[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 137 (Wednesday, July 17, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46957-46958]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-17956]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Notice, Roundtable on Convergence of Communications Technologies
AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration,
Department of Commerce
[[Page 46958]]
ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting
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SUMMARY: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA) will host a morning roundtable to address issues relating to the
convergence of communications technologies, including the Telephone
Number Mapping (ENUM) Protocol that facilitates convergence between the
Internet and the public-switched telephone network. The roundtable will
address how such convergence technologies function, alternatives to
ENUM in the competitive marketplace, and policy issues including
privacy and security that may arise with use of such convergence
technologies.
DATES: The roundtable will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday,
August 14, 2002.
ADDRESSES: The roundtable will be held at the U.S. Department of
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., in Room
4830. (Entrance to the Department of Commerce is on 14th Street between
Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues.) The roundtable will be open to
the public. To facilitate entry into the Department of Commerce, please
have a photo identification and/or a U.S. Government building pass, if
applicable.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wendy Lader, Office of Policy Analysis
and Development, NTIA, telephone (202) 482-1150, or electronic mail:
[email protected]. Media inquiries should be directed to the Office
of Public Affairs, NTIA, at (202) 482-7002.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Traditionally, different communications
networks and services have required separate addresses or numbers, such
as an e-mail address, a telephone number, a fax number, or a cell phone
number. Convergence technologies, such as ENUM, Voice-over-IP, and
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), now facilitate or promise to
facilitate voice and other communications across these various
architectures. ENUM, for example, is intended to map a telephone number
from the public-switched telephone network (PSTN) to the Domain Name
System (DNS) on the Internet. This mapping system may make it possible
to reach a user via e-mail, fax, or phone using the standard telephone
number (e.164 number) as the universal communications identifier.
NTIA's morning roundtable will address issues regarding such
convergence technologies. As the principal adviser to the President on
telecommunications and information policies, NTIA is vested with
``[t]he authority to conduct studies and make recommendations
concerning the impact of the convergence of computer and communications
technology'' 47 U.S.C. Sec. 902(M). The roundtable will explore the
range of existing or developing convergence technologies, how they may
be used, and their implications for consumer data privacy and security.
This dialogue with leading U.S. experts in the field will help the U.S.
government, among other things, prepare for discussions in
international fora. Issues relating specifically to ENUM are currently
being addressed in other venues, including the International
Telecommunication Union, the Internet Engineering Task Force, and the
ENUM Forum.
To solicit views from selected roundtable participants, the morning
roundtable will be divided into two parts. The tentative agenda is as
follows:
1 pm to 2:30 pm--Convergence Technologies: Their Viability and
Utility in a Competitive Marketplace
2:45 pm to 4:15 pm--Privacy, Security, Authentication, and other
Policy Issues Relating to Convergence Technologies
4:15 pm to 5 pm--Audience Question and Answer Session
The first session will address such questions as: (1) how the
various convergence technologies function, including results from
existing testbeds; (2) possible applications of convergence
technologies; (3) how ENUM or similar systems would be introduced and
implemented in the U.S., including how such systems could open to
competition; and (4) whether and how convergence technologies and
systems can co-exist.
The second session will address policy issues, particularly in the
areas of privacy, security, and authentication, including: (1) what
privacy measures might be necessary to protect individual data
collected through the use of convergence technologies; (2) whether
privacy protections are better left to the competitive marketplace or
should be standardized; (3) what security precautions might be
necessary to protect user data; and (4) what authentication and
authorization requirements might be necessary to ensure the identity of
the user.
A final, updated copy of the agenda will be available on NTIA's
webpage at http://www.ntia.doc.gov before the roundtable.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: This meeting will be open to the public.
Seating for public attendees is limited and is available on a first-
come, first-served basis. The roundtable will be physically accessible
to people with disabilities. Any member of the public wishing to attend
and requiring special services, such as sign language interpretation or
other ancillary aids, should contact Wendy Lader at least three (3)
days prior to the meeting via the contact information provided above.
Dated: July 12, 2002.
Kathy D. Smith,
Chief Counsel, National Telecommunications and Information
Administration.
[FR Doc. 02-17956 Filed 7-16-02; 8:45 am]
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