Setting the Communications Policy Agenda for the Next Administration

[Commentary] For the past thirty years, the Aspen Institute has convened an annual conference that has focused on topics related to communications policy. Each year, participants, including regulators and other policymakers, scholars, and representatives of telecommunications companies and public interest groups, have met to address a specific issue and develop recommendations for constructive action around that issue. The 31st annual Aspen conference took place several months before the Presidential election that will bring a new administration to power. Given this timing, it seemed appropriate for the 2016 conference to explore the key communications issues that will face the incoming administration and develop an agenda for action on these issues. Of course, the two candidates have sharply differing views on a wide range of topics, and even though communications policy has not been the focus of much discussion during the campaign, their approach to this topic is likely to differ as well. Still, it was possible to identify some big issues that will demand attention in the near future no matter who wins the election, and to propose promising approaches for dealing with them. Participants developed recommendations related to three main topics: ensuring inclusion and expanding opportunity for all citizens; encouraging continued investment and innovation; and creating a trust environment online to protect citizen’s digital lives.

[Richard Adler is a Distinguished Fellow at the Institute for the Future. He is also president of People & Technology, a consulting firm located in Silicon Valley.]