WHEN

February 13-14, 2007
9:00 AM -5:00 PM

broadband connectivity competition policy


WHERE

FTC Conference Center
601 New Jersey Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20001

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On February 13 and 14, 2007, the Federal Trade Commission will host a public workshop on "Broadband Connectivity Competition Policy." The FTC will bring together experts from business, government, and the technology sector, consumer advocates, and academics to explore competition and consumer protection issues relating to broadband Internet access, including so-called "network neutrality." The workshop will explore issues raised by recent legal and regulatory determinations that providers of certain broadband Internet services, such as cable modem and DSL, are not subject to the FCC's common carrier regulations. The workshop will examine, for example, the capabilities and incentives of broadband Internet service providers to discriminate against, degrade, block, or charge fees for prioritized delivery of unaffiliated content and applications. The workshop will also address the potential effects of network neutrality regulation on innovation and competition in the market for broadband access.

All attendees will be required to display a current driver's license or other valid form of photo identification. The Conference Center is accessible to people with disabilities. If you need an accommodation related to a disability, please call Gregory P. Luib, 202-326-3249.

 
  • Press Release (December 7, 2006)
  • Agenda [PDF]
  • Participant Biographies [PDF]
  • Public Comments
  • Transcript
    • February 13 [PDF]
    • February 14 [PDF]
  • Webcast
  • Panelist Presentations
    • Michael Altschul, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, CTIA – The Wireless Association [PDF]
    • Joseph Farrell, Professor, University of California, Berkeley [PDF]
    • Harold Feld, Senior Vice President, Media Access Project [PDF]
    • Alfred E. Kahn, Professor Emeritus, Cornell University [PDF]
    • William Lehr, Research Associate, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology [PDF]
    • Timothy J. Muris, Timothy J. Muris, Professor, George Mason University School of Law [PDF]
    • Jon M. Peha, Professor, Carnegie Mellon University [PDF]
    • J. Gregory Sidak, Visiting Professor, Georgetown University Law Center; Criterion Economics [PDF]
    • John Thorne, Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Verizon Communications [PDF]
    • Scott Wallsten, Senior Fellow and Director, Communications Policy Studies, The Progress & Freedom Foundation [PDF]
    • Philip J. Weiser, Professor, University of Colorado at Boulder [PDF]
    • Ronald B. Yokubaitis, Chairman, Data Foundry [PDF 1] [PDF 2]
 

BACKGROUND
 
*The comment must be accompanied by an explicit request for confidential treatment, including the factual and legal basis for the request, and must identify the specific portions of the comment to be withheld from the public record. The request will be granted or denied by the Commission's General Counsel, consistent with applicable law and the public interest. See Commission Rule 4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c).