The cause of democracy requires diversity, openness, and widespread access to telecommunications. At a minimum this means the avoidance of monopolies. But more fundamentally, it means common-carrier regulation and the associated technical standards, so that everyone can produce content in all media as well as consuming it. Is the future going to look like the Internet? Now is the time when we, the people, make this choice.
Predictor: Agre, Phil
Prediction, in context:The February 1994 issue of The Network Observer, an online newsletter, carries lead-in titled “Issues and Openness” by Phil Agre, TNO editor, who was, at the time, working in the Department of Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles. Agre writes:”The cause of democracy requires diversity, openness, and widespread access to telecommunications. At a minimum this means the avoidance of monopolies. But more fundamentally, it means common carrier regulation and the associated technical standards, so that everyone can produce content in all media as well as consuming it. Is the future going to look like the Internet? Now is the time when we, the people, make this choice.”
Biography:Phillip E. Agre was an associate professor of information studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, and has been the author of research studies on the Internet. He edited The Network Observer, an online newsletter on Internet issues. (Research Scientist/Illuminator.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1994
Topic of prediction: Information Infrastructure
Subtopic: Open Access
Name of publication: The Network Observer
Title, headline, chapter name: Issues and Openness
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://dlis.gseis.ucla.edu/people/pagre/tno/february-1994.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Guarino, Jennifer Anne