Economy
Harold Furchtgott-Roth
Former commissioner of the U.S. House Committee on Commerce and the Federal Communications Commission
Harold Furchtgott-Roth, former commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, where he founded the Center on the Economics of the Internet and cofounded the Forum for Intellectual Property. He is an adjunct professor of law at Brooklyn Law School and the University of Baltimore. He is president of Furchtgott-Roth Economic Enterprises, an economic consulting firm. He has cofounded various businesses in the communications sector.
Mr. Furchtgott-Roth is the only economist to have served on the Federal Communications Commission. Nominated by President Clinton, he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. Previously, he was chief economist for the House Committee on Commerce where he was one of the principal staff members on legislation that became the Telecommunications Act of 1996. He has testified several times to Congress and has served on federal advisory committees.
Widely recognized as an expert in economics and the communications industry, Mr. Furchtgott-Roth has consulted to scores of different businesses and served on various advisory boards over the past two decades. He is the author or coauthor of four books and many research publications. His hundreds of op-eds have been widely published.
Abstract of Keynote Speech
24. 10. 2023
Improving the Lives of the Poorest of the Poor
It is easy to imagine technological advancement as creating new products and services that benefit a wealthy population. But recent technological innovations have likely had a much greater effect on improving the lives of the poor. A generation ago, roughly 40 percent of the world’s population lived on a bare subsistence existence. By 2020, roughly only 10 percent of the world’s population was at the same subsistence level. Most of the world’s population still live in poverty of a few dollars a day, but these income levels are still advances on a generation ago. For the poorest of the poor, the past generation has likely seen the greatest economic advancement in human history. The Smart Life Summit 2023 conference will highlight many of the technologies that have helped reduce poverty in the past generation, and new innovations in the pipeline that will help the poor in generations to come. These technologies include: artificial intelligence, health, energy, security, mobility, and sustainability