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February 2016

:
The New Era of Global Flows and What it means for the United States

New America
Thursday, February 25th
1:30 PM – 3:30 PM EST
https://newamerica.cvent.com/events/digital-globalization-the-new-era-of...

The rapidly growing flows of international trade and finance that characterized the 20th century have flattened or declined since 2008. Yet globalization is not moving into reverse. Instead soaring cross-border digital flows are transmitting a valuable stream of ideas and innovation around the world. Digitization changes the economics of doing business across borders as large-scale Internet platforms reduce transaction costs and create markets with truly global scale. They provide businesses with enormous built-in customer bases and effective ways to connect with them, and they enable millions of small businesses around the world to participate directly in global flows.
A new McKinsey Global Institute report, to be released at New America, finds that globalization has reached a critical turning point. This research measures how all types of global flows influence GDP and productivity growth—and for the first time, it quantifies the value of data flows.

While the digital world may be more inclusive and closely connected, it is not truly flat—and digitization tends to accentuate disparities. This echoes the findings of MGI’s recent Digital America report, which found enormous gaps between the digital “haves” and “have-mores.” As globalization turns into a more digital phenomenon, the United States can build on a significant comparative advantage if it can deepen capabilities across the economy.

The convergence of globalization and digitization means that policy makers and business leaders alike have to re-assess their strategies. Given that we are only in the very early stages of this phenomenon, enormous opportunities are still at stake. This event will bring together industry experts, economists, business leaders, and policy makers to discuss a profound change in the world’s economic ties and whether the United States can navigate the challenges posed by this more digital version of globalization.

Participants:

Usman Ahmed
Head, Global Public Policy, Paypal

Robert Attkinson
Founder and President, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF)

Karan Bhatia
Vice President and Senior, Counsel, GE Global Government Affairs and Policy, General Electric

Aneesh Chopra
Co-Founder and Executive Vice President, Hunch Analytics

Jason Furman
Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, The White House

Donna Harris
Co-Founder and Co-CEO,1776

Priya Kumar
Program Associate. Open Technology Institute, New America

Susan Land
Partner, Mckinsey Global Institute

James Manyika
Director, Mckinsey Global Institute; Director (Senior Partner), Mckinsey
& Company; Vice Chair, President's Global Development Council

Anne-Marie Slaughter
President, CEO, New America

Moderator:
Rana Foroohar
Assisting Managing Editor, Time Magazine

Follow the conversation online using #GlobalFlowsMGI and following @NewAmerica.

Live streaming of this event will be available on the New America website.


New School Leadership Toolkit Advances Digital Equity Nationwide

To improve digital equity in school systems nationwide, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN ) launched the Digital Equity Action Toolkit for district leaders. The toolkit provides school system leaders with thoughtful strategies to address and narrow the “homework gap” in their communities. The new leadership initiative and version 1.0 toolkit provides a historic contextual background of the issue, explains the “homework gap,” details broader implications of household connectivity, and lays out steps school districts can take today. These steps include: survey the district’s connectivity and devices; engage the community; ensure sustainability through community assets; and consider outside-of-the-box solutions.

In addition, the toolkit presents six approaches that will enable school districts to strengthen their leadership and spark innovation in pursuing digital equity in their communities:

  • Partner with local businesses on Wi-Fi access for learning;
  • Maximize the use of existing assets;
  • Seek mobile hotspot and/or affordable LTE programs;
  • Leverage special broadband offerings;
  • Repurpose educational spectrum; and
  • Create a mesh network.

Supreme Court Battle Won’t Affect Senate Airwaves Measure

The Senate Commerce Committee’s work on a wide-ranging mobile broadband and airwaves bill won’t be knocked off course by the showdown between Democrats and Republicans about a new Supreme Court nominee in the Senate, according to Committee Communications Director Frederick Hill.

The debate about whether the Senate should move to confirm a Supreme Court nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia threatens to split the already divided chamber of Congress. With some Democrats quietly suggesting that much of the Senate’s normal business would halt if Republicans don’t act, the fate of lots of niche bills is in question. Some committees, at least, plan to stay on course. The Senate Commerce Committee will continue to press forward on a massive spectrum bill, the MOBILE NOW Act, introduced by the committee’s chairman, Sen. John Thune (R-SD). “I see no reason that any nomination would affect consideration of the bill,” Hill said. A simple statement like this from the committee is important because it signals that members want to have legislation ready for the floor should an opportunity arise. In other words, they aren’t giving up on this year just yet.

AT&T Phasing Out U-Verse as It Pushes Users Toward DirecTV

AT&T is phasing out the U-verse TV service as it pushes new customers to newly acquired DirecTV, a sign the company is giving up on once-heralded plans to compete head-on with cable television through telephone lines. AT&T has stopped building U-verse set-top boxes and is nudging prospective customers toward its satellite unit, which has lower hardware and programming costs.

The shift is the first stage of a plan to create a “home gateway” within three years that will consolidate all AT&T services and act as a central hub to deliver video to any device. The de-emphasis of U-verse underscores AT&T’s promise to squeeze $2.5 billion in annual cost savings from its purchase of DirecTV. Current U-verse subscribers will be able to retain the service, and AT&T is even offering new promotions to those who keep it. But new customers are being directed by its marketing department to choose the satellite package.

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