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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Amy Smorodin
August 10 , 2006
(202) 289-8928
   
Telecom Expert Tom Tauke to Speak at Aspen
Address to be Followed by Discussion Panel on Network Neutrality

WASHINGTON D.C. - Thomas J. Tauke, executive vice president of public affairs, policy and communications with Verizon Communications, has just been added as a keynote speaker at The Progress & Freedom Foundation's 12th Annual Aspen Summit. Tauke will draw upon his years of experience in both the public and private sectors in discussing current communications policy issues. His address will be followed by an in-depth discussion on network neutrality, featuring speakers representing viewpoints across the range of the debate.

Tauke has spent the past 15 years working in the telecommunications sector and has served as an executive vice president at Verizon since 2004. In his role, he also is a member of the Corporate Leadership Council and serves as head of Verizon's external affairs organization. Tauke previously was a member of Congress, representing Iowa's Second Congressional District from 1979 to 1991, and a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. Tauke is also past Chairman and current member of the Board of Directors at the United States Telecom Association (USTelecom).

The panel discussion "Net Neutrality, Investment & Innovation" will be moderated by Michael Gallagher, former assistant secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, and administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration . He is currently a partner at Perkins Coie, LLC. Representing supporters of net neutrality regulation will be Tod Cohen, deputy general counsel and vice president of government relations at eBay, and David Drummond, general counsel & senior vice president for corporate development at Google, Inc. Carolyn Brandon, vice president of policy at CTIA - The Wireless Association, and James W. Cicconi, senior executive vice president of external and legislative affairs at AT&T, will discuss their opposition to proposed new regulations. An international perspective on the controversial proposed regulation will be presented by Lawson Hunter, executive vice president and chief corporate officer of Bell Canada and Bell Canada Enterprises, Inc.

The agenda and further details about the 2006 PFF Aspen Summit at the St. Regis Hotel in Aspen, Colorado can be found on our web site and registration can be performed online. Members of the media will have their registration fees waived and should contact Amy Smorodin for more information at asmorodin@pff.org or (202)289-8928.

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.

 

 

The Progress & Freedom Foundation