A Joint Seminar of The Centre for European Policy Studies and the Technology Policy Institute
Tuesday 26 May 2009 13.30 – 16.30
CEPS, Place du Congrès 1, Bruxelles, B-1000
The debate over broadband policy transcends national boundaries and has become even more important in the current economic environment as the financial crisis leads the U.S. to include broadband in its economic stimulus efforts and the EU to consider something similar. Since the mid-1990s information and communications technologies have contributed substantially to economic growth, productivity improvements, and, thus, higher living standards on both sides of the Atlantic.
As a result, broadband policy cannot be viewed as just a “regulatory” or a “telecom” issue, but also as one that interacts significantly with the broader macro-economy. In particular, the broader economy affects broadband investment and adoption and vice-versa. The current financial crisis and the industry interact in two important ways.
First, broadband infrastructure is very capital intensive, meaning that changes in credit markets can have big effects on investment. In the current crisis, tight credit markets and the high cost of capital mean that investors may require a higher expected rate of return on their investments than they did in the recent past. Second, broadband has given consumers new ways to react to the economic downturn and to help restore growth that were not possible in any previous recessions, ranging from searching for jobs online to new avenues for entrepreneurship.
13.30
Registration and lunch
14.00
Introductory Remarks
Tom Lenard, President, Technology Policy Institute
Andrea Renda, Senior Research Fellow, CEPS
14.15
Session 1 – How do broadband and IT in general interact with the broader economy? How do they stimulate the economy and contribute to improvements in living standards?
Michael BARTHOLOMEW, European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association
Martin FORNEFELD and Gilles DELAUNAY, MICUS Management Consulting
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Raul KATZ, Columbia University
Norbert GAAL, DG Competition, European Commission
Moderator: Tom LENARD, Technology Policy Institute
15.30
Coffee break
15.45
Session 2 – How do key regulatory policies affect broadband deployment and adoption? What is the role of the public sector?
Marc BOURREAU, Paristech
Tom KIEDROWSKI, Ofcom
Scott WALLSTEN, Technology Policy Institute
Moderator: Andrea RENDA, CEPS
The Technology Policy Institute
The Technology Policy Institute is a research and educational organization that focuses on the economics of innovation, technological change, and related regulation in the United States and around the world. More information is available at https://techpolicyinstitute.org/
