As the nation approaches the fifth anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, CU-Boulder will host two preeminent telecommunications policymakers to discuss some of the act聮s successes and failures and where the industry goes from here.
On Nov. 10 Senator Ernest ("Fritz") Hollings, the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee and a key author of the policy, will offer a "Retrospective Look at the Telecom Act and A Look at the Road Ahead." The talk will be in the University Memorial Center Forum Room at 3 p.m. and is sponsored by the CU School of Law, the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program, the Silicon Flatirons Telecom Program and the Federal Communications Bar Association.
On Nov. 13 at 5:30 p.m., FCC Commissioner Michael K. Powell will present his "Reflection on Communications Policy." The talk is part of the Silicon Flatirons Telecommunications Program fall seminars and will be held in the Lindsley Memorial Courtroom of CU聮s Fleming Law Building.
"The Telecom Act of 1996 represented a fundamental change in direction in this country聮s telecommunications policy -- from regulated natural monopolies to a pro-competitive regulatory regime designed to bring competition to all telecommunications markets," explained Phil Weiser, associate professor of law and executive director of the Silicon Flatirons Telecom Program.
The program is a new venture at CU-Boulder that sponsors forums on cutting edge legal and regulatory topics.
"Now that the act is almost five years old, it is an appropriate time to reflect on how things have worked out and whether some revisions would be appropriate," said Weiser. "I can聮t think of two more important and interesting speakers to address this topic than Sen. Hollings and Commissioner Powell."
Law School Dean Harold Bruff said, "The University of Colorado continues to expand its focus on telecommunications and technology policy, and the law school intends to be at the forefront of this effort. By bringing such nationally renowned policymakers to campus, we intend to engage our students and the local community in an important discussion regarding how our laws should be crafted and implemented to best serve our high-tech economy."
For more information about these events or the program, call Phil Weiser at (303) 735-2733 or go to .