June 1999

Stuart N. Brotman Appointed Seminar Moderator for the Fifth Annual Aspen Institute Roundtable on International Telecommunications (AIRIT)

Stuart N. Brotman has been appointed Seminar Moderator for New World, New Realities: The Remaining Roles of Government in International Telecommunications, the Fifth Annual Aspen Institute Roundtable on International Telecommunications (AIRIT). AIRIT serves as an international forum for addressing the social and political impact of the flow of information and communications goods and services across national borders. The Roundtable convenes 25-30 key decision makers from government, industry, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions to address particular aspects of international telecommunications regulation, development and policy.

The first AIRIT was convened July 1995, in Aspen, Colorado, to reconcile conflicting European, American, and Asian perspectives on the emerging global information infrastructure. The second AIRIT, convened June 1996, in Berlin, Germany, focused on the need to develop regulatory policies to support the development of multimedia services. At the third meeting, convened September 1997, in Aspen, Colorado, participants continued their discussion of how changing circumstances at the political, institutional, economic, and technological levels affect the international telecommunications landscape. The fourth AIRIT forum was held September 1998, at the Shonan Village Center in Japan. It was dedicated broadly to Internet governance. Participants used this forum to discuss appropriate roles for the public and private sectors in coordinating decisions on Internet network architecture, commercial transactions and content regulation.