WASHINGTON D.C. - In just over one week, leading executives, policy makers, academia and other luminaries involved with shaping the information economy will gather at The Progress & Freedom Foundation's 13th Annual Aspen Summit, "Making Markets - Critical Information Policy Choices." The Summit, scheduled for August 19th - August 21st, promises to continue its record of offering high caliber speakers and thought provoking discussion on such pertinent issues as telecommunications policy, online child protection, and markets for digital content. The current agenda can be found here.

Offering the Chairman's Dinner keynote at this year's Aspen Summit will be Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO of Google. Dale Jorgenson, Samuel W. Morris University Professor of Economics at Harvard University, is scheduled to give Monday's opening keynote address. Jorgenson will discuss the transformation of the "new economy" after the dot-com crash earlier this decade.

Other speakers at the Aspen Summit will cover a range of relevant topics. Commissioner William Kovacic of the Federal Trade Commission will discuss antitrust issues in the information technology sector. Harvard Law Professor Laurence H. Tribe will discuss the evolution of media markets and discrepancies in regulation and first amendment protection. Ambassador David Gross, United States Coordinator for International Communications & Information Policy at the U.S. Department of State, will provide and international perspective on recent developments in telecommunications. In addition, FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell is scheduled to participate in a panel discussion on telecommunications regulatory policy.

"The Aspen Summit is one of the few, or perhaps the only, policy-oriented conferences where all the major players in the new economy will be represented at high levels," said Tom Lenard, Acting President of The Progress & Freedom Foundation. "All the major issues that are very contentious will be discussed - 700 MHz auction, copyright issues, patent reform, online child safety issues and privacy. The interplay between industry, government and academics produces fascinating discussions."

This year's expert panel discussions, moderated by PFF Fellows, will highlight the challenges, opportunities, and risks facing the information sector in a climate of rapidly evolving markets and business models. Topics will include:

• Whither Regulation? Telecommunications Policy in a Converged World
• Property Rights and Patent Reform
• Building Awareness about Parental Controls and Online Child Protection Efforts
• Let's Make a Deal: Getting Content & Tech to the Table

In the upcoming week, PFF will release the presenter lists for the popular, off-the-record working dinners, where attendees can speak openly on topics such as online privacy, spectrum markets, digital copyright protection and free speech.

Click here for a full agenda.

Further details about the 2007 PFF Aspen Summit at the St. Regis Hotel in Aspen, Colorado can be found on our web site. General registration can be performed online or by contacting Brooke Glass at bglass@pff.org or (202) 289-8928. Members of the media will have their registration fees waived and should contact Tori Katz at tkatz@abelcommunications.net or (410) 466-0049.

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.