Call for Papers: "Broadband Act of 2011" Penn State/New America Foundation Experts Workshop

Call for Paper Proposals
The Broadband Act of 2011:
Designing A Communications Act for the 21st Century

A by-invitation experts workshop
New America Foundation, Washington, DC
September 28-30, 2010

The passage of the National Broadband Plan in March 2010; the heated debate
over Title II reclassification; the ongoing deliberations regarding the NPRM
on Network Neutrality; the Comcast-NBCU merger proceedings; and the April
2010 Appeals Court decision in Comcast v. FCC, all point to the need for a
comprehensive overhaul of the Communications Act. The last time such a
wide-ranging initiative took place was in 1996. That effort led to a
blueprint for competition in local telephony markets, universal service
reform, and deregulation of media ownership rules, all of which have had an
effect on the structure of the media and telecommunications industries
today. But it barely addressed the broadband Internet. Now, 15 years later,
it is clear that a new legal framework is required to confront the
challenges created by a national network that is broadband based.

The Institute for Information Policy at Penn State and the Open Technology
Initiative at the New America Foundation are pleased to announce this Call
for Paper Proposals (Abstracts) discussing the rationale, needed amendments
and steps to be taken in order to bring the Communications Act of 1934 up to
date for the broadband era. The selected papers will be presented and
discussed during a three-day by-invitation experts workshop designed to
bring together up to a dozen American and international experts and to be
held at the New America Foundation in Washington, DC, September 28-30, 2010
with the goal of engaging the policy and law making community in a dialogue,
and then publishing the papers in an expedited manner.
Suggested paper topics may include, but are not limited to:

    *      New legal theories for the regulation of broadband
    *      Outlining and/or drafting a new section of the Communication
Act
    *      The need for network neutrality legislation
    *      Amendments necessary to achieve universal broadband
    *      The role of the government beyond basic provision of access
    *      Legal responses to interconnection reform
    *      Restructuring the Federal Communications Commission
    *      The role of competition among broadband networks
    *      A new approach to spectrum management/regulation
    *      Copyright legislation in the broadband era
    *      Advancing the goals of the National Broadband Plan
    *      Any other aspect of the Communications Act that requires
attention at this time of technological transition

Abstracts of up to 500 words and a short bio of the author(s) should be
submitted to pennstateiip@psu.edu by June 30, 2010. Please write IIPNAFWS:
YOUR NAME in the subject line. Accepted presenters will be notified by
August 1, 2010.

*The final structure of the conference as well as financial support to
participants is subject to budget approval.


Richard Taylor
Palmer Chair of
Telecommunication Studies and Law
(814) 863-1482