If we believe so mightily that our national future is very much wrapped up in computing and telecommunications – and that especially research and education are going to have to be improved mightily for us to compete – then we ought to be thinking a lot more carefully than we are now about which portion of telecommunications should be government-provided/subsidized/regulated and which portion pure profit-and-loss commercial.
Predictor: Hughes, Dave
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 Dave Hughes, a telecommunications pioneer. Karraker writes: ”As Hughes terms it, ‘I am concerned about the U.S. mind-set, which, without thinking, says that the ‘private sector’ should provide telecommunications in the U.S. simply because that is the way it always has been, while in a couple other key areas – sewage, highways, and education – that is not the case. If we believe so mightily that our national future is very much wrapped up in computing and telecommunications – and that especially research and education are going to have to be improved mightily for us to compete – then we ought to be thinking a lot more carefully than we are now about which portion of telecommunications should be government provided/subsidized/regulated and which portion pure profit-and-loss commercial.'”
Biography:Dave Hughes created the first free, modem dial-up, electronic democracy bulletin-board system in the world. It soon challenged and altered the way local city-wide politics were conducted. It was colorfully named “Roger’s Bar.” Within five years the world’s press had beaten a path to Hughes’ home to report on, and encourage others to adopt an entirely new model of “electronic democracy” Ð a model that could be adopted in any small town in America. Wired magazine said he was the best-known personality on the Internet in 1993. Microtimes Magazine named Hughes one of the 100 most influential individuals in the Computer Age six times between 1990 and 1996. (Pioneer/Originator.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1991
Topic of prediction: Information Infrastructure
Subtopic: Role of Govt./Industry
Name of publication: Whole Earth Revue
Title, headline, chapter name: Highways of the Mind or Toll Roads Between Information Castles?
Quote Type: Direct 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