Law, Policy, and The Convergence
of Telecommunications
and Computing Technologies

March 7-9, 2001

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Symposium Overview

The end of the twentieth century saw the convergence of telecommunications and computing technologies, as the internet, wireless communications, and a high-bandwidth cable infrastructure transformed all aspects of economic and social life. This transformation called into question a broad array of legal norms and policy solutions, within individual nation-states and globally.

The dilemmas range from the question of what forms of economic competition we should deem "acceptable" in the new era to the question of what limits we should impose on nongovernmental assembly of "personal" information about individual citizens. Of necessity, they are usually considered one by one. The premise of this conference is that there might be benefits to considering them together.

This conference will bring together a group of leaders from the legal, policy, technical, and business domains, to explore these questions and speculate about our shared future. A series of panels will explore eight different subject areas. In each area, the panel will confront three organizing questions:

What is the most critical open issue of law and policy today?

What will be the most critical open issue of law and policy ten years from now?

How can research and study best inform the way our nation and the world responds to those issues?

The ultimate product will be a comprehensive agenda for in-depth study of the implications of convergence. The agenda, and the conference proceedings, will be published by the Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review.

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Symposium Transcripts

Day One

• Welcome
• The 2001 William W. Cook Lecture on American Institutions: "The Role of Government in the Emerging High Tech Global Economy"
• Adapting to Rapid Changes in Consumer Behavior

Day Two

• Personal Privacy in a Connected World
• Bridging the Digital Divide
• Luncheon
• The Maturing of the New Economy

Day Three

• Wireless Communications and the Emerging Mobile Commerce Space
• Global Consolidation and the Future of Competition
• Producing, Owning, and Using Intellectual Property

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Symposium Sponsors

A Conference jointly sponsored at the University of Michigan by the Law School, the College of Engineering, the School of Information, the School of Public Policy, the Business School and the Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review with the generous support of The Park Foundation.