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PolicyTracker Digital Dividend Conference
The European digital
dividend conference
4-5 March
2008, Le Châtelain, 17, rue du Châtelain, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
A handful
of European countries have now switched off terrestrial analogue TV broadcasts
but very few have set out detailed plans for the use of the released frequencies.
This digital dividend is the biggest release of spectrum for decades but many
of the key questions it raises are as yet unanswered:
•
How much
spectrum will become available?
•
Which technologies
can it be used for?
•
Are we likely
to see the harmonised pattern of regional usage which the European Comission
and others have called for?
•
What is
the politician's perspective on the digital dividend?
•
How many
countries will offer terrestrial HDTV?
•
What will
be the impact of proposals to use cognitive radio devices in the TV 'whitespace'?
•
How can
we protect the other UHF services like wireless microphones and the public
safety sector?
PolicyTracker's
third digital dividend conference will discuss these and other issues with
a distinguished group of speakers, including:
•
Philippe Lefebvre: Principal
Administrator, European Commission
• Fiona
Hall MEP, Member of ITRE Committee
• Matthew
Conway, Director of Operations, Spectrum Policy Group, Ofcom
• Ruediger
Hahn, head of the Telecoms and Frequency Regulation, BNetZa
• Richard
Feasey, Public Policy Director, Vodafone Group Services Limited
• Prof Martin
Cave, Warwick University Business School
• Aljo van
Dijken, chair of the CEPT TG4 digital dividend working group
The full
agenda is below, to register for this event, click here.
DAY 1 – Tuesday 4 March 2008
9.30 – 10.00 am
Registration
10.00 am
1: The Commission Communication on the digital dividend
An opportunity for the Commission to elaborate on the thinking behind their
recent policy statement on the digital dividend and for delegates to get first
hand responses to their questions.
Keynote presentation: (20 mins)
•
Philippe Lefebvre: Principal Administrator, European Commission*
10.20
-11.00 pm
Question and answer session with Philippe Lefebvre
11.00 –
11.15 Coffee break
11.15 – 12.15 pm
2. The politicians' view
Chair:
Ilsa Godlovitch, Head of Regulatory Affairs, ECTA*
The Commission’s proposals for the digital dividend will be the focus
of intense debate in the European Parliament and in the member states. How
are MEPs likely to react to the plans?
Speakers:
• Catherine Trautmann MEP*
• Fiona Hall MEP*
• Giles Chichester MEP*
12.15-1.00
pm
3. The US 700MHz auction: the lessons for Europe
• Bruce Olcott,
Partner, Squire Sanders Washington DC office*
• Karen Wrege, Wrege Associates, Washington DC*
1.00
pm: lunch
2.15
– 3.15 pm
4. Broadcasters’ perspective on the digital dividend
Chair: Martin Sims*, PolicyTracker
Government’s treatment of broadcasters, particularly public broadcasters,
has long been based on the argument that they provide social and cultural
benefits that the market alone would not provide. However, the debate in this
area is being upturned by the growing recognition of the economic value of
spectrum. Can broadcasters continue to fulfil their social functions if a
more market-oriented approach is applied to the analogue TV bands? And furthermore,
what do viewers and consumers think about this?
Speakers:
• Broadcaster’s view: Phil Laven, spectrum advisor, European
Broadcasting Union*
• Heiko Zysk, Prosiebensat1*
• Consumer perspective, Emilie Barrau, BEUC*
3.15
– 3.30 pm Coffee break
3.30-5.00
pm
5. European case studies
Is a harmonised approach to the digital dividend realistic in an EU with diverse
policy traditions, different penetration rates for the various platforms and
large variations in the progress towards digital switchover? How valuable
is a pan-European digital dividend when in some countries like Sweden and
Finland, which have completed analogue switchover, released frequencies are
theoretically available now, whereas in other member states they will not
be available until 2012? Can a single European approach be applied to countries
like Germany where political tradition gives regions control over allocating
broadcast frequencies?
Speakers:
• Sweden - Jonas Wessel, Head of Section, Spectrum Licensing and Trading,
PTS*
• UK – Matthew Conway, Ofcom*
5.00 pm Close
DAY 2 – Wednesday 5 March 2008
9.00
– 9.30
1. Keynote address:
Francois Rancy, Chairman WRC-07*
9.30
– 10.45 pm
2. Wireless broadband for all?
Are the WRC-07 agreement and the approach outlined in the European Commission’s
recent Digital Dividend Communication sufficient to deliver the dream of wireless
broadband for all? EU-wide access to harmonised UHF bands still looks unlikely,
but can patchy access create a big enough market? How essential is UHF to
the wireless sector’s future plans? Do the claims that UHF access can
bring broadband to all really stand up to close scrutiny?
Speakers:
• Roberto Ercole, GSMA*
• Catherine Smadja, BBC*
• Mikael Halén, Director Government & Industry Relations,
Ericsson*
• Wassim Chourbaji, Government Affairs: Europe, Middle East and
North Africa, Qualcomm*
• Christoph Legutko, Wireless Standards and Regulations
Manager, Intel*
10.45
– 11.00 am Coffee break
11.00
– 12.00
3. Economics of reallocation
Chair: Martin Sims, PolicyTracker*
As debate about the digital dividend intensifies economists are making competing
claims about the GDP benefits of the various policy approaches to the digital
dividend. This session will examine the underlying arguments.
Speakers:
• Colin Blackman/Simon Forge, SCF Associates*
• Nicola Frank, European Broadcasting Union *
• Richard Feasey, Public Policy Director, Vodafone Group Services
Limited*
12.00-1.00pm
4: Innovative approaches to spectrum management
Chair: Ann J LaFrance, European Partner, Squire Sanders
What other approaches should we be considering beyond simply auctioning the
digital dividend to the highest bidder? How can you ensure continued access
for companies so small they can’t afford to bid? How do we ensure most
effective use of public safety spectrum? Do we need to auction it all at once
–should some be held back for innovation?
Speakers
• Julian McGougan, Arqiva: band management*
• Mike Marcus, Marcus Spectrum Solutions: Public/Private partnership
in the US*
• Robert Horvitz, Open Spectrum Foundation: Unlicensed services and
the digital dividend*
1.00 – 2.00
Lunch
2 - 3 pm
5: A wider view of the digital dividend
Chair: Richard Womersley, Executive Consultant, Helios Technology Ltd*
What happens in UHF has ramifications far beyond the mobile industry and broadcasters.
There are the wireless microphone users and broadcasting ancillary services
who already use this spectrum, as well as public safety services and TV manufacturers.
For this latter group access to terrestrial HDTV is important as well as the
potential to use UHF for wireless connections.
Speakers
• Wolfgang Bilz, Applications Engineer, SHURE Europe*
• Paul Gill, JFMG*
• Renaud Di Francesco, Head of Europe Technology Standards, Sony*
• Cornelis Visser MEP* (rapporteur for the digital dividend on
the Culture and Education Committee)
3.00 – 3.15
Coffee break
3.15 - 4.30
6. The use of cognitive radio devices in broadcasting ‘white space’
Chair: Richard Womersley, Executive Consultant, Helios Technology
Ltd*
To what extend should the growing commercial interest in broadband wireless
devices operating in used broadcasting frequencies change our thinking about
the digital dividend? Should Europe’s regulators following the example
of the US in seeking to licence these devices as soon as possible?
Speakers:
• Aljo van Dijken, Radio Communications Agency Netherlands: CEPT view
of whitespace cognitive radio devices*
• Gary Tonge, consultant to Microsoft*
• Alan March, Business Development Sennheiser UK & British
Entertainment Radio Group spokesperson*
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