Obligating service providers to offer subscriptions to large classes of customers at low rates that are financed by contributions from other services, a policy that was successfully used in the telephone industry for many years, is unlikely to succeed in the competitive messaging industry. Instead, e-mail assistance will require public funding from an industrywide tax or from general revenues. Subsidies will need to be narrowly targeted to reach consumers who would not otherwise subscribe.
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: ”Although e-mail penetration is expanding rapidly, some program of economic assistance to marginal consumers may be necessary to achieve universal levels of services. Obligating service providers to offer subscriptions to large classes of customers at low rates that are financed by contributions from other services, a policy that was successfully used in the telephone industry for many years, is unlikely to succeed in the competitive messaging industry. Instead, e-mail assistance will require public funding from an industrywide tax or from general revenues. Subsidies will need to be narrowly targeted to reach consumers who would not otherwise subscribe.”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Communication
Subtopic: E-mail
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/mr650.ch4/ch4.html#ch4.h6
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney