Three Years On: Evaluating The Impact of The WTO's Basic Telecommunications Agreement: A Focus on Mexico and South Africa
 
CITI Panel Discussion
310 Warren Hall, Columbia Business School

April 30, 2001
5:00 to 7:00pm

About the Workshop

The 1998 WTO’s GATS agreement to open markets and liberalize trade in telecommunications services, signified an opportunity to introduce global competition. Yet, many have criticized the agreement for its vague standards and imprecise guidelines. With a growing list of countries cited by the USTR for alleged anti-competitive and discriminatory practices, these criticisms are coming under increasing scrutiny. Can incumbent monopolies thwart the GATS objectives by virtue of their market power? Is the pace of reform quick enough in light of convergence? Are the rules of fair play too vague to be of value? Will the WTO offer satisfactory enforcement of commitments? Is time running out for meaningful competition to be established in small markets? Can domestic policy goals in developing countries be fully realized under the agreement?

A panel of experts drawn from industry, academia, and government will consider both the praise and criticisms leveled against the agreement and consider its effectiveness in an increasingly competitive sector. By focusing on the specific cases of Mexico and South Africa, the panel will examine the impact of the agreement on international telecommunications companies. Panelists will include:

  • Tracy Cohen, Graduate Research Fellow, CITI and Center for Innovation Law and Policy, University of Toronto.
  • William J. Drake, Senior Associate, The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
  • Merit Janow, Professor, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University.
  • Adriana Labardini, Communications Counsel, Mexico.
  • Jonathan McHale, Director for Telecommunications Policy, USTR.
  • Laura B. Sherman, Communications Counsel, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison.
  • James Talbot, Senior Attorney, AT&T Corp.

The panel will be chaired by Eli Noam, Professor and Director - CITI, Columbia Business School.

RSVP: events@vii.org or (212) 854-4222.

Directions to Warren Hall:
Warren Hall is located on Amsterdam and 116th Street. (Just south of 116th, on the east side of Amsterdam) Take bus lines (M4, M11, M5, M104) or the subways (the Broadway IRT #1 and #9 locals) 116th Street.

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