May 8th Event: ICANN at a Crossroads: Privatization, Reform, Both, or Neither?

May 8th Event: ICANN at a Crossroads: Privatization, Reform, Both, or Neither?

Friday, May 8th
8:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.
National Press Club
First Amendment Lounge
Washington, DC 20045

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has operated under agreements with the U.S. Department of Commerce since 1998. The current agreement expires later this year. ICANN would like to be fully “privatized,” but that decision raises significant questions about ICANN’s structure, mission, and performance. Does ICANN’s governance structure provide sufficient accountability? How should reforms address ICANN’s status as a de facto regulator? How should reforms address the intellectual property issues associated with domain names? This conference will discuss these issues and a recent TPI study on the subject coauthored by TPI president Thomas Lenard and NYU Stern School of Business economics professor Lawrence J. White.

8:15 a.m.

Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30 a.m.

Presentation: ICANN at a Crossroads: A Proposal for Better Governance and Performance

  • Thomas Lenard, Technology Policy Institute
  • Lawrence J. White, NYU Stern School of Business

9:00 a.m.

Panel: Internet Governance: Institutional Reform and Accountability Issues

  • Michael Abramowicz, George Washington University Law School
  • Paul Levins, ICANN
  • Gregory Rosston, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
  • Arlene Holen, Technology Policy Institute (moderator)

10:00 a.m.

Panel: ICANN as a Regulator: Competition and Intellectual Property Issues

  • Stanley Besen, CRA International
  • Steve DelBianco, NetChoice
  • John Mayo, Georgetown University McDonough School of Business
  • Scott Wallsten, Technology Policy Institute (moderator)

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/.

 

Website |  + posts

Share This Article

View More Publications by

Recommended Reads

Welcome to the TPI Blog

Research Roundup #1

Blog

Technology and Taxes

Explore More Topics

Antitrust and Competition 179
Artificial Intelligence 29
Big Data 20
Blockchain 29
Broadband 382
China 2
Content Moderation 15
Economics and Methods 35
Economics of Digitization 14
Evidence-Based Policy 18
Free Speech 19
Infrastructure 1
Innovation 2
Intellectual Property 56
Miscellaneous 334
Privacy and Security 136
Regulation 9
Trade 2
Uncategorized 4

Related Articles

Inside the NIH w/ Jay Bhattacharya on Innovation, Replication, and mRNA Policy

Is the Kessler Effect Overplayed in the EU Space Act?

TPI Aspen Forum 2025: Supreme Court and Other Legal Developments

TPI Aspen Forum 2025: Privacy and Governmental Surveillance

National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya at TPI Aspen

TPI Aspen Forum 2025: AI & Energy Markets Panel

Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm at TPI Aspen on the Future of Wireless and Global Connectivity

Universal Service in Transition: BEAD’s New Direction and Beyond

Sign Up for Updates

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.