June 3, 2008 – The U.S. and Europe appear to be taking different approaches to broadband policy. The U.S. has largely rejected regulations requiring firms to share their infrastructure with competitors in the hopes of creating platform competition. By contrast, Europe has increasingly adopted such regulations in order to create intra-platform competition. In some cases those regulations have gone as far as imposing structural separation-that is, separating the operation, maintenance, and wholesaling of the broadband infrastructure from the retail service to end-users. These differing approaches are likely to affect competition and investment and may have implications for other pressing concerns such as network management and net neutrality.
To discuss these issues, the Technology Policy Institute is hosting a morning conference jointly with the Brussels-based Centre for European Policy Studies. The conference will open with remarks by Ambassador David Gross. A panel of experts from both sides of the Atlantic will then explore the costs and benefits of the different approaches to broadband policy.
Monday, June 9, 2008
8:30-11:00 AM
National Press Club
Washington, DC
8:30 am Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00 am Opening Remarks
- Ambassador David A. Gross, U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy
9:30 am Panel Discussion
- Scott Wallsten (moderator), Vice President for Research and Senior Fellow, Technology Policy Institute
- Aryeh Friedman, Senior Regulatory Counsel, BT Americas
Presentation - Thomas Hazlett, Professor of Law & Economics, George Mason University
- Andrea Renda, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for European Policy Studies
- Marvin Sirbu, Professor of Engineering and Public Policy, Industrial Administration and Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
