Communications and Society Program

Aspen Institute Roundtable on International Telecommunications (AIRIT)

The Aspen Institute Roundtable on International Telecommunications (AIRIT) is an annual forum that convenes 25-30 global policymakers and communications executives to explore pressing issues of international communications and information policy. Since 1995, this forum has developed policy recommendations that guide leaders in responding to the technological, competitive, and social changes that are transforming the global communications marketplace.

Government Participants in previous AIRIT conferences have included:

Arne Brnsen Member of the Bundestag, Germany
Juanita Gana Vice Minister of Telecommunications, Chile
Norimasa Hasegawa Vice Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Japan
Bruno Lasserre Director General, Ministry of Telecommunications, France
Neil McMillan Department of Trade and Industry, Britain
Susan Ness Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission, U.S.
Herbert Ungerer Head of Telecommunications, DG-IV, European Commission
George Yong-Boon Yeo Minister of Information and the Arts, Singapore

Corporate Sponsorship of previous AIRIT conferences has been provided by:

American Express, AT&T, Bell Atlantic, British Telecommunications, Cable & Wireless, Daimler-Benz InterServices, Deutsche Telekom, EDS, France Telecom, GTE, IBM, Nickelodeon, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, Netcom, Nortel Networks, Oracle, Reuters, Viacom, and U S West.

The Fifth Annual Aspen Institute Roundtable on International Telecommunications disucssed Realities: The Remaining Roles of Government in New World, New International Telecommunications, by Rob Frieden. The 1999 AIRIT considered what roles still exist for governments in the global communications marketplace. Participants explored new ways for industry and government to cooperate to perform functions that had been the exclusive domain of governments, e.g., competition policy, user protection, and promoting social goals.

The Aspen Institute convened the Fourth Annual Aspen Institute Roundtable on International Telecommunications in Aspen, Colorado to discuss "The Internet and Global Telecommunications: Exploring the Boundaries of International Coordination." The 1998 AIRIT addressed appropriate roles for the public and private sectors in coordinating international decisions on Internet network architecture, commercial transactions, and content regulation. The Internet and Global Telecommunications, Exploring the Boundaries of International Coordination, A Report of the Fourth Annual Aspen Institute Roundtable on International Telecommunications.

The Aspen Institute convened the Third Annual Aspen Institute Roundtable on International Telecommunications in Aspen, Colorado to discuss "Towards Sustainable Growth in Global Telecommunications". The 1997 AIRIT explored the impact of institutional arrangements on the international telecommunications landscape, e.g., The World Trade Organization, the General Agreement on Trade in Services, and the shift toward a competitive global framework for telecommunications services.