[There is a] need for a simple e-mail address system that gives every U.S. resident a “default” e-mail address by which they can be reached. Such a development would “jump start” a universal access system, because governmental and other organizations could then assume that “everyone” was reachable by this means and design procedures and systems accordingly … A simple e-mail address provision scheme should be developed giving every U.S. resident an e-mail address, perhaps based on a person’s physical address or telephone number.
Predictor: Anderson, Robert H.
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 research paper published for the RAND Publications Database, Robert H. Anderson, Tora K. Bikson, Sally Ann Law, Bridger M. Mitchell, Christopher Kedzie, Brent Keltner, Constantijn Panis, Joel Pliskin, Padmanabhan Srinagesh write about the feasibility of universal access to e-mail: ”[There is a] need for a simple e-mail address system that gives every U.S. resident a ‘default’ e-mail address by which they can be reached. Such a development would ‘jump start’ a universal access system, because governmental and other organizations could then assume that ‘everyone’ was reachable by this means and design procedures and systems accordingly. The advantages of this approach lead to our recommendation: A simple e-mail address provision scheme should be developed giving every U.S. resident an e-mail address, perhaps based on a person’s physical address or telephone number. If such a universal addressing scheme were developed, services would then be needed, at least in transition, to ‘migrate’ electronic materials received into paper form for persons not capable of, or not desiring to, access them electronically. Such services could be provided by third-party entrepreneurs or established agencies and companies such as the U.S. Postal Service or one’s local telephone service provider.”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Communication
Subtopic: General
Name of publication: Rand Publications Database
Title, headline, chapter name: Universal Access to E-mail: Feasibility and Societal Implications
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR650/sum.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney