The prediction, in brief:

Whatever infrastructure we create should incorporate a notion of “universal digital service,” much as AT&T pioneered, and which later became national policy, with respect to voice telephony in the early 20th century. Everyone should be able to connect to the Net.

Predictor: Kapor, Mitchell

Prediction, in context:

In a 1991 article for The Whole Earth Review, a quarterly magazine of access to tools and ideas, Roger Karraker discusses the Internet, quoting Mitch Kapor. Karraker writes:”Mitch Kapor, the co-founder of Lotus Computing and the president of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, also believes that universal access should be a central tenet of any national network policy. ‘Whatever infrastructure we create,’ Kapor says, ‘should incorporate a notion of “universal digital service,” much as AT&T pioneered, and which later became national policy, with respect to voice telephony in the early 20th century. Everyone should be able to connect to the Net.'”

Biography:

Mitchell Kapor founded the Lotus Development Corporation and also founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation with WELL (Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link) members John Perry Barlow and John Gilmore in 1990 in direct response to a threat to free speech. He was an outspoken supporter of open access to the Internet, and was asked to speak in many venues about the issue, including Congressional hearings. (Pioneer/Originator.)

Date of prediction: January 1, 1991

Topic of prediction: Information Infrastructure

Subtopic: Universal Service

Name of publication: Whole Earth Revue

Title, headline, chapter name: Highways of the Mind or Toll Roads Between Information Castles?

Quote Type: Partial quote

Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.eff.org/Net_culture/Criticisms/hiways_of_mind.article

This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Stotler, Larry