What scares me, is if the phone or cable companies control the content that travels over the fiberoptic lines or cable … If that happens, it would be hard for anyone but big commercial concerns to get information out there.
Predictor: Roberts, Eric
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 article for The San Francisco Chronicle, Peter Sinton quotes Eric Roberts of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility. Sinton writes: ”‘How we provide access to people with all sorts of diverse needs is a critical issue,’ said Eric Roberts, president of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility and associate chairman of Stanford University’s computer science department. Another danger is that those who build the information highway may restrict what travels on it. ‘What scares me,’ said Roberts, ‘is if the phone or cable companies control the content that travels over the fiberoptic lines or cable.’ He fears that the antitrust clock may be rolling back. Monopolies, like the railroads a century ago, might be able to dominate the network, limiting access and controlling prices. ‘If that happens,’ he said, ‘it would be hard for anyone but big commercial concerns to get information out there.'”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Information Infrastructure
Subtopic: Role of Govt./Industry
Name of publication: San Francisco Chronicle
Title, headline, chapter name: Perils Await the Unwary on the Cyber-Frontier
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?_m=61282d07c016320bb392cb6af1b493c...
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney