Free State Unveils Telecom Conference Lineup

The Free State Foundation has named a D.C. all-star lineup of speakers for its eighth annual Telecom Policy Conference March 23 at the National Press Club including FCC and FTC commissioners, top FCC officials and National Cable & Telecommunications Association President Michael Powell.

The speakers are Meredith Baker, president and CEO, CTIA-The Wireless Association; FCC Commissioner and former chair Mignon Clyburn; Seth Cooper, senior fellow, Free State Foundation; Randolph May, president, Free State Foundation; Walter McCormick, president,

USTelecom; FTC commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen; FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly; Michael Powell; Robert Quinn, SVP, federal regulatory, AT&T; Jonathan Sallet, general counsel, FCC; Nicol Turner-Lee, VP and chief research and policy officer, Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC); and Philip Verveer, senior counsel, FCC.

Among the topics teed up for discussion are the FCC's Title II-based Open Internet order appeal, video competition (the FCC is launching an inquiry this month into independent programmers' access to distribution channels), and universal service and Lifeline Reform (FCC Chairman Tom wheeler signaled this week that should be coming soon).

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.