The Internet needs to grow another two orders of magnitude before it is as economic as it could and should be. If the Internet becomes completely commercialized, will usage saturate at a level below that best capable of serving all society needs?
Predictor: Branscomb, Lewis M.
Prediction, in context:The 1995 book “Public Access to the Internet,” edited by Brian Kahin and James Keller carries the chapter, “Balancing the Commercial and Public-Interest Visions of the NII” by Lewis Branscomb, director of the Program on Science, Technology and Public Policy at Harvard University and principal investigator of the Information Infrastructure Project. Branscomb writes: ”Network externalities: vital to both end-use value and to network economics: The Internet needs to grow another two orders of magnitude before it is as economic as it could and should be. If the Internet becomes completely commercialized, will usage saturate at a level below that best capable of serving all society needs?”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Information Infrastructure
Subtopic: Cost/Pricing
Name of publication: Public Access to the Internet (book)
Title, headline, chapter name: Balancing the Commercial and Public-Interest Visions of the NII
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 30
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Guarino, Jennifer Anne