WASHINGTON, D.C. - The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Michael K. Powell, and the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Timothy J. Muris, will attend the upcoming Aspen Summit sponsored by The Progress & Freedom Foundation. Both officials will speak at the annual gathering of Internet and technology leaders in Aspen, Colorado on August 17-19.

“Chairmen Powell and Muris are crucial to the success of government policy toward the digital marketplace,” said Progress & Freedom Foundation President Raymond L. Gifford. “From privacy and consumer protection to deregulation and convergence, they lead agencies that are central to America’s economic resurgence.”

The FCC regulates cable, wire, wireless, radio and television communications. The FCC thus holds center stage in the migration to a connected, broadband world. The FTC enforces antitrust and consumer protection laws, and ensures that markets are competitive and free of restrictions. The FTC’s privacy, spam and other initiatives are crucial to the future of the Internet.

Not long after its 1995 debut, the Aspen Summit became the most talked about event of its kind. Speakers have included industry leaders Jeff Bezos, Carly Fiorina, Peter Chernin, Ivan Seidenberg and Les Vadasz. Top government officials, regulators and academics have also figured prominently. Reflecting the forward-looking nature of the three-day gathering, authors Esther Dyson, George Gilder and Alvin Toffler have also joined in the discussion. Attendees, who have included such luminaries as Michael Eisner and John Doerr, are no less distinguished. Perhaps that is why Wired News favorably compared the Aspen Summit to the Davos summit in Switzerland and the Renaissance Weekend at Hilton Head.

Further details about the 2003 Aspen Summit (held, as usual, at the St. Regis Hotel) will be announced soon. Registration and other information can be found at
http://www.pff.org/aspen2003/aspen03.htm

The Progress & Freedom Foundation is a market-oriented think tank that studies the impact of the digital revolution and its implications for public policy. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1993.