DMA To Co-Sponsor Internet Caucus Advisory Committee's 'State of the Net' Conference

February 2, 2006 – The Direct Marketing Association will co-sponsor the Internet Caucus Advisory Committee’s 2006 “State of the Net Conference,” which will be held in Washington, DC on Wednesday, February 8, 2006. The conference is hosted by the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee, a diverse group of public interest, nonprofit, and industry groups working to educate Congress and the public about important Internet-related policy issues.

The Congressional Internet Caucus is a bi-partisan group of over 170 members of the House and Senate working to educate their colleagues about the promise and potential of the Internet. Additional sponsors include Time Warner, the Center for Democracy and Technology, CompTIA, 463 Communications, Microsoft, Recording Industry Association of America, RSA Security, TRUSTe, VeriSign, Verizon.

First held in 2005, the State of the Net conference brings together public and private sector representatives, as well as leaders from academia and consumer advocacy groups to discuss technology trends and the enormous policy challenges which lawmakers, industry leaders, and citizens must confront and resolve.

“We are pleased to be able to lend our support to this event,” said Louis Mastria, DMA’s vice president for interactive and emerging media. “With the increasing convergence of communications technologies and continued exponential growth of the online world, it’s important to bring such a wide group of stakeholders together to take stock of where we are and look ahead to where we want to be.”

This year’s conference includes separate issue tracks that will provide targeted opportunities for the discussion of key issues that will shape the future of technology, the economy and society.

A track focused on trust, privacy, and security will explore growing concerns as more and more businesses, consumers, and systems rely upon the global Internet grid.

Another track will focus on protecting intellectual property and creative innovation, while a third track will look at how the internet has begun to subsume traditional communications technologies and how will policymakers will balance traditional regulatory policies with the decentralized nature of the Internet.

Keynote speakers include the Honorable Joe Barton (R-TX), Chair of the House Commerce Committee, the Honorable Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Internet Caucus Co-Chair, and Vinton Cerf of Google, widely regarded as a pioneer in the growth and development of the Internet.

Additional information is available online at http://www.netcaucus.org/conference/2006/.

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