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International Internet Traffic Exchange Presentation: Sam Paltridge, Senior Economist, OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry Discussant: Irene Wu, Director of Research, SAND-MNIA, International Bureau, US Federal Communications Commission

This event took place on Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Capitol Hill Club, Private Dining Room 3
300 First Street SE, Washington DC 20036

Event Description:

There is a perception that the policies pursued by developed countries, in respect to international exchange of Internet traffic over the Internet, are impacting negatively on the development of communications access in developing countries.   At the 2005 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), this was reflected in the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society which concluded: "We acknowledge that there are concerns, particularly amongst developing countries, that the charges for international Internet connectivity should be better balanced to enhance access."  As a result, the cost of international Internet connectivity was a leading issue at the inaugural internet Governance Forum (IGF), created by the WSIS and held in Athens (October 30 - November 2, 2006).  The issue will continue to be discussed at successive IGFs (the next being Rio de Janeiro, November 12-15, 2007) and be the subject of an meeting of International Telecommunication Union in the first quarter of 2009. 

Drawing on research undertaken by the OECD - Internet Traffic Exchange: Market Developments and Measurement of Growth  - Sam Paltridge will present the context and drivers for this international debate, the solutions which have emerged as telecommunication markets have liberalized and what the empirical evidence shows which can help inform policy makers.

Biographies:

Sam Paltridge works for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in the Directorate of Science Technology and Industry. He joined the OECD as a communication analyst in the division of information computer and communications policy in 1993. His recent work in communication has been on broadband infrastructure as well as Internet issues such as international traffic exchange. He was a principal author of the Communications Outlook series between the 1995 and 2005 editions. His current responsibilities include work on Internet Governance at the OECD. Between 1999 and 2005, Dr Paltridge was the OECD’s representative on the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ (ICANN) Government Advisory Committee (GAC).

Sam has served in a number of advisory roles to governments, such as the Australian Government’s Broadband Advisory Group, and he is a past member of the organizing committee for the Telecommunications Policy Research Conference (TPRC) held each year in Washington. Dr Paltridge is also on the Advisory Board of the Sri Lankan based LIRNEasia (www.lirneasia.net).  Sam’s role at the OECD involves working closely with other international organizations on ICT including the Partnership for Measuring ICT for Development. In 2005, he chaired the International Telecommunication Union’s World Meeting on Telecommunication/ICT Indicators. He is currently the OECD’s representative to the Internet Governance Forum's Advisory Group and was a panelist at the inaugural IGF in Athens in 2006.

Irene Wu is Director of Research in the FCC’s International Bureau.  Dr. Wu undertakes and directs studies of international trends and foreign market developments in areas such as broadband deployment, convergence of communications services, and organizational issues related to establishing an independent regulator.  Prior to her current position, she was the regional specialist for Asia for several years, which involved management of bilateral and multilateral relationships between the FCC and regulators in the Asia region.   Prior to joining the FCC, Dr. Wu was director for Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, for the US-ASEAN Council, a trade organization that promotes U.S. investment in Southeast Asia.  Also, she served as the legislative assistant for foreign policy and trade issues in the office of Congressman Jim Cooper, U.S. House of Representatives.  Dr. Wu received her B.A. from Harvard University and Ph.D. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University, with additional studies undertaken at the National Taiwan Normal University, University of Puerto Rico, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, China.