May 1, 2009
ICANN at a Crossroads
Privatization, Reform, Both, or Neither?
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Friday, May 8th
8:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.
National Press Club
First Amendment Lounge
Washington, DC 20045
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has operated under agreements with the U.S. Department of Commerce since 1998. The current agreement expires later this year. ICANN would like to be fully "privatized," but that decision raises significant questions about ICANN’s structure, mission, and performance. Does ICANN’s governance structure provide sufficient accountability? How should reforms address ICANN’s status as a de facto regulator? How should reforms address the intellectual property issues associated with domain names? This conference will discuss these issues and a recent TPI study on the subject coauthored by TPI president Thomas Lenard and NYU Stern School of Business economics professor Lawrence J. White.
| 8:15 a.m. | Registration and Continental Breakfast
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| 8:30 a.m. | Presentation: ICANN at a Crossroads: A Proposal for Better Governance and Performance · Thomas Lenard, Technology Policy Institute · Lawrence J. White, NYU Stern School of Business
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| 9:00 a.m. | Panel: Internet Governance: Institutional Reform and Accountability Issues · Michael Abramowicz, George Washington University Law School · Paul Levins, ICANN · Gregory Rosston, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research · Arlene Holen, TPI (moderator)
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| 10:00 a.m. | Panel: ICANN as a Regulator: Competition and Intellectual Property Issues · Stanley Besen, CRA International · Steve DelBianco, NetChoice · John Mayo, Georgetown University McDonough School of Business · Scott Wallsten, TPI (moderator) |
The Technology Policy Institute
The Technology Policy Institute is a research and educational organization that focuses on the economics of innovation, technological change, and related regulation in the United States and around the world. More information is available at http://www.techpolicyinstitute.org/.