does the increasing concentration of ownership in the mass media industries mean for the future of news and entertainment? Will the Telecom Act and related trends in the business enhance or reduce the diversity of voices in the public sphere of ideas? How have the Act's provisions affected broadcasting, cable television, the Baby Bell's video systems plans, and electronic publishing and the Internet? Will the V-Chip and television rating system work?
Moderator:
Adam Clayton Powell, III Vice President, Technology and Programs, The Freedom Forum
Speakers:
Andrew Schwartzman Executive Director, Media Access Project
William Small Professor of Business, Fordham University
Mark Jurkowitz Ombudsman and Journalist, Boston Globe
Mitch Stephens Professor of Journalism, New York University
3:15 pm Coffee Break
3:30 pm Panel III: The Impact on Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure What do the mergers between Baby Bells and related moves toward industry consolidation mean for the NII? What are the prospects for full implementation of the Act's provisions on competition in local and long-distance telecommunications services? Can universal service be preserved and expanded in the new environment? How will changes in the telecommunications industry and rules impact the Internet, and vice versa?
Moderator:
Charles Firestone Director, Communications and Society Program, the Aspen Foundation
Speakers:
Robert Pepper Chief, Office of Plans and Policies, The Federal Communications Commission
Andrew Blau Director, Communications Policy Project, the Benton Foundation
Jamie Love Director, Consumer Project on Technology
5:00 pm Closing Remarks
Larry Irving Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, and Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
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The Freedom Forum is conveniently located in Arlington, Virginia, two blocks from the Rosslyn Metro station. Pay parking is available in the building.
Attendance is free of charge and open to the public; registration required.
Please RSVP by Tuesday February 4 to Ms. Euraine Brooks at Tel: (703) 284-2809 Fax: (703) 284-2879 Email: brookse@tffwc.mhs.compuserve.com
Please provide the following information: Name, Organization, Phone Number, and Email Address
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William Drake Associate Director Communication, Culture and Technology Program Georgetown University 3520 Prospect St., Suite 309 Washington, D.C. 20007 Tel: (202) 687-1722 Email: drakew@gusun.georgetown.edu http://www.georgetown.edu/grad/CCT http://epn.org/tcf/tcdrak01.html
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