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This program is another in a series of events and studies that ESI has conducted focusing on the question of broadband deployment, broadband opportunities and broadband challenges. Last October, we held the ESI Global Forum 2001 Technology Summit. The Summit convened many top executives from the world's leading information technology and telecommunications companies along with key government officials, academic experts, and regulators. The participants identified broadband deployment as a leading source for regenerating U.S. and global economic growth, and they urged the development of a national broadband policy in the United States in order to achieve that goal.

One of the reasons we have spent so much time focusing on this is because we believe that broadband has revolutionary implications not only in terms of economic effects - growth and productivity gains - but also in terms of creativity and lifestyle impacts. It is one of those technologies that provide a lot of bang for not a lot of investment - a wealth of potential, if you will, both economically and socially. Therefore, we are very anxious to focus on policies and initiatives that can facilitate and accelerate broadband deployment.

This report highlights the findings and policy recommendations arising from ESI's Broadband Forum. 

It includes a presentation by Eli Noam, Director of the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information, Columbia University

And Panelists:

Robert Atkinson, Vice President and Director of the Technology & New Economy Project, Progressive Policy Institute

Richard Ellenberger, Chairman & CEO, Broadwing, Inc.

Hon. Bruce Mehlman, Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy, U.S. Department of Commerce

Robert Pepper, Chief of the Office of Plans and Policy, Federal Communications Commission