On Forbes today, prominent technology journalist Larry Downes calls for a new generation of “digital policy pioneers” to accelerate the transition from old telephone networks to the all-IP world of voice and data communication. Last month, Downes moderated a unique PPI forum that honored some of the nation’s original “digital policy pioneers” – policymakers whose decisions propelled the Internet’s explosive growth from its infancy in the early Clinton years to a World Wide Web with three billion users worldwide.
Featuring Ira Magaziner, William Kennard, Larry Irving, Michael Powell and Karen Kornbluh, that event highlighted bipartisan efforts to create an enabling legal and regulatory framework for digital innovation. Downes urged the FCC to embrace the same approach to “light touch regulation” as it tackles the unfinished business of retiring legacy telephone infrastructure and moving voice services onto IP networks. Downes writes:
Today in Washington, there’s a new generation of digital policy pioneers. Let’s hope they can rise to the new challenges of the IP revolution. And heed the wisdom of the first generation who, thankfully, are still providing guidance and leadership.
Find the full article on the Forbes website here.
