Noted Communications Expert Joins Aspen Institute International Digital Economy Accords Project

Gary Epstein to Serve as Managing Director and General Counsel

WASHINGTON, Nov. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program announced today that Gary M. Epstein joins the Aspen Institute International Digital Economy Accords (IDEA) Project as Managing Director and General Counsel.

The recently launched Aspen Institute IDEA Project is a year-long internationally inclusive project designed to identify ways to promote innovation and market access opportunities, foster the freedom to connect, preserve open end-to-end networks and facilitate the free flow of communications across borders on an open Internet.  Participants in the project include a select group of leaders from prominent internet and telecom companies and the non-profit sector.  The project has financial support from a consortium of charitable foundations.  

Effective immediately, Epstein will direct operations of the project under the auspices of the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program.  "Aspen is very fortunate to have the skills of this leading expert in the international communications field," said Charles M. Firestone, executive director of the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program.  "He complements the diverse talents of our other team members including IDEA Chairman Reed Hundt and Chief Policy Director Peter Cowhey."

Before joining the IDEA Project, Epstein was the founder and Global Chair of the Communications Practice Group of Latham & Watkins, a national and international law firm. He also served as team leader of the Economics and International Trade Team of President Barack Obama's Transition Team and as Executive Vice President of SkyTerra Communications, an advanced satellite company developing an integrated satellite-terrestrial communications network.  Epstein also served as Chief of the Common Carrier Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission.   He is a current member of the Commerce Department's Spectrum Advisory Committee.

"I am extremely excited and enthusiastic about joining the Aspen IDEA team," Epstein said.  "This project has the potential to advance the international open internet regime for many years to come."

The Communications and Society Program serves as a non-partisan venue for global leaders and experts to exchange insights on the societal impact of advances in digital technology and network communications. It also creates a multidisciplinary space in the communications policy-making world where veteran and emerging decision-makers can explore new concepts and develop new policy networks. www.aspeninstitute.org/c&s.

The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs, and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It also has an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

SOURCE The Aspen Institute