WASHINGTON D.C. - Prudential Securities senior Washington analyst James Lucier has been added to the panel of experts at The Progress & Freedom Foundation's first "Innovation Agenda 2005" CEO lunch Wednesday, January 12. Lucier will be one of three panelists engaging in a discussion with the Internet's co-founder, Robert Kahn. Topics could include Internet governance, the Internet standards process, evolution of the Internet, and the role of the "Digital Object Architecture" in managing information on the net.

Kahn, along with Vint Cerf, developed the TCP/IP protocol for the U.S. Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the early 1970s, and that open protocol has allowed the Internet to become what it is today. In 1986, Kahn founded the Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI) to pursue research and development for the national information infrastructure. One initiative CNRI has launched, known as the digital object architecture, in an open architecture for information management that allows data structures (called Digital Objects) to be identified by unique, persistent identifiers called handles. Handles are resolved by a scaleable, distributed system called the "Handle System." This system is similar in some ways to the Domain Name System, but it differs in that it identifies data structures rather than just wires, machines, or files. Digital Objects may be mobile or stored in one or more "Repositories."

Lucier specializes in public policy issues that impact the technology and energy industries. A senior vice president and research analyst at the Prudential Equity Group, his primary interests are cyber security, critical infrastructure production, electric reliability, secure e-commerce, e-authentication, digital rights management, the Domain Name System, and other potential addressing systems for the Internet. Over the past 20 years, he has held a wide range of policy related positions in Washington , including a brief stint in the Reagan White House. Lucier publishes a bi-weekly newsletter for entitled "Power Politics" for Prudential research clients. Legg Mason Managing Director Blair Levin and Precursor equity analyst John Freeman previously had been added to the agenda.

Lucier, Levin and Freeman will discuss with Kahn the larger implications of his presentation after his conclusion. Digital Object Architecture has significant ramifications for Internet governance, the role and relevance of ICANN, and the applicability of policy mandates for network neutrality. The event is January 12, from 12:00 to 2:00 pm at the Mandarin Oriental hotel at 1330 Maryland Avenue, SW.

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.