The United States is a 21st century country, with an economy of trillions of dollars powered by amazing technologies and innovations – think computers, high-speed Internet, software and apps and wireless devices. But, despite these technical advances, our nation’s telecommunications system still overly relies on an outdated 20th century technology, consisting largely of copper wiring that harkens back to the days of Alexander Graham Bell and rotary telephone dials. Similar to the transformation of American television to digital, the FCC and the Congress now are looking at transitioning telecommunications to an all-IP system. The potential benefits of the IP transition would be tremendous, in terms of economic development, job creation/growth, and consumer welfare. But, how do we get there? AT&T and others have proposed IP transition trials to ensure that consumers and businesses are not negatively affected by the transition. The FCC has set up government advisory committee working group to study and make recommendations on the transition. Barry Umansky and Steve Pociask, the two co-chairs of that working group will join other experts in reviewing the legal, economic, technical and policy issues.
Moderator:
Barry D. Umansky Ball State University Muncie, IN
Panelists:
Tim Stelzig Deputy Chief Competition Policy Division Wireline Competition Bureau, Federal Communications Commission Washington, DC
Hank Hultquist Vice President – Federal Regulatory AT&T Washington, DC
Steve Pociask President The American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research Washington, DC
Monday April 7, 2014 1:00pm - 2:15pm PDT
Pavilion 3
