Protocols for Policymakers, or PfP, is a unique new public education initiative sponsored by Packet Clearing House, a pioneering not-for-profit research institute that has been designing institutions and infrastructure that support global Internet development since 1993.
Each PfP event will bring together a mix of senior technologists, Policymakers, and prominent opinion leaders from other, related sectors, for focused and candid discussions on critical, cross-cutting issues of Internet technical administration, national policy priorities, and global economic development. Each PfP event will be scheduled in conjunction with a major technical or policy conference, to further encourage cross-pollination of ideas and insights between critical but often mutually under-informed groups. Through a combination of focused, thematic presentations, targeted participation, and a meeting structure intentionally designed to encourage open dialogue, PfP will foster an environment that actively encourages the kind of creative problem solving that will be essential to realizing the full potential of the emerging global information economy.
Although some people feel that the upcoming final World Summit on Information Society in Tunis will mark the end of the "Internet Governance" controversies, we believe that it is just the beginning of an important and continuous dialogue. The Internet is rapidly achieving the kind of global economic significance that propelled issues of international trade and finance to the forefront of international policy thinking in the 1970s and 1980s. Just as accelerating globalization of the conventional economy demanded greater understanding of such issues from a broader base of direct and indirect stake holders, so too is the Internet's increasing salience recommending a stronger baseline understanding among Policymakers and opinion leaders from other fields, and indeed the broader public. PCH looks forward to working with a broad range of stakeholders to address this important public education agenda.
Institutions interested in learning more about hosting or co-sponsoring future PfP events are encouraged to write to pfp-sponsor@pch.net.
