Introduction from moderator:
Two books have recently been published about the social and political
implications of the information infrastructure. I reviewed the first
one and think it's excellent. I don't know anything about the second.
Andy
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
CIVILIZING CYBERSPACE:
Policy, Power, and the Information Superhighway
By Steven E. Miller
Addison-Wesley, Nov. 1995
The Information Superhighway explained! This is the book that lets
the rest of us finally understand what it is, what impact it will
have, and what we can do to shape our own future. What is behind the
headline-grabbing mega-mergers of media companies besides speculative
grabbing after windfall profits? Will deregulation and competition
lead to widespread service, lower costs, and consumer satisfaction or
information red-lining, higher prices, and teleconglomerate monopoly?
Who will benefit and who will be hurt if the U.S. uses high tech for
competitive advantage in the global market? Is the Internet a hot bed
of pornography and crime, or a tool for learning and democratic power?
Miller weaves together business trends, political economy, American
history, technological savvy, and an awareness of our every-day needs
to focus on the issues that really matter and to make the choices
clear. Readable, comprehensive, and insightful--Civilizing
Cyberspace is for non-technical people as well as computer
professionals, ordinary citizens as well as official policy-makers.
Civilizing Cyberspace explains:
* how universal service can be achieved, while avoiding the
creation of information "haves and have nots"
* what is necessary to protect privacy and prevent the erosion
of free speech and civil liberties
* what we can do to protect our standard of living in a
multi-national economy,
* how telecommunications can be used to strengthen democracy
and community rather than as simply a new method of media
manipulation.
Steven E. Miller has been the editor-in-chief of Lotus Magazine, the
Science Commentator for the Emmy-award winning TV show, One Norway
Street, and the recipient of awards for his leadership in using
technology to improve government operations. He has been a community
organizer and history teacher, and is currently on the national Board
of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR).
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
[This notice may be redistributed in its
entirety where appropriate]
THE NEW INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE:
STRATEGIES FOR U.S. POLICY
William J. Drake, editor
Department of Communication
University of California, San Diego
A Twentieth Century Fund Book
448 pages, publication date September 1995
In this volume, communications and information analysts address some of
the major policy issues involved in the development of the National
Information Infrastructure (NII) and the Global Information
Infrastructure (GII). For example:
*Will the NII be designed primarily to serve the demands of
major corporate suppliers and customers? Or will it be flexibly
configured so that small businesses, nonprofit organizations,
individual users, and others can draw on networked information
resources with the same ease as in the Internet environment?
Should the NII be governed by a purely commercial policy model or
by a mixed commercial/noncommercial policy model?
*What sort of balance should be struck between deregulation
and public interest safeguards? Is removing barriers to market entry
and other rules sufficient to promote a truly competitive
and open NII, or are other measures required? Are the Clinton
administration or the Republican-led U.S. Congress on the right track?
*As the boundaries between national economies erode with the
spread of global networks, trade, and investment, how can
countries move beyond separately defined and potentially
incompatible NIIs to the development of a publicly accessible and
fully interoperable GII ? Can different national approaches be
reconciled? Are existing multilateral institutions adequate to the task
of global governance in such arenas as telecommunications regulation
and standardization, transborder information flows, and international
trade in services?
----TABLE OF CONTENTS---
[an annotated version describing the chapters can be
found at http://communication.ucsd.edu/wdrake/fundbook.html]
Introduction. "The Turning Point"
---William J. Drake, University of California, San Diego
PART I. THE NEW POLICY ENVIRONMENT
Ch. 1. "Beyond Telecommunications Liberalization: Past Performance,
Present Hype, and Future Direction"
---Eli M. Noam, Columbia University
Ch. 2."Information Infrastructure and the Transformation of
Manufacturing"
---Francois Bar, University of California, San Diego
Ch. 3. "The Globalization of Telecommunications and Information"
---Linda Garcia, U.S. Office of Technology Assessment
Appendix. "Telecommunications Technology for the Twenty-first
Century"
---Richard J. Solomon, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
PART II. POLICIES FOR THE NATIONAL INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE
Ch. 4. "Reforming the U.S. Telecommunications Policymaking
Process"
---Henry Geller, The Markle Foundation
Ch. 5. "Technology Policy and the National Information Infrastructure"
---Lee McKnight, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
---W. Russell Neuman, Tufts University
Ch. 6. "The Social Consequences of Liberalization and Corporate
Control in Telecommunications"
---Herbert S. Dordick, University of California, San Diego
PART III. POLICIES FOR THE GLOBAL INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE
Ch. 7. "Building the Global Information Highway: Toll Booths,
Construction Contracts, and Rules of the Road"
---Peter F. Cowhey, University of California, San Diego
Ch. 8. "Why the Global Village Cannot Afford Information Slums"
---Bruno Lanvin, United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development
Ch. 9. "Multilateral Cooperation in Telecommunications:
Implications of the Great Transformation"
---Anthony M. Rutkowski, The Internet Society
Ch. 10. "Information Flows on the Global Infobahn:
Toward New U.S. Policies"
---Joel R. Reidenberg, Fordham University
Ch. 11. "International Trade in Information-based Services:
The Uruguay Round and Beyond"
---Kalypso Nicolaidis, Harvard University
PART IV. OUTLOOK AND CONCLUSION
Ch. 12. "The National Information Infrastructure Debate:
Issues, Interests, and the Congressional Process"
---William J. Drake, University of California, San Diego
Conclusion. "Policies for the National and Global Information
Infrastructures"
---William J. Drake, University of California, San Diego
__________________________________________________
The Twentieth Century Fund sponsors and supervises timely analyses of
economic policy, foreign affairs, and domestic political issues.
Not-for-profit and nonpartisan, the Fund was founded in 1919 and endowed
by Edward A. Filene.
The New Information Infrastructure: Strategies for U.S. Policy,
published by The Twentieth Century Fund Press, is available in softcover
for $14.95. Shipping and handling is $3.00 for the first book + $.50
for each additional book. Individuals must include payment or credit
card authorization with order.
To order, call 1-800-275- 1447, or mail your order to:
The Twentieth Century Fund
Order Department
41 East 70th Street
New York, NY 10021
~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~-~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~
Posted by -- Andrew Oram -- •••@••.••• -- Cambridge, Mass., USA
Moderator: CYBER-RIGHTS (CPSR)
World Wide Web:
http://jasper.ora.com/andyo/cyber-rights/cyber-rights.html
http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~hwh6k/public/cyber-rights.html
FTP:
ftp://jasper.ora.com/pub/andyo/cyber-rights
You are encouraged to forward and cross-post messages and online materials,
pursuant to any contained copyright & redistribution restrictions.
~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~-~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=~
