WASHINGTON D.C. - A distinguished panel of experts has been added to The Progress & Freedom Foundation Congressional Seminar December 3. "The Myths and Realities of Universal Service: Revisiting the Justification for the Current Subsidies" will feature House Commerce Committee Senior Majority Counsel Howard Waltzman, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Robert Crandall and George Mason University Mercatus Center Senior Resident Fellow Jerry Ellig.

The House and Senate Commerce Committees will be taking the lead next year in revising the Telecom Act of 1996 to reflect the rapid marketplace and technology changes of the digital age. Whether the existing Universal Service programs should be modified will be an important component of that Hill debate.

Waltzman, Crandall and Ellig will be reacting to a preview of a forthcoming study on the Universal Service program authored by Randolph May, PFF Senior Fellow and director of Communications Policy Studies, and PFF Adjunct Fellows Joseph Kraemer and Richard Levine. The study contains a wealth of data examining the extent to which new communications services other than traditional wireline phone companies are being used by various population segments, including lower-income persons and those living in rural areas. The three previously authored "Trends in the Competitiveness of Telecommunications Markets: Implications for Deregulation of Retail Local Services."

May will moderate the seminar, which will also feature Kraemer and Levine. The program takes place Friday, December 3 from 12:00 - 2:00 pm, in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room B369.

Those interested in attending the PFF Congressional Seminar should register online. Lunch will be served. Media questions should be directed to Patrick Ross at 202-289-8928 or pross@pff.org. Other questions should be directed to Richard Zielinski at 202-289-8928 or rzielinski@pff.org.

The Progress & Freedom Foundation is a market-oriented think tank that studies the digital revolution and its implications for public policy. It is a 501(c)(3) research & educational organization.