Harold Furchtgott-Roth

Senior Fellow and Director, Center for the Economics of the Internet

harold_furchtgott_roth

At A Glance:

Harold Furchtgott-Roth, former commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.

Biography

Harold Furchtgott-Roth, former commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, where he founded the Center on the Economics of the Internet and helped cofound the Forum for Intellectual Property. He is an adjunct professor of law at Brooklyn Law School and president of Furchtgott-Roth Economic Enterprises, an economic consulting firm. He has cofounded various businesses in the communications sector.

Dr. 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, Dr. 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 and columns have been widely published. He is a member of the Legal Policy Advisory Board for the Washington Legal Foundation.

Dr. Furchtgott-Roth received a PhD in economics from Stanford University and an SB in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

 

Events
17
July 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Senator Marsha Blackburn on AI, Online Safety, and Data Privacy
Featured Speakers:
Senator Marsha Blackburn
Harold Furchtgott-Roth
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17
July 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Senator Marsha Blackburn on AI, Online Safety, and Data Privacy

Hudson’s Center for the Economics of the Internet will welcome Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) to speak about pressing digital safety issues facing Congress. 

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Featured Speakers:
Senator Marsha Blackburn
Harold Furchtgott-Roth
07
April 2025
Past Event
Evolving Issues in Regulation of Digital Platforms: A View from the UK and EU
Featured Speakers:
Professor Suzanne Rab
Harold Furchtgott-Roth
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07
April 2025
Past Event
Evolving Issues in Regulation of Digital Platforms: A View from the UK and EU

Join Hudson for a discussion on European Union and United Kingdom competition and regulatory authorities’ increasing focus on digital platforms. 

Getty images
Featured Speakers:
Professor Suzanne Rab
Harold Furchtgott-Roth
26
March 2025
Past Event
Bending the Defense Cost Curve
Featured Speakers:
David Chu
Harold Furchtgott-Roth
Dvids Hub
26
March 2025
Past Event
Bending the Defense Cost Curve

Experts discuss how the Pentagon can address political and cultural obstacles to spending reform.

Dvids Hub
Featured Speakers:
David Chu
Harold Furchtgott-Roth
04
November 2024
Past Event
Navigating GPS Vulnerabilities: Implications for US Economic and National Security
Featured Speakers:
Nathan Simington
Robert M. McDowell
Dana Goward
Todd Humphreys
Zak Kassas
Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery
Moderator:
Harold Furchtgott-Roth
U.S. Space Force Tech. Sgt. Vince Couch, 527th Space Aggressor Squadron (SAS), conducts Global Positioning System (GPS) electromagnetic interference training with a GPS electromagnetic attack system at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado, July 18, 2023. (DVIDS)
04
November 2024
Past Event
Navigating GPS Vulnerabilities: Implications for US Economic and National Security

To explain the challenges facing GPS and how Washington can solve them, Hudson will host an event with several leading authorities on GPS.

U.S. Space Force Tech. Sgt. Vince Couch, 527th Space Aggressor Squadron (SAS), conducts Global Positioning System (GPS) electromagnetic interference training with a GPS electromagnetic attack system at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado, July 18, 2023. (DVIDS)
Featured Speakers:
Nathan Simington
Robert M. McDowell
Dana Goward
Todd Humphreys
Zak Kassas
Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery
Moderator:
Harold Furchtgott-Roth