TPRC
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The annual Telecommunications Policy Research Conference (http://www.tprc.org) (TPRC) is a non-profit organization, which hosts an annual forum for scholars engaged in publishable research on policy-relevant telecommunications and information issues, and for public- and private-sector decision makers engaged in telecommunications and information policy. The purpose of the conference is to acquaint policy makers with the best of recent research and to familiarize researchers with the knowledge needs of policy makers.
[edit] TPRC 2007
The 35th Research Conference on Communication, Information and Internet Policy will be held September 28 - September 30 at The National Center for Technology & Law, George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Virginia.
[edit] Policy Research Subject Matter
Research for TPRC falls into one of seven subject matter tracks. These are:
Track A: Network Competition Policy and Management: Current and Future Battles
Track B: Next Generation and All-IP Networks
Track C: Spectrum Policy and Wireless Applications: Anywhere, Anytime Connectivity and its Implications
Track D: Societal Issues: Universality, Affordable Access, and ICTs for Development and Growth
Track E: The Future of Media Content: Living with YouTube in a Peer-to-peer World
Track F: Intellectual Property and Digital Rights
Track G: Privacy & Security: Building a Culture of Trust in an Online World
[edit] Network Competition Policy and Management: Current and Future Battles
For more than a decade legislatures and national regulatory authorities have been implementing policies designed to promote facilities-based competition made possible by rapid technological innovation. The hope was that one could eliminate heavy-handed, command and control regulation, because marketplace self-regulation would suffice. On the other hand, some countries are pursuing very different policies, for example, based on mandatory unbundling. The success or failure of these differing approaches had yet to be demonstrated conclusively.
As carriers migrate to Internet Protocol-based networks, one network can handle many types of converged services. The versatility of a single network raises the regulatory stakes, because governments may have fewer discrete markets to consider what level of oversight to apply. Some market observers argue for even greater deregulation in light of increasingly robust competition among service providers. Others reject this assessment by emphasizing that most consumers acquire broadband access to the Internet via only two technologies provided by cable television and telephone company incumbents. Such a dichotomy in perception drives vastly divergent views on the appropriate role of government regulation of next generation networks.
* The implications of convergence for competition (including VoIP and IPTV) * Access, interconnection, and unbundling in a converged world * The need for, and viability of, structural safeguards to promote fair competition * Empirical studies on the actual extent of facilities-based and resale competition and the factors that promote or retard competition * Whether, and how, governments should create incentives for investment in next-generation infrastructure * Models of new forms of competition including across network platforms * Regulation of interconnection of IP and circuit-switched networks * Application of telecommunication regulation to new convergent services
[edit] Next Generation and all-IP Networks and Devices
Today there are some 1 billion Internet users and 2 billion cell phone users worldwide. The ubiquitous presence of the Internet in developed countries, as well as the enormous growth that it continues to experience around the world, has aided commerce, the provision of government services, education, and entertainment, among other applications.
Technology continues to deliver new generations of devices, which raise novel policy and management questions. The widespread use of a variety of small devices with wireless communication capacity (intelligent sensors) will open up the possibility of novel communication systems; say through ad-hoc networks. Will they allow groups of users to bypass traditional service providers? Or will those service providers develop new systems, in directions that will allow them to control what customers do to an unprecedented degree?
The Internet has the potential to effect a fundamental transformation of democratic processes by making information about public issues more accessible, by providing citizens with new ways to participate in government decisions, and perhaps even by altering the way they vote.
The past two years have witnessed a resurgence of interest in Internet governance. For example, at the international level the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS II) which met in November 2005 led to the formation of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) which met for the first time in Athens in October 2006. Further, the role of the U.S. in blocking the deployment of the proposed .xxx domain has prompted calls for greater international involvement in the process of assigning Internet addresses. This debate has highlighted broader questions about the proper locus and process for resolving disputes over how the Internet should be governed.
Sessions in this track will explore the issues raised by these new developments. How do current laws apply to these developments, and in what ways should the existing legal and regulatory regime be reformed? Do new problems require similarly innovative regulatory responses? Can they be addressed by nations individually and, if not, what type of international coordination is required or desired? To what extent can they be addressed through architectural design or self-governance rather than regulation? In addition, we are interested in the dynamic effects of policy choices on management decisions and vice versa.
* Next Generation Networks (NGN) and IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) * Sensor networks and ambient intelligence * Ubiquitous computing and communication * RFID and location services * Ad-hoc networks * Internet governance including dispute resolution * Regulatory challenges of NGN and IMS * Commerce in virtual worlds and NGN * Management challenges of NGN and IMS * Social implications of these technologies
[edit] Spectrum Policy and Wireless Applications: Anywhere, Anytime Connectivity and its Implications
Several countries (including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Guatemala, and New Zealand) have increasingly emphasized spectrum management based on market principles using models akin to property rights, in lieu of traditional government administration. At the same time, many questions remain as to how these property rights should be defined, for example there is a need for a workable legal definition for standard of protection from harmful interference. Common elements among these emerging market-based spectrum management approaches typically include some combination of: initial allocation based on auctions wherever feasible; flexible and well defined spectrum rights maintained for long periods of time; and rights to transfer, trade, or lease spectrum.
In parallel with this evolution is an increased interest in improving the effectiveness of spectrum utilization. Methodologies of interest include collective use or sharing (either in unlicensed or in licensed spectrum), secondary use easements (overlays or underlays), and general liberalization of interference management techniques. The emergence of software-defined radio and cognitive radio offer the promise of greatly enhanced real-time optimization of spectrum resources.
Meanwhile, there are profound unresolved questions regarding institutional arrangements. What is the most appropriate allocation of responsibilities between the government, the regulator, the courts, and the standards bodies? How can governments be encouraged to act efficiently in their own use of spectrum? International organizations (notably the ITU) and other bilateral and multilateral arrangements play an important role in promoting economies of scale and international interoperability (e.g., roaming), but this same standardization may interfere with market-based flexible use - what is the proper balance in the emerging environment? There are also notable political economy issues that hamper many reform efforts, including an obsession with auction revenues and concerns about windfalls to incumbents who might benefit from liberalization.
* Alternative spectrum assignment and use models, including market-based models for managing flexibly licensed or unlicensed spectrum * Institutional arrangements, and political economy challenges to reform * Encouraging efficient use by the government, without short-changing national security or public safety * Collective or shared use * The definition, specification, and enforcement of property rights in spectrum * Models for management of secondary markets for spectrum * Interference management * Harmonization versus flexibility * Cross-national analysis of market performance for wireless services * Software-defined radio and cognitive radio * Ultra wideband (UWB) impacts and policy models * Empirical estimates and models for valuing spectrum and interference rights * Experience with new services in unlicensed and licensed bands
[edit] Creative Solutions for Connectivity and Access: ICTs for Development and Growth
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have positive impacts on the economic, social, and political development of a country, region, or community. Today governments around the world are attempting to realize the benefits of ICTs and are making efforts to ensure widespread access to these networks and applications. These initiatives can transcend levels of government, ranging from national initiatives to local programs and from mom and pop virtual stores to city-wide connectivity efforts.
Some governments are doing this by promoting access in schools, libraries, and communal facilities. Various mechanisms finance these initiatives. Some have done so through universal service programs that use public funds to catalyze private investments that are not commercially viable on their own. Others require the incumbent to expand the network to certain locations. Municipal networking initiatives are an important class of public sector initiatives. Numerous examples can now be found in the US, Canada, and other developed and developing countries. The private sector has also taken the lead in providing WiFi hotspots to access information networks, in public places such as airports, coffee shops, and fast-food restaurants.
It is uncertain whether governments or private sector entities will ever fund ICT initiatives for lack of resources or potential rewards. Therefore, NGOs are coming up with creative solutions to the national and international digital divide problems.
Connectivity nonetheless is not the only issue. In many communities there is also a need for training and content development that would allow them to fully take advantage of these technologies.
In addition, the notion of universal service is expanding and in developing countries this services go beyond basic connectivity. In Europe, for example, the notion of access expands to a much larger category of users such as the elderly and disabled, and aim to improve not only access to information but also improve quality of life. Even in LDCs governments need to consider whether innovative technologies such as WiFi can be considered as part of universality initiatives supported by government programs.
* ICT initiatives for economic, social, and political empowerment * Community/Municipal networks * Technologies for social networking * Funding sources and mechanisms * The economic rationale for public sector support * User studies * Government, private sector vs. NGO’s roles in addressing the digital divide solutions * The role of international organizations * Assessments of the experiences with public, private, and NGO initiatives * Social implications of these technologies * Evidence of the impact of ICT on development * Digital cities
[edit] Media Content: Living with YouTube in a Peer-to-Peer World
Digital technology and the Internet are transforming the platforms for delivering news and entertainment in significant ways. Today, individual users are increasingly becoming creators: they can share their perspectives with one another via blogs, can collaborate with one another via wikis, and have more control over what they watch and when they watch it (through the use of digital video recorders, the Youtube/MySpace phenomenon, and other "on demand" technologies). In light of these developments and the growth of satellite, cable, and other delivery platforms, the classic public policy responses to the mass media—including public access television, restrictions on industry concentration, content restrictions and programming obligations, and a protective stance toward local broadcasters—are all being re-examined. These changes are forcing policymakers to wrestle with the extent to which the classic policy concerns are still relevant and creating regulatory structures that ensure that citizens will be able to take advantage of the opportunities created by these new technologies.
In 2007, the European Union is expected to pass a law extending broadcast regulation to the Internet; U.S. Congress is re-examining the extent to which Web 2.0-type content and applications may be stimulated via "net neutrality" rules and national video franchises. It is thus evident that the benefits that these technologies have brought us is also forcing policy makers to rethink the way content and mass media is regulated; a process which proves much difficult by the presence of international IP networks.
* The decreasing editorial role of programmers and the question of what forces signal to consumers what to watch, read, and listen to * Whether and how vertical integration between major developers of video programming and distribution platforms affect the marketplace of ideas * How current regulations must adapt to the increasing variety and interchangeability of sources of content * How reliable and effective wikis and blogs are in searching for accurate or reliable information and what, if any, legal oversight should, or will, develop in response to their increasing importance * How do old media outlets (newspapers, local broadcasters) use new media opportunities (e.g., podcasts, blogs) and how the new media environment transforms the delivery of news and information to the public * How to assess and understand the dynamic relationships between old and new media and how to assess competition between old and new media * How to assess the benefits and costs of public participation in the production and dissemination of news and entertainment
[edit] The Transformation and Future of Intellectual Property and Digital Rights
Novel ideas and innovation are essential inputs in the modern information economy. The technologies that allow digital reproduction, storage, and transmission of information continue to reshape the balance between providing sufficient returns to support production of information and ensuring the public’s unfettered access to that information. This transformation is creating new challenges for regulators, firms, and individuals. This session seeks empirical or theoretical papers exploring the complexities of adapting traditional intellectual property models to digital works, technologies, and networks. Issues of particular interest include the legal and economic status of open-source software; regulatory or legal models for encouraging innovation and creativity; the effect of technology on the economic incentives of intellectual property rights; digital rights management; the potential for technology to extend protection for digital works beyond the limits of traditional intellectual property law; the tradability of intellectual property rights; the impact of intellectual property rights on public participation in the production and dissemination of news and entertainment; the Digital Millennium Copyright Act; Broadcast Flag; the implications of vigilante copyright protection; liability for indirect infringement online post-Grokster; software and e-commerce patents; international and trade issues; and the relationship between intellectual property and related doctrines of contract and antitrust.
* Copyrights, patents, and trademarks * Metadata * Trade secrets and practices * Technological controls * Digital rights management * Alternative specification of digital rights
[edit] Privacy & Security: Building a Culture of Trust in an Online World
Security and privacy issues constitute a complex web of inter-related. Concerns with cyber-threats have been increasing over the years. What are the policy issues that flow from this? Are economic incentives sufficient to motivate necessary investments, or are there some desirable network infrastructure security investments that are "public goods" for which private investment will most likely be insufficient to meet societal needs?
Security issues are invariably linked to aspects of privacy. To what extent have global events redrawn the lines between the two? As the New York Times noted on August 12, "AOL’s misstep last week in briefly posting some 19 million Internet search queries made by more than 600,000 of its unwitting customers has reminded many Americans that their private searches — for solutions to debt or bunions or loneliness — are not entirely their own." Search engines such as Google are not presently subject to legal obligations in regard to the privacy of data that they capture. Should they be restricted in their handling of this data? If so, what mechanisms might be appropriate?
Furthermore, SPAM continues to be a global problem that is unlikely to be solved by any single quick fix. With the emergence of "image SPAM," many of the traditional anti-SPAM techniques have been rendered ineffective. What new and innovative approaches might be possible to mitigate SPAM? Growing storage capacity and increasing resolution of tiny and ubiquitous cameras (such as those in cell phones) may mean that almost everything we experience will be recorded and stored potentially for a long time.
* The role for government in ensuring infrastructure security * Laws and regulations to deal with phishing and with new and emerging threats * International dimensions of security threats * The proper role, if any, of lawful intercept (wiretapping) in the IP-based world * Global and domestic events that may have re-framed the security debate * International differences of attitudes towards personal data and the effects on economic efficiency and on civil liberties * How will access to these private records be regulated? * With the spread of RFID as well as location services in wireless telephony, who will have access to this information?
[edit] History
See, From A Novel Conference: The Origin of TPRC, by Bruce M. Owen from the book: TELEPHONY, THE INTERNET, AND THE MEDIA Selected Papers from the 1997 Telecommunications Policy Research Conference. Edited by Jeffrey K. MacKie-Mason, University of Michigan and David Waterman, Indiana University link title
