State of the Mobile Net Conference 05/09/2013

Overview | Speakers | Cocktail Reception

Thursday, May 9, 2013
Sewall-Belmont House & Museum, 144 Constitution Ave NE Washington, DC 20002
(On Capitol Hill, directly north of the Dirksen Senate Office Building)
2:00 PM to 5:00 PM: Keynotes and Panels
5:00 PM to 7:00 PM: Celebrating 20 Years of the World Wide Web, Cocktail Reception
Twitter: @NetCaucusAC #SOTMN

The 5th Annual State of the Mobile Net Conference features debates about the most pressing issues facing the exploding mobile net. In 2013 the mobile net has unquestionably arrived. The iPad is experiencing record sales, smartphone sales are breaking adoption records and 17 year olds can make $30 million by coding a great app.

While App developers frenetically code away, policymakers in Washington and in state capitals are looking more and more closely at the mobile net ecosystem. Indeed, Washington policymakers are eager to help the mobile net achieve its potential by freeing up spectrum, implementing consumer protections and considering privacy rules for the burgeoning app market. With the speed at which the mobile net is evolving, how can Washington policymakers provide the appropriate level of assistance? Our State of the Mobile Net panelists will probe those questions.

Keynote Speakers Include

- The Honorable Jason Chaffetz, Member, U.S. House of Representatives [Bio] [Video]
- The Honorable Hank Johnson, Member, U.S. House of Representatives [Bio] [Video]

Agenda

2:00 PM Welcome & Introductions
2:15 PM Mobile Location: The Policies of Where

[Video]

Since last year's Supreme Court Jones decision location privacy has generated a lot of attention in Congress. Keynote Speaker Rep Jason Chaffetz has co-sponsored the GPS Act with Internet Caucus Co-Chair Bob Goodlatte and ECPA reform legislation could address the issue as well. While Congress explores this issue consumers everywhere are weaving location-based services into every aspect of their day-to-day lives in unimaginable ways. All types of location services are enhancing the personal and professional productivity of Americans everywhere.

Our panel of experts will discuss the how citizens are using this technology and will explore the possible potential and pitfalls associated with location technology. The panel will also delve into some of the legislative and legal issues challenging Congress at the moment.

- Brian Chase, General Counsel, Foursquare Labs Inc. [Bio]
- Nancy Libin, Partner, Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP and former Chief Privacy Officer, U.S. Department of Justice (moderator) [Bio]
- Stephanie Pell, Principal, SKP Strategies LLC, former Counsel, House Judiciary Committee and former Federal Prosecutor, US Department of Justice [Bio]
- Jason Weinstein Partner, Steptoe & Johnson, former U.S. Department of Justice [Bio]

3:00 PM The "State" of Mobile Privacy: Should It Be Treated Differently?

[Video]

The astoundingly rapid adoption of smartphones has piqued the interested of regulators and legislators both in Washington and in state capitals. It seems that everyone is furiously trying to understand the privacy impact of creating and accessing data on mobile devices rather than on traditional browser-based computing devices. Is mobile privacy different? Several government initiatives are exploring that question and in some cases taking action to address mobile privacy as a unique issue. NTIA is convening stakeholders in a months-long exploration of privacy on mobile devices. The Federal Trade Commission has hosted workshops and issued guidelines on mobile privacy. And Kamala Harris, California's attorney general, has taken the lead in issuing privacy guidelines to app developers. Other state attorneys general are exploring doing the same.

Our expert panel will explore whether a user's privacy is fundamentally different on a mobile device than on other computing platforms and whether state-led initiatives like California are what Justice Brandeis meant when he wrote that states are the "laboratories of democracy." Panelists include:

- Michelle De Mooy, Senior Associate, National Priorities, Consumer Action [Bio]
- Heather Maxie Federman, Legal and Policy Fellow, The Future of Privacy Forum (moderator) [Bio]
- Travis LeBlanc, Special Assistant Attorney General of California [Bio]
- Jon Potter, President, Application Developers Alliance [Bio]
- Kevin Wassong, Chief Executive Officer, LIN Mobile, LLC [Bio]

4:00 PM Mitigating the Mobile Broadband Squeeze: Creative Approaches to Avoiding a Bandwidth Catastrophe

[Video]

For years experts have predicted that massive increases in mobile broadband consumption will place an enormous strain on mobile networks. And they were right. New devices like tablets and smartphones have made the mobile Internet usage almost indistinguishable from general Internet usage. From watching TV shows to streaming Internet radio to uploading Google Glass content and Instagram pics -- mobile Internet users are demanding synchronous Internet experiences -- and a lot of bandwidth.

Yet, while lawmakers and regulators search desperately for longer term solutions to ease the strain clever folks in the tech world are developing creative ways to mitigate the bandwidth squeeze. Advertisers, the subsidizers of free content on the Internet, are scrupulously rationing the size of ads viewable on mobile devices with industry standards. And everyone from traditional wireless carriers to your local cable company to startups like Republic Wireless are "offloading" massive amounts of data to unlicensed small cell wireless networks. In fact, it's estimated that by 2017 60% of wireless data will be handed off to WiFi -- and 80% of all tablet data, according to Cisco. The trend will only increase exponentially -- challenging our traditional notions of wireless access. Some experts are predicting that cable companies could become hybrid wireless providers using these technologies.

Our panel will discuss these surprising and promising trends and at the same time suggest ways that Congress and policymakers can mitigate the mobile broadband squeeze. Panelists include:

- Mary Brown, Director, Government Affairs, Cisco Systems (Bio)
- Michael Calabrese, Senior Research Fellow, Open Technology Initiative, New America Foundation [Bio]
- David Don, Executive Director, Regulatory Affairs, Comcast [Bio]
- Derek Khanna, Contributor for National Review, Human Events, Forbes & the Atlantic [Bio]
- Alex Linde, Vice President Mobile & Digital Apps, The Weather Company [Bio]
- Charla Rath, Vice President, Wireless Policy Development, Verizon [Bio]


5 PM Cocktail Reception: Celebrating 20 Years of the World Wide Web

It's been 20 years since Sir Tim Berners Lee created the World Wide Web. Join us for a cocktail reception in its honor.


For information about the 2013 State of the Mobile Net Conference and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Eric Hinkes at (202) 638-4370 ext. 127.

This is a widely attended event hosted by the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee (ICAC), part of a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization. The ICAC is a private sector organization comprised of public interest groups, trade associations, non-profits, and industry leaders. The diversity of ICAC membership ensures that all educational events and initiatives are fair and balanced forums for Internet-related discussion. The ICAC does not promote any particular policy position.