WASHINGTON D.C. - The first concrete proposals from the Digital Age Communications Act (DACA) will be released to the public Friday, June 17, and The Progress & Freedom Foundation will host a public forum on June 21 to allow feedback on the draft report and model statutory language. The Regulatory Framework Working Group is in the final stages of developing a proposal for a new framework for regulating communications in the digital age.

"There is a consensus in the working group that a techno-functional approach to regulation is not the best model for the digital age," says Regulatory Framework Working Group Co-Chairman Randolph May, PFF's director of communications policy studies. "What's needed is a technology-neutral regulatory framework that is demonstrably market-oriented." May and Co-Chairman James Speta, professor of law at Northwestern University , will present the group's findings June 21, joined by other working group and advisory group members.

PFF launched DACA in February with the intent of providing guidance for regulators and legislators on how to address regulatory issues in an era of competing digital services and platforms. DACA consists of dozens of individuals, including PFF fellows, scholars at other think tanks and universities, and public policy officials from the last five presidential administrations. There are five working groups -- Regulatory Framework, Federal/State Framework, Universal Service/Social Policy, Spectrum Policy, and Institutional Reform. All of the working groups expect to release draft proposals in the coming months for public consumption and comment.

The first public event will be June 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill. Invited panelists from various segments of the communications industry and other organizations will hear a discussion of the conclusions of the Regulatory Framework Working Group and will be free to ask questions and make suggestions. The same will apply for anyone choosing to attend. Lunch will be served at the event. Those wishing to attend may register online. Questions should be addressed to Eileen Goulding at 202-289-8928 or egoulding@pff.org. Media should direct queries to Patrick Ross at 202-289-8928 or pross@pff.org.

"We believe that the transformation of the communications sector - from analog to digital, from circuits to packets, from monopolistic platforms to multiple platforms - warrants consideration by serious, respected scholars," says PFF President Ray Gifford. "This Working Group has come to a hard-reached consensus, where scholars with different views have compromised to offer a model of how communications regulation can work to benefit consumers and keep the U.S. competitive in the global economy."

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.