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March 16, 2010
Policy Impact Forum - Washington DC
On Tuesday, March 16, VeriSign hosted a Policy Impact Forum headlined by President Bill Clinton, also featuring a keynote address by Dr. Fareed Zakaria. More than 300 attendees participated in the forum, which was part of a larger industry-wide campaign led by VeriSign recognizing 25 years of Internet innovation.
In recognition of the first .com domain name, registered in March 1985, VeriSign brought together .com stakeholders – including Internet luminaries, online businesses, policymakers and more – to look at how far the consumer Internet has come, while seeking to better understand the opportunities and challenges of the .com domain of the future.
President Clinton headlined the high-profile series of speakers and panelists to appear at the Policy Impact forum. President Clinton's speech described the challenge of globalization in a .com world, emphasized our growing interdependence on one another, and pointed the way toward a common future based on shared goals and values.
The day's first panel, moderated by author and journalist Kevin Maney, looked at how .com has transformed society since its infancy to become the vital tool we've all come to rely on today. Panelists included:
- Rob Atkinson, founder and president, Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF)
- Rod Beckstrom, president and CEO, ICANN)
- Reed Hundt, former chairman, Federal Communications Commission)
- Mo Rocca, author, actor and humorist)
The panelists engaged in a lively discussion about how .com has changed our lives, our economy - health, education, commerce, among others - and the way we think and act based on findings from a new economic impact study, released on Monday by the ITIF.
Guests for the second roundtable, moderated by Kara Swisher, author and co-executive editor of D: All Things Digital, took a look into the crystal ball to describe what they saw as the next game-changing .com breakthroughs and what they believe the next generation of .com might hold in store. Panelists included:
- Aneesh Chopra, assistant to the president and Federal CTO
- Arianna Huffington, co-founder & editor-in-chief, The Huffington Post
- Ken Silva, CTO of VeriSign
- Fred Wilson, Managing Partner, Union Square Ventures
The panelists discussed the potential impact of new innovations and how they will further alter how we work, live and play - and date, shop, invest and more. Moreover, they discussed the policy implications for .com in the future, and the infrastructure that will be needed to support its growth and sustained vitality.
Closing out the day, Dr. Fareed Zakaria offered an outlook on the next 25 years of .com and its impact on our global economy.
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Events
- Policy Impact Forum - Washington, DC
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