9312415 Palmer This proposal requests partial support for the Twenty first Annual Telecommunications Policy Research Conference, scheduled for October 2 4 in Solomons, Maryland. The Conference convenes national and international scholars in basic and applied research from engineering, economics, operations research, law, communications and information science, and public policy; leaders in communications and information industries; specialists from public interest organizations; and government policymakers. Rapid growth in the field of communication and information science and policy from initiatives in high speed networking to changes in the traditional approach to communications and information regulation provides few opportunities for the research and public policy communities to exchange information. Yet the significant interaction between national and international policy, on the one hand, and the successful development and improvement of communications and information technology, on the other, are critical. The Conference seeks to facilitate communication of the results of the best available current basic and applied research on communications and information topics, and to foster the development of effective, coherent national and international communications and information policy. The Conference also seeks to develop a salient basic and applied research agenda for emerging issues, to encourage interdisciplinary research early in the basic research process, and to integrate basic and applied research from other countries. In addition, the Conference serves a highly effective educational role in informing and encouraging new young researchers in communications a nd information research policy.
