One role for government is to ensure interconnectivity between competing network providers. It may also be important for governments to provide the regulatory framework for in-line accounting and billing. Whether protocols for actually implementing accounting and billing should be defined by a public body or an industry consortium is not immediately obvious … A pricing standard must contain enough information to encourage efficient use of network bandwidth, and contain information for accounting and billing. A privatized network is simply not viable without such standards: work should start immediately on developing them
Predictor: MacKie-Mason, Jeffrey K.
Prediction, in context:The 1995 book “Public Access to the Internet,” edited by Brian Kahin and James Keller carries the chapter, “Pricing the Internet” by Jeffrey K. MacKie-Mason and Hal R. Varian. MacKie is an associate professor of economics and Varian is a professor of economics at the University of Michigan. They write: ”One role for government is to ensure interconnectivity between competing network providers. It may also be important for governments to provide the regulatory framework for in-line accounting and billing. Whether protocols for actually implementing accounting and billing should be defined by a public body or an industry consortium is not immediately obvious … A pricing standard must contain enough information to encourage efficient use of network bandwidth, and contain information for accounting and billing. A privatized network is simply not viable without such standards: work should start immediately on developing them”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Information Infrastructure
Subtopic: Role of Govt./Industry
Name of publication: Public Access to the Internet (book)
Title, headline, chapter name: Pricing the Internet
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 300
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Guarino, Jennifer Anne