After a Welcome and Introduction by Free State Foundation President Randolph J. May, Jeffrey Rosen, Deputy Attorney General of the United States, kicked things off with remarks that touched on technological innovation, antitrust, and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. Alden Abbott, General Counsel of the Federal Trade Commission, afterwards provided his Reactions.
Next up was FTC Commissioner Christine S. Wilson, who gave a speech entitled "Free Markets, Regulation, and Legislation: A Place for Everything, and Everything in Its Place." Commissioner Wilson discussed the benefits of free markets, competition, and deregulation; the "toxic outcomes" that can result from heavy-handed regulatory regimes; and the need for federal privacy and data security legislation. Two Members of FSF's Board of Academic Advisors – Theodore Bolema, Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of Economic Growth in the Department of Economics at Wichita State University, and Tim Brennan, Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Maryland – followed up with their Reactions to her remarks.
Robin Colwell, Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, gave the final keynote before the lunch break. Ms. Colwell discussed the critical role that broadband plays in the economy and Americans' lives; pending legislation; efforts to address the digital divide; and 5G. Michelle Connolly, Professor of the Practice of Economics, Duke University, and Member of FSF's Board of Academic Advisors, then offered her Reactions.
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