Economics of Broadband: Market Successes and Market Failures

In the 2014 Open Internet NPRM, the Commission began the process of closing the gap created by the Verizon decision, which left no legally enforceable rules for the Commission to prevent broadband providers from acting to limit Internet openness. The 2014 Open Internet NPRM sought broad public comment on how the Commission should ensure that the Internet remains open, and proposed new rules and enhancements to current rules.

To further develop our understanding of the issues, the Commission is hosting a series of staff-led Open Internet Roundtable Discussions that are free and open to the public. The Open Internet Roundtable Discussions provide an opportunity for the Commission staff and interested parties to further examine the actions the Commission should take for its goal of determining the best approach to protecting and promoting Internet openness.

The roundtable discussions will focus on public policy considerations and how they should be addressed to protect and promote Internet openness in both the fixed and mobile markets; the technological considerations involved in protecting the open Internet; how the competitive landscape and the economics of providing broadband and online services affects Internet openness; how the Commission can effectively enforce the current and proposed open Internet requirements; and the various legal theories underlying possible Commission actions in this area.

Attendance and Participation: The roundtables will be free and open to the public, and the FCC also will stream them live at https://www.fcc.gov/live. The location of the roundtables will be the Commission Meeting Room (TW-C305), 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C., 20554. The FCC will make available an overflow room for those in-person attendees who cannot be accommodated in the Commission Meeting Room. We advise persons planning to attend the roundtables in person to leave sufficient time to enter through building security.

The FCC encourages members of the public to submit suggested questions in advance and during the roundtables by email to roundtables@fcc.gov or on Twitter using the hashtag #FCCRoundtables. Please note that by submitting a question, you will be making a filing in an official FCC proceeding. All information submitted, including names, addresses, and other personal information contained in the message, may be publicly available online.

Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. The request should include a detailed description of the accommodation needed and contact information. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible in order to allow the agency to satisfy such requests whenever possible. Send an email to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY).

For additional information about the roundtable on the Economics of Broadband: Market Successes and Market Failures, please contact Tim Brennan, Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis, at Tim.Brennan@fcc.gov.

Agenda

Welcome and Opening Remarks - 1:30 - 1:45 pm

Economics of Broadband: Market Successes and Market Failures - 1:45 - 5:00 pm

This roundtable will first consider incentives to provide high quality open Internet access service and the relevance of market power. It will then turn to policies to address market power, consumer protection, and shared benefits of the Internet.

Panelists: Jonathan Baker , Professor, Washington College of Law, American University Nicholas Economides , Professor of Economics and Executive Director of the NET Institute, Stern School of Business, New York University Thomas Hazlett , Hugh H. Macaulay Endowed Professor, Department of Economics, Clemson University Christiaan Hogendorn , Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Wesleyan University John Mayo , Professor of Economics, Business and Public Policy, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University Hal Singer , Principal, Economists Inc.; Senior Fellow, Progressive Policy Institute

Moderators: Tim Brennan , Chief Economist, FCC Jonathan Levy , Deputy Chief Economist, FCC



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