The Information Technology  & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) brought the net regulation discussion to policymakers on Monday with a discussion on the topic of “What Will the Internet of the Future Look Like?” Moderated by ITIF President Robert Atkinson, prominent network experts shared their perspectives and concerns as Internet regulatory efforts heat up at the FCC.  Among the highlights:

Richard Bennett – The ITIF research fellow has a strong background in network engineering and standards.  He enumerated several present-day and fast-expanding Internet challenges that require innovative network management:

• The fact that we are running out of IP addresses within the most widely deployed version of the Internet Protocol (IPv4) (essentially the broadband equivalent of running out of phone numbers).
• The exploding number of high-speed routes carrying IP traffic.
• Exponential Internet traffic growth of 50-100% per year
• Escalating security, spam and virus attacks

Dave Farber – Internet visionary, Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University and former Chief Technologist at the FCC, Farber dialed in from Pittsburgh to add his point of view.  He is excited about the future of the Internet and its vast potential from wireless to cloud computing.  But he feels regulation could make it difficult for innovation and investment going forward.  He is particularly concerned about the words “appropriate” and “reasonable” in the current proposed rules and reminded attendees that we still have well-established antitrust laws to protect against Internet violations.

Chuck Jackson – The adjunct professor of electrical engineering at George Washington University and former FCC staffer expressed deep concern for the impairment of innovation under the proposed FCC regulations.  The impact extends beyond network providers, to manufacturers and consumers, he argued.   Jackson believes that the Internet has grown and evolved under an unspoken honor code, and a greater government role is unjustified at this time.

John Peha – Currently serving at the FCC’s CTO, Peha walked through the Commission’s current rulemaking process, inviting the public and various stakeholders to weigh in and help the FCC address critical questions before finalizing its proposed rules.

For more information on network engineers’ perspectives and the net neutrality discussion, please see the recent ITIF report “Designed for Change: End-to-End Arguments, Internet Innovation and the Net Neutrality Debate.”

And click below to watch full archived footage from the event, along with an interview with long time electrical engineer, programmer and professor Chuck Jackson .

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