December 14, 2023, 10:30am-12:00pm
NETmundial +10: Opportunities and Challenges for Multistakeholder Global Internet Governance
Register at https://citinetmundial.eventbrite.com
In April 2014, Brazil hosted the NETmundial Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance in São Paulo. Held after a substantial online preparatory consultation, the meeting brought together over 1200 participants from governments and stakeholder groups to adopt a NETmundial Multistakeholder Statement that advanced guiding principles and a roadmap for the future evolution of Internet governance. The NETmundial strengthened international support for multistakeholder cooperation at a very difficult moment that was shaped by the Edward Snowden revelations, divisive Internet negotiations in the United Nations, and the US government’s planned transition of its authority over critical Internet resources to the global community.
On November 23, 2023 the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) announced that Brazil will convene a NETmundial +10 meeting in São Paulo in the Spring of 2024. The stated objectives include reviewing and renewing international commitments to the NETmundial principles and strategic agenda, and debating the role of multistakeholder participation in today’s even more heatedly divided geopolitical environment. The prospective meeting is stimulating discussion around the world and in the new year will likely reanimate the wide-ranging debates about the roles of states and stakeholders and the balance between multistakeholder and intergovernmental cooperation in global Internet governance.
This webinar assembles a panel of veteran expert participants in global Internet governance for an initial open global discussion of the NETmundial+10 meeting. We will begin with an update from the Coordinator of CGI.br on the thinking and planning behind this initiative, and then undertake a critical assessment and brainstorming on how the international community can learn from the previous experience, leverage the opportunity and manage the inevitable challenges. As always, the panelists’ conversation will be followed by an open dialogue among all webinar participants.
Moderator
William J. Drake is Director of International Studies at the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information and an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School. In 2014 he organized the book, Beyond NETmundial: The Roadmap for Institutional Improvements to the Global Internet Governance Ecosystem, and at the 2019 Internet Governance Forum he organized a stocktaking session on the NETmundial+5.
Panelists
Avri Doria is an independent researcher and consultant. She has served on the Board of Directors and chaired the GNSO Council of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and has been a member of the UN Working Group on Internet Governance, the UN Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation, and the Multistakeholder Advisory Group of the Internet Governance Forum. In the technical community, Doria is a new member of the Internet Engineering Task Force’s Ombudsteam and has been chair of the Internet Research Task Force’s Routing Research Group and founder and co-chair of the Research Group on Human Rights Protocol Considerations. (USA)
Wolfgang Kleinwächter is Professor Emeritus of International Communication Policy and Regulation at the University of Aarhus. He was a member of ICANN’s Board of Directors, served as Special Ambassador for the NETmundial Initiative, is the founder and Chair of the European Summer School on Internet Governance, and was a member of the Global Commission on Stability in Cyberspace and of the UN Working Group on Internet Governance. (Germany)
Renata Mielli is the Coordinator of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) and a special adviser to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. Previously she has been a journalist and has twenty-five years of experience working on communication and digital rights. In addition, Renata is currently a PhD student in the School of Communications and Arts, University of São Paulo. (Brazil)
December 7, 2023, 11:00am-12:00pm
CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Amie Stepanovich, Vice President for US Policy, Future of Privacy Forum
Designing Policies for AI in Practive
Register at https://citiimmaastepnaovic.eventbrite.com
By now, much has been written about the tremendous potential and threat of AI. Pollyannas claim it will improve lives while Cassandras focus on the risks. These questions are openly addressed in emerging legislation and regulations. However, most organizations are left navigating uncharted waters, unsure of how to design guidelines for staff on internal policies, procedures, and practices around generative AI. To remedy this, the Future of Privacy Forum published earlier this year an internal policy checklist on “Generative AI for Organizational Use” .
This seminar will focus on the process used to create the checklist, how it can be implemented, and key themes and takeaways to figure out where generative AI can help or hinder their work. A discussion will follow.
Amie Stepanovich is an internationally recognized expert in domestic surveillance, cybersecurity, and privacy law. She is currently the Vice President for U.S. Policy at the Future of Privacy Forum. Stepanovich previously served as the Executive Director for the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at the U of Colorado Law School, and as Policy Manager and Counsel at Access Now in Washington, where she worked to protect human rights involving technology through law and policy. Prior to that, she was the Director of the Domestic Surveillance Project at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). In 2014, she was named in Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 Leaders in Law and Policy.
November 15, 2023, 11:00am-12:30pm
The US Reversal on Digital Trade Policy: Implications for Global Digital Governance
On October 25, the US government set off positive and negative shock waves in the world of digital and trade policy by announcing the abandonment of its longstanding advocacy of ambitious negotiations for digital trade. Until last week, the United States had been the leading proponent of strong trade rules that would curtail governments’ restrictions on cross-border data flows and their requirements of forced data localization and access to source code as a condition of foreign firms doing business in their countries. Difficult negotiations on these points have been underway in multiple settings including the World Trade Organization’s Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on E-Commerce, and in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). The US policy reversal has thus greatly dismayed like-minded governments, business interests, and trade analysts who advocate international regimes that promote openness in the global digital economy. Conversely, the decision has been warmly welcomed by opposing governments and civil society organizations, and by critics of Big Tech in the US Congress.
Why did the United States reverse a long-standing position that has been central to its posture as a global leader in international trade policy? Who benefits and what is gained or lost by the shift? How will this affect current and future trade negotiations? What could the new US posture mean for the future evolution and governance of the global digital and Internet environments?
This webinar assembles a panel of expert analysts to assess the causes and consequences of the new US approach to digital trade negotiations. As always, the panelists’ conversation will be followed by an open dialogue among all webinar participants.
Introduction of the topic
Eli Noam is Paul Garrett Professor of Public Policy and Business Responsibility, Emeritus, and Director of the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information at Columbia Business School.
Moderator
William J. Drake is Director of International Studies at the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information and an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School.
Panelists
Nigel Cory is an Associate Director covering Trade Policy at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. He focuses on cross-border data flows, data governance, intellectual property, and how they each relate to digital trade and the broader digital economy. Nigel is a member of the United Kingdom’s International Data Transfer Expert Council. (USA)
Jonathan McHale is Vice President for Digital Trade at the Computer & Communications Industry Association. He engages with U.S. and foreign governments in seeking to remove barriers to digital commerce through the development, negotiation and enforcement of international trade rules. Previously, he spent two decades at the Office of the US Trade Representative and the Department of State where he focused on telecommunications and digital policy. (USA)
Lee Tuthill is a visiting Fellow at the University of Adelaide’s Institute for International Trade in Australia. From 1990 to 2021, she worked at the World Trade Organization where she was a senior expert supporting negotiations on the General Agreement on Trade in Services, telecommunications/ICT services, emerging technologies and global digital trade. (USA)
November 2, 2023, 11:00am-12:00pm
CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Gregory W. Harper, Futurist and President, Harpervision Associates
The Next Generation of Media Video Devices and their Implications
Exponential developments in Graphic Process Units (GPU) and AI will rapidly change the way video media are produced and distributed, and with them the entire industry. Greg Harper has been at the forefront of tracking the newest IT technologies and introducing them into media and management applications. He will demonstrate several recent tech developments, project their trend, and analyze some of their implications. He will help academic media researchers look ahead into the future of the subject matter of their research.
Greg Harper is a futurist currently focusing on the latest technology trends related to hybrid working and collaboration systems, using AI and AV over IP to create immersive environments. His work includes developing systems and business strategies for IP-based production facilities, ultra-high-resolution remote collaboration, telepresence systems, unified communications, VR/AR, 5G, and IoT.
He is currently designing and implementing a next-generation distance learning system. He has worked with leading Wall Street investment banks for over 25 years, helping them deploy IP-based workplace technology and collaborative systems and providing research information on cutting-edge technologies.
Greg is the CIO of Gateway, a Nordic Innovation Center In New York City where many of these developments are prototyped, tested, and demonstrated.
Greg is also the co-founder of Gadgetoff, an invitation-only technology celebration, and is a frequent speaker at major conferences worldwide, both public and private, on next-generation media and technology trends. As a designer of systems ranging from telepresence and distance learning to digital media systems, Greg has been awarded twenty-six U.S. patents in digital media and interactive TV, with others pending.
October 10, 2023, Los Angeles, CA
2nd annual Economist Metaverse Summit: Building connections and communities through mixed reality
Eli Noam spoke on the panel: "Moving at the speed of innovation: how can policy keep up?"
Developments in technology could catalyse new regulation and, in turn, mass adoption of the metaverse. How can virtual worlds be safeguarded in a way that makes them more enticing places to inhabit and do business?
Discussion topics:
- How should regulatory frameworks evolve to support the growing digital economy?
- What approaches to regulation can be taken to encourage authentic personal expression in the metaverse?
- Free parking for all: how can a metaverse monopoly be avoided?
October 5, 2023, 11:00am-12:00pm
CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Pablo Medina Aguerrebere, Professor of Corporate Communications at University of Dubai's School of Communication (UAE)
Building Meaningful Brands for Non-Profits: A branding model for Hospitals
American hospitals face different challenges that will determine their corporate communication strategies in the next years: new business models, patients’ new requirements, economic crises, and smart technologies (artificial intelligence, big data).
Reviewing and evaluating historical hospital branding efforts of the past sixty years, this presentation proposes a modified cultural branding model of how hospitals can address these challenges in building meaningful brands that enhance their relations with stakeholders and improve their business models in the next twenty years.
Pablo Medina Aguerrebere holds a BA, MA and Ph.D. in Corporate Communication from the University of Navarra in Spain. He has served as professor at several universities in Switzerland (University of Geneva) and Spain (International University of Catalonia). He has also worked for several years in healthcare companies (Publicis Conseil France, Clinica Universidad de Navarra) and led consulting projects about health communication (Sanofi, Cinfa, Hospital Mutua Terrassa).
Pablo has published more than 130 scientific publications about health communication in different journals such as Review of Communication Research, Communication and Medicine, or the Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science. He has also published two books about the past, present and future of advertising and corporate communication in Spain, based on interviews with the CEOs and communication directors of global companies such as Publicis, DDB, Ogilvy, Telefonica, Repsol, and Acciona.
To register, visit: https://citiimmaapablo.eventbrite.com
September 20, 2023, 11:00am-12:30pm
Digital Economy Agreements and Digital Partnerships: Modular Paths to International Cooperation
Digital Economy Agreements and Digital Partnerships are new approaches to international cooperation and policy convergence. Governments from the Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Europe have established a handful of these arrangements since 2020, and more are in negotiation. They use modular architectures to treat individual issues separately within an integrated framework. Modular approaches allow policymakers a much greater flexibility and avoids the ‘all or nothing’ negotiation dynamics that often impede progress in trade and other negotiations.
The arrangements have institutionalized cooperation on many difficult issues: transparency, supply chains, inclusion, identities, cross-border data flows, forced data localization, online customs duties and the trade treatment of digital products, business and trade facilitation, e-invoicing and certifications, the protection of source code, cybersecurity, consumer protection, privacy and data protection, open government data, standards and interoperability, fintech and e-payments, innovation and regulatory sandboxes, artificial intelligence and support for small and medium-sized firms.
Outstanding questions are how impactful they can be, and whether more major digital countries will pursue them. China is seeking to join a key one. And the United States is centrally involved in parallel initiatives that have some commonalities, e.g. the digital work streams of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Technology Council.
This webinar assembles a panel of expert analysts to assess these new institutional frameworks and consider their potential for the future of digital cooperation and governance. As always, the panelists’ conversation will be followed by an open dialogue among all participants.
Introduction
Eli Noam is Paul Garrett Professor, Emeritus, and Director of the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information at Columbia Business School.
Moderator
William J. Drake is Director of International Studies at the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information and an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School.
Panelists
Neha Mishra is an Assistant Professor at Geneva Graduate Institute. She was previously a lecturer at the Australian National University College of Law and a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore. She researches international legal issues in the digital economy, focusing on international economic law, data flows and digital trade, and the interface of trade law and emerging digital technologies. (Switzerland)
Richard Samans is Director of the International Labor Organization’s Research Department and has been its sherpa to the G20, G7 and BRICS processes. He was Founder and Chairman of the Climate Disclosure Standards Board, a Managing Director of the World Economic Forum and Director-General of the Global Green Growth Institute. He served as Special Assistant to the President for International Economic Policy and NSC Senior Director for International Economic Affairs in the second Clinton Administration, and as economic policy advisor to US Senate Democratic Leader Thomas A. Daschle. (Switzerland)
Marta Soprana is a Fellow in International Political Economy at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She has extensive experience working with international organizations – including FAO, ITC, UNCTAD, UNESCAP, World Bank and WTO – and national governments on trade policy-related projects. Her research interests include digital trade, trade in services, law and technology, with a focus on the relationship between AI governance and international economic law. (United Kingdom)
Stephanie Honey is a trade policy consultant, focusing on digital trade, regional economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region, and inclusion and sustainability in trade. She was formerly a New Zealand WTO trade negotiator, and currently serves as Lead Staffer to the New Zealand members of the APEC Business Advisory Council and Trade Policy Adviser to the New Zealand Asia Institute at the University of Auckland, alongside consultancy work for governments, international institutions and the private sector. (New Zealand)
September 14, 2023, 11am-12:00pm
CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Jeffrey Cole, Director of Business Strategy, USC Annenberg
Disruptors at the Gate: How Technology Changes Everything
Using twenty-five years of research from the Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg, Jeffrey Cole will look at why disruption causes fear and paralysis in governments and organizations, seldom (almost never) leading to good decisions. Disruption always comes from an unexpected place: the disruption of retail should have come from Wal-Mart, not an upstart book seller in Seattle; the disruption of the automobile business should have come from GM or Toyota, not a South African immigrant with no background in automotive. Not recognizing what is happening leads to bad decisions and doubling down on old ways.
Jeffrey Cole has been at the forefront of media and communications technology issues in the United States and internationally for the past three decades. An expert in the field of technology and emerging media, Cole serves regularly as an adviser to governments and leading companies around the world as they craft digital strategies.
Cole founded and directs the World Internet Project, a long-term longitudinal look at the effects of computer and Internet technology, a study conducted in over 35 countries. At the announcement of the project in June 1999, Vice President Al Gore praised Cole as a “true visionary providing the public with information on how to understand the impact of media.”
June 22, 2023, 11am-12:30pm
Function Follows Form: The Proposed UN Digital Cooperation Forum
On June 5, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres presented a policy brief on his Global Digital Compact initiative to the General Assembly. Among the brief’s ideas is a proposal to create an annual Digital Cooperation Forum (DCF). This new UN forum would not be a negotiation body, but would instead foster action-oriented dialogue and analysis concerning international cooperation on digital policy issues. A proposal like this has been anticipated since the SG’s High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation issued its report in 2019. The case for a DCF is being championed in particular by the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology. The proposal has yet to garner support but will be discussed by a ministerial meeting in September 2023 that is to help prepare the groundwork for the UN’s 2024 Summit of the Future.
The policy brief states that the DCF would coexist with existing bodies and processes like the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in an integrated hub and spoke system. However, aside from its presumably broader scope, in many respects the DCF appears to duplicate the IGF. Given that the IGF has long faced challenges from those governments that are unhappy with its multistakeholder character, the existence of a comparatively intergovernmental DFC could complicate the renewal of the IGF’s mandate at the 2025 WSIS+20 review. In addition, there are a number of other issues raised by proposing a new forum without specifying its substantive focus and institutional modalities or assessing the demand for one. The experiences over the past twenty years with failed proposals to create new institutions for global Internet and digital governance merits consideration in this context.
An inclusive dialogue is needed to determine whether the DCF vision can overcomes the potential barriers to its realization or at least contribute to strengthening international cooperation in other settings. To help with that task, this webinar assembles a panel of expert participants in the debate about the United Nations’ role in global digital cooperation and governance. The group will assess the driving issues and interests, potential negotiation dynamics and outcomes, and larger digital governance implications of the DCF proposal.
As always, the panelists’ conversation will be followed by an open dialogue among all participants.
Introduction:
Eli Noam is Paul Garrett Professor, Emeritus, and Director of the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information
Moderator:
William J. Drake is Director of International Studies at the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information
Panelists:
Fiona M. Alexander is both Distinguished Policy Strategist in Residence in the School of International Service and Distinguished Fellow at the Internet Governance Lab at American University. Previously, for close to 20 years, she served at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in the U.S. Department of Commerce where she was Associate Administrator for International Affairs. (USA)
Anriette Esterhuysen is Senior Advisor for Internet Governance at the Association for Progressive Communications (APC). She was APC’s Executive Director from 2000 until April 2017, and served as Chair of the IGF’s Multistakeholder Advisory Group from 2019 to 2021. Anriette was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2013. (South Africa)
Nigel Hickson works on Internet Governance at the United Kingdom’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) where, among other roles, he is the UK representative on the Government Advisory Committee at ICANN. From 2012 he worked for ICANN in Brussels and Geneva before returning to the UK government in 2020 to work on Brexit-related data protection issues. (UK)
May 4, 2023, 11am-12pm
CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Shelly Palmer, CEO, The Palmer Group, and Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University
The Intractable Problem of Alignment in AI
Artificial Intelligence has emerged as an major subject of interest and hype. While some of the talk has focused on ways that AI will improve people’s lives, much of it has been dystopian.. This session will focus on how these two views can be merged, and how to align the various models of AI with values important to humanity.
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing, and co-founder of Metacademy, a free educational platform that teaches practical applications of blockchain, crypto, NFTs, Web3, the metaverse. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Fox 5’s Good Day New York, and is a regular commentator on CNN and CNBC. He’s the co-host of the award-winning podcast Techstream with Shelly Palmer & Seth Everett and he hosts the Shelly Palmer #Web3Wednesday Livestream.
Shelly is a prolific author. Along with his daily newsletter, his books include, the Amazon #1 Bestseller, Blockchain – Cryptocurrency, NFTs & Smart Contracts: An executive guide to the world of decentralized finance and Television Disrupted: The Transition from Network to Networked TV, the seminal book about the technological, economic, and sociological forces that have changing everything about the business of television, Overcoming the Digital Divide: How to use Social Media and Digital Tools to Reinvent Yourself and Your Career, and Digital Wisdom: Thought Leadership for a Connected World.
April 26, 2023, 11:00am-12:30pm
"Social Media and International Governance: The UNESCO Guidelines for Regulating Digital Platforms"
The many issues raised by social media platforms have stimulated calls for new governance mechanisms. Some platforms have responded by establishing self-governance systems like oversight boards, and some governments and regional bodies like the European Union have responded with laws and regulations, in particular for the largest platforms. At the multilateral level several in initiatives are underway, in particular the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) effort to develop Guidelines for Regulating Digital Platforms. The Guidelines are intended to promote regulations that both support freedom of expression and deal with content that is illegal and risks harm to democracy and human rights. A draft was debated at UNESCO’s February 2023 Internet for Trust conference.
In the course of this process, stakeholders have raised a wide range of concerns. Some have argued that:
- The need for UN-created guidelines has not been demonstrated;
- The process has been inadequately inclusive and transparent;
- The scope of entities covered and the respective roles and responsibilities of relevant actors are unclear;
- The intended creation of regulatory agencies and frameworks and their treatment of potentially harmful content are problematic;
- The inattention to competition policy, privacy and data protection, and business models based on data harvesting is severely limiting;
- Above all, that the guidelines, despite good intentions, could provide international legitimacy and support for nondemocratic governments seeking to penalize and suppress a wide variety of speech.
This webinar assembles a panel of leading expert participants in the UNESCO debate and related discussions. The group will assess driving issues and interests, negotiation dynamics, potential outcomes and larger digital governance implications.
As always, the panelists’ conversation will be followed by an extensive and open dialogue among all participants.
Introduction
Eli Noam is Paul Garrett Professor of Public Policy and Business Responsibility, Professor of Finance and Economics, emeritus, and the Director of the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information
Moderator and Organizer
William J. Drake is Director of International Studies at the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information and Adjunct Professor, Columbia Business School.
Panelists
Alison Gillwald is the Executive Director of Research ICT Africa (RIA), a digital policy and regulatory think-tank based in South Africa. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Cape Town’s Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance. (South Africa)
David Kaye is Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the International Justice Clinic at the University of California, Irvine. He is also Chair of the Board of Directors of the Global Network Initiative, a multistakeholder initiative that brings together 85 leading businesses, NGOs, and academics. From 2014 to 2020, he served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression. (USA)
Laura O’Brien is Senior UN Advocacy Officer at Access Now, an NGO that advocates for the digital civil rights and organizes the annual RightsCon Convention. Previously, Laura engaged in strategic litigation support, including at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and for human rights organizations, clinics, and experts including two U.N. Special Rapporteurs. (USA)
Register at:https://citiunescoplatforms.eventbrite.com
April 6, 2023
Blockchain Decision Rules and Their Impact on Performance and Stability
March 23, 2023, 11am-12:30pm
'Fair Share' or an 'Internet Traffic Tax'? The EU Telcos vs. 'Big Content' Debate and its Global Implications
The peering and transit model of interconnection has been a key building block for the Internet’s spectacular growth. But over the past decade, the major European telecommunications carriers have sought to move the EU toward a system under which the major content suppliers would be required to pay them volume-based fees for delivering content to their customers. The telcos argue that accommodating today’s explosive growth in network usage, especially for video on demand, requires broadband investments that they cannot afford to make without receiving mandatory payments from ‘Big Content’ originators. Accordingly, they have pushed at both the multilateral and regional levels for legally required ‘fair compensation’ by these originators for the use of their networks. The European Commission has welcomed this proposal in the context of its far-reaching Digital Agenda that has emphasized industrial policy and the regulation of US-based tech giants in the name of building Europe’s ‘digital sovereignty.’ In time, such fees also could target emerging data-intensive domains like the metaverse.
In response, the European telecom regulators and some other governmental entities, corporate suppliers and users, industry associations, the Internet technical community, civil society organizations, and others have mobilized against the telcos’ proposal. The critics argue that the the proposal constitutes a Sending-Party-Network-Pays (SPNP) system that is contrary to the traditional peering model; content providers already invest heavily in infrastructure build-outs and the telcos are already adequately compensated by their customers; the mandated compensation could negatively affect many actors beyond Big Content; the proposal is contrary to network neutrality and would require further regulations that could favor incumbent carriers; and that an EU shift to SPNP could ripple across the the global Internet. Amidst this heated debate over whether the telco proposal constitutes ‘fair compensation’ or rather an ‘Internet Traffic Tax,’ the EC is running until May 19 an online open consultation on electronic infrastructure in advance of considering legislation.
This webinar, by the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information, assembles a panel of leading expert participants in the raging debate. The group will lay out the merits of the respective arguments; assess the compatibility of SPNP with other policy frameworks and objectives; discuss alternative options for funding broadband rollouts and digital transformation; and in particular, consider the potential implications of EU adoption for the global Internet environment and digital governance.
As always, the panelists’ conversation will be followed by an open dialogue among all participants.
Introduction
Eli Noam, Paul Garrett Professor, Emeritus, and Director of the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information
Moderator
William J. Drake, Director of International Studies at the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information
Roundtable Panelists
Rudolf van der Berg is a Partner at Stratix Consulting. Previously, he was a regulatory affairs manager at Tele2, a senior policy advisor at the OECD, a management consultant at Logica Management Consulting, and a policy manager at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. (Netherlands)
Michael Kende is a Senior Advisor for Analysys Mason consulting and a digital development specialist with the World Bank Group. Previously he was the Chief Economist at the Internet Society, and a Visiting Lecturer at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. (Switzerland)
Maarit Palovirta is the Senior Director for Regulatory Affairs at the European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association, ETNO. Previously she held manager roles at the Internet Society and Cisco Systems and worked in well-known Brussels based consultancies.
March 2, 2023, 11am-12pm
CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Dr. João Palmeiro, President, Portuguese Publishers Association
February 23, 2023, 11am-12:30pm
ICANN Independence, Seven Years On
In 2023, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) celebrates the 25th anniversary of its founding and the 7th anniversary of its transition to independence from the United States government. The 2016 transition ended the contract under which ICANN performed the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions subject to US government stewardship; created a free-standing organization that is accountable primarily to its multistakeholder community; and constituted a significant change in the international regime for Internet names and numbers. In light of its dual anniversaries, it is timely to take stock of ICANN’s progress as a unique global governance mechanism that manages functions essential to the global digital economy and society.
This webinar takes up the challenge by assembling a panel of leading experts who have been deeply involved in ICANN processes. The group will consider such questions as: the transition’s geopolitical, interest group, and institutional consequences; the implementation of ICANN’s accountability framework and of Public Technical Identifiers, the ICANN affiliate created to manage the IANA functions (most notably coordination of the Internet's unique identifiers); the challenges ICANN and its community have faced in responding to new pressures from technological change, industry demands, and government policies; ICANN’s role and engagement in the wider global Internet governance ecosystem; and the lessons of its experience for the future of multistakeholder cooperation in global Internet and digital governance.
As always, the panelists’ conversation will be followed by an open dialogue among all participants.
Moderator
William J. Drake, Director of International Studies at the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information
Roundtable Panelists :
Olga Cavalli, National Director of Cybersecurity in the Chief of Cabinet of the President of Argentina, and former Undersecretary of Information Technology and advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Argentina)
James Gannon, Chair of the Board of Directors of Public Technical Identifiers, and Vice President of Quality, Trust & Safety at the PharmaLedger Association (Ireland)
Milton Mueller, Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Public Policy, and Director of the School's Internet Governance Project (USA)
February 2, 2023
CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Sally Lehrman, Founder and Leader, The Trust Project
January 19, 2023, 11am-12:30pm
Whither the Internet Governance Forum?
The UN’s annual IGF will have concluded Dec. 2 and there’s been much debate both within the IGF ecosystem and among governments (including EU heads of state) and in UN SG Guterres’ Global Digital Compact process about the future of the IGF and whether and how it could be institutionally reformed to enhance its outputs and make them more politically salient. Looking further down the road, in 2025 the UN GA will decide on whether to renew the IGF’s mandate as part of its WSIS+20 review process. So there’s a lot of debate internationally about the way forward, and we will have a panel of leading participant observers of the IGF to explore the options and prognosis.
January 5, 2023, 11am-12pm
CITI-IMMAA Seminar: Johannes Bauer, Quello Chair for Media and Information Policy in the Department of Media and Information, Michigan State University
"The Return of the State into the Digital Economy"
During the past few years, the state has taken on a more proactive role in shaping the digital economy. Motives, forms, and patterns of interventions differ between countries and regions. However, after decades in which the state withdrew from telecommunications and media industries, it is remarkable how quickly the need for a renewed, stronger role has become accepted among decision makers across the political spectrum.
This talk explored the anatomy and causes of these developments and critically discusses the rationales, strengths and weaknesses of selected emerging approaches. To keep the topic manageable, it focused on these developments in democratic contexts. It briefly reviewed the reasons for the withdrawal of the state in the late twentieth century before it explored the forces that have led to recent policy initiatives in regulatory and competition policy.
This requires analyzing political-economic factors in addition to the standard rationales of network effects and dominance. Examples from the European Digital Markets Act and policy discussions in several other countries will illustrate the arguments. It is concerning that some of the interventions are fallbacks on policies that were abandoned as inefficient decades ago. At the same time, we also observe interesting institutional experimentation and innovations.
We explored the consequences of these developments for digital industries, their management, and the likely repercussions on competition and innovation. This will allow a preliminary outlook on whether the emerging policy models offer avenues to reconcile the technological dynamics of digital industries with notions of the public interest.
Johannes M. Bauer is a Professor in the Department of Media and Information and the Director of the Quello Center for Media and Information Policy at Michigan State University. He holds advanced degrees in Economics from the Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria. His research broadly addresses the role of management and policy in optimizing the benefits of advanced information and communication technologies for individuals, communities, and society.