The 2022 Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunications Union

Lead Instructor:  Jennifer Manner, Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for Echostar Corporation, and co-chair of the Commerce Dept. Spectrum Management Advisory Committee.
August 8-9, 2022, all day
Offered in person, Pittsburgh PA

This course will provide an overview of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), describe the role of the ITU’s Constitutional Conference known as the Plenipotentiary Conference in general, and discuss the issues before the upcoming 2022 Plenipotentiary Conference.  The course will begin with a short overview of the ITU, its history, its mission, and what it looks like today.  This includes a description of membership roles, organizational structure and why it is important, key issues the ITU is facing, how the ITU has continued to thrive for over 160 years, and how it operates vis-à-vis other international organizations.  This is followed by an overview of the Plenipotentiary Conference, which is the Constitutional Conference that is held every four years.  This course then focuses on the 2022 Conference, including its elections and the issues will likely arise including cyber security and internet governance.  Finally, the course provide a more detailed explanation the three sectors and their regular conferences:  (i) the Development sector, (ii) the Telecommunications sector, and (iii) and the Radiocommunications sectors.  There will be detailed case studies associated with each sector. Finally, the course will conclude with a short summary of where things are going in the future.

• This course is intended for people who wish to understand the upcoming ITU Plenipotentiary Conference.  It will be accessible to those with little prior knowledge of the ITU or the role of its Plenipotentiary, but after the introductory sections of the course, will delve into material that may interest those with greater knowledge.
• Upon completing the course, participants will have greater understanding of a variety of the Plenipotentiary in general, of the upcoming Plenipotentiary in particular, and of the workings of the ITU.
• No prior knowledge of the ITU or the Plenipotentiary Conference are assumed.  We only assume that participants are generally conversant in the kinds of telecommunications policy issues that might come before the ITU.
  
  

Approaches for Expanding Internet Connectivity

Lead instructor:  David Reed, Professor at University of Colorado and former Chief Strategy Officer of CableLabs
August 10-12, 2022, all day
Offered in person, Pittsburgh PA

This course focuses on digital divide issues in regions that lack Internet infrastructure, where the goal is to extend Internet connectivity to these often overlooked urban, rural, or remote areas. There are significant technical, economic, and regulatory issues associated with deploying Internet infrastructure to high-cost areas, and this course addresses this complex mix with the basic concepts that engaged regulators, policy makers and government decision makers need to know. It provides a concise primer of the different network technologies in use to provide residential broadband Internet access services using fiber, fixed and mobile wireless, hybrid fiber-coax, or satellite networks. The course then covers the economics of broadband networking by comparing the costs of different technical options to better understand circumstances that favor their deployment.  Based upon this engineering economic foundation of knowledge, the course then discusses key regulatory issues that can block or promote the deployments of broadband networks to tackle the digital divide. Policy topics covered include approaches to fund broadband universal service, the role of municipal networks, open access networks and the importance of supporting spectrum management policies.

• This course is intended for people with all levels of technical expertise involved in expansion of Internet infrastructure, whether their involvement is from government, industry, or non-governmental organizations.  
• Upon completing the course, participants will have greater understanding of a variety of technical, economic, and regulatory approaches to expanding Internet access, along with the pros and cons of each.
• No prior technical or policy knowledge is required.  Every participant will bring their own unique expertise and experience to the discussion.

1. CDC International Travel COVID Policy - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/international-travel-during-covid19.html
2. CMU Visitor COVID Policy - https://www.cmu.edu/coronavirus/visitor-protocol/index.html
3. Policy as of March 28.  We will comply with the CDC International Travel COVID and CMU Visitor COVID policies. These may change. Facial coverings both indoors and outdoors are optional for everyone who is up-to-date with respect to COVID-19 vaccinations (meaning fully vaccinated and boosted when eligible). Those who are not up-to-date on vaccinations must continue to follow mitigation measures, including wearing facial coverings while indoors.  Visitors coming to the CMU campus are expected to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including a booster when eligible, unless unable to be vaccinated due to a disability or strong religious/moral conviction.
4. Travel for in-person, including airfare, hotel, meals, ground transportation to and from airport, ground transportation to and from CMU, will be provided by the Center for Executive Education in Technology Policy
5. We expect the course to run in-person in Pittsburgh, but there is always a chance that the course may be cancelled due to an emergency, such as a dramatic and unexpected increase in COVID.  We will do everything we can to avoid this but if there is an emergency we will inform you as soon as possible.