The 2016 election revealed a high level of discomfort among many Americans when it comes to elaborate international trade deals negotiated by past and present American presidents. The road ahead for many international agreements is uncertain and the traditional consensus around open global trade has frayed. At the same time, America has a massive trade surplus when it comes to digital trade, leading the world in Internet-based innovation and manufacturing businesses. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) increasingly rely on the Internet and cross-border data flows to access foreign markets. How does America maintain its digital trade strength, in a world where international economic relations are strained and precarious and other countries are increasingly restricting digital trade? Will we see a turn away from free cross-border data flows to more tightly regulated arrangements? What will be the impact on America's greatest export — innovation?
The Internet of Things — the connection of systems, devices, and services to information networks — is evolving exponentially. From vehicles to pacemakers, ordinary objects are empowered with extraordinary potential through embedded and interconnected sensors. There is enormous economic and societal benefits to be gained from the communication of vast quantities of data and the ability to remotely control and automate systems. Recent events, however, have shown the IoT ecosystem to contain serious vulnerabilities. October’s botnet attack directed thousands of insecure IoT devices to attack parts of the nervous system of the Internet’s infrastructure. Every day, more and more, we’re integrating IoT into every nook and cranny of our physical world. What are industry and policy leaders doing to address this new reality ? Do we need a national IoT plan? Do we need a global IoT plan? Please join our panel of experts for a discussion on the rewards and risks of IoT and a closer look at emerging best-practices being implemented today.
We will look into how the new Trump Administration will work with Congress to address America’s government surveillance apparatus and its impact on security, privacy and commerce nationally and internationally. Did the Obama Administration do too much or too little in this area? How will Congress and President Trump’s Justice Department deal with the renewal or retirement of key provisions of surveillance section 702? What will happen to ECPA including cross-border data warrants for law enforcement? Should the new Congress explore establishing more comprehensive surveillance and law enforcement access framework in the years to come?
From the recently announced Yahoo data breaches, the DDoS botnet attack on Dyn, the devastating Sony Picture hack in 2014 and the seemingly daily revelations of confidential Clinton Campaign staff emails, the danger and influence posed by cyber attacks has never been more disconcerting. As President Trump takes office how will his Administration, together with a Republican-controlled Congress, address the seemingly rampant hacking and intrusions that happen with unsettling regularity?
Today's youth - tomorrow's voters, workers, and leaders - have never known a world without consistent Internet access. The creators and creatives of today need the skills to discern and critically consider sources of information online and how their usage thereof informs their behavior. But how does this generation learn the skills and rules of the road it needs to navigate cyberspace in a safe, responsible, and informed manner: From the digital immigrants that have come before them or from the digital natives that surround them? Are current efforts in teaching enough, or do we need to create new, comprehensive approaches to digital citizenship and media literacy?
Internet-enabled technologies continue to disrupt markets and industries at a breathtaking clip. Corporations are increasingly seeing exponential increases in productivity from Internet-enabled automation and the Internet of Things. That disruption is pushing the American workforce to a place where it needs to be more and more technologically adroit. With artificial intelligence, autonomous cars, virtual reality, 3D/advanced manufacturing, and robotics, the skills required of the American labor market bears little resemblance to what was needed just a generation ago. Those trends will only continue and the Internet connects everyone and everything. Jobs are literally being transformed. Fortunately, the strength of America has always been its workers and their ability to adapt to challenges and innovation. While one might meet this impending shift with trepidation, we believe it presents an amazing opportunity for America to lead the world into the economic future. Our panel will explore how policymakers, NGOs, and industry leaders can help the American labor force capture the opportunities presented by these changes and fill the workforce needs of the 21st century American economy.
What is the next chapter of global Internet Governance (IG)? While the first stage of Internet Governance has been decidedly marked by multi-stakeholderism it remains to be seen whether that will continue. Indeed, there are a significant number of IG institutions that are not. There are no indications that proponents of multilateralism are admitting defeat or slowing down their actions. Within such a potentially charged environment, we assess the legitimacy and roles that institutions, stakeholders and issue areas might play in global IG.
President Trump has vowed to defeat ISIS on the battlefield, but defeating extremist groups is a war of ideas as well as arms. The use of propaganda, misinformation, and hateful rhetoric to incite violence and extremism is a familiar facet of modern conflict, what is new is the increasingly influential role of the Internet and social media as a vehicle for this type of speech. Extremist groups are using the Internet and social media to recruit fighters, solicit funds, and radicalize individuals to act as lone wolves. However, a team of key players is emerging across government, social media companies and civil society groups to combat these threats. Join a panel of government and industry leaders for a robust discussion on emerging strategies to deal with the weaponization of the Internet.
Expectations are that the incoming Trump Administration and Congress will work together to realign regulatory authority in the area of communications policy. After this realignment the communications policy roles for the FCC, the FTC, counties, cities, and states may be quite different from recent memory. Yet, what new policies will come into play? Are agencies such as the FTC and State Attorneys General in a good position to ensure robust consumer protections? How will the FCC and the Administration continue to focus on broadband and 5G deployment — providing needed benefits for the economy, for consumers (rural and urban alike), and for the tech industry. Are there bright spots for new technologies and edge providers? How will expected deregulatory efforts impact different sectors of the Internet ecosystem? Our panel will look at what those changes may look like and what they mean for federal communications policy more generally.
